Recipes · Drinks
Hulk Green Smoothie for Kids (Spinach You Can’t Taste)
Bright green, but it tastes like mango and pineapple. Let the kids drop the spinach in and watch the colour change.
Green smoothies sound like a hard sell to a picky eater, until they taste one. The fruit does all the talking here: mango, pineapple and banana make it sweet with no added sugar, and the spinach disappears completely. The only thing that gives it away is the colour, which most children love once you call it a Hulk smoothie.
Let them watch the magic
Children are curious about the colour change. Let your child drop the spinach into the blender with the milk and watch it turn green. A child who put the spinach in is far more likely to drink it than a child who was told it is "healthy".
Tips for a smooth smoothie
- Blend the spinach with the liquid first, so no leafy bits are left.
- Frozen fruit makes it thick and cold without ice.
- Too thick? Add a splash more milk. Too thin? A few more pieces of frozen mango.
Make-ahead smoothie packs
Put the spinach, banana, mango, pineapple and avocado for one smoothie into a freezer bag. In the morning, tip it into the blender, add milk and blend. Packs keep for up to 2 months.
A note on portions
Serve a smoothie with a meal or snack, not as a replacement for water through the day. For toddlers, half a glass is plenty.
Hulk Green Smoothie
- Serves 1–2
- Prep 5 min
- Cook 0 min
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
- No added sugar
- Ages 3–12
Kids can help: Drop the spinach into the blender and guess what colour it will turn.
Ingredients
- 1 large handful (about 1 cup / 30 g) baby spinach
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk, oat milk or coconut water
- ½ banana, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup (80 g) frozen mango chunks
- ½ cup (80 g) frozen pineapple chunks
- ¼ ripe avocado (optional, for creaminess)
Method
- Put the milk and spinach in the blender and blend until no leafy bits are left.
- Add the banana, mango, pineapple and avocado.
- Blend until completely smooth, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
- Add a splash more milk if it is too thick. Pour and serve straight away.
Tip: Make freezer packs with everything except the milk: in the morning, tip one into the blender, add milk and blend.
Allergens: Milk if using cow’s milk; oats if using oat milk. Check labels on bought ingredients. Cooking with heat, knives and blenders is a grown-up job.
