Smoothies are a great way to add healthy, satisfying calories to lower calorie meals. And this pineapple smoothie recipe makes a simple beverage from just a few readily available ingredients.
The coconut milk and coconut water bring a tropical element to the revitalizing flavor of the pineapple. Topping this smoothie off with added vanilla complements the sweetness of the pineapple and coconut, making it a burst of sweet and aromatic flavors that refresh the palate.
What Makes This Smoothie Thick?
Start with fresh pineapples and bananas. Fresh fruit often carries more flavor than the pre-frozen batch you can buy at the supermarket. Then carefully peel and cut them into chunks and transfer the chunks into Ziploc bags. Leave them in the freezer overnight, or for at least 8 hours. These will help you get a thick smoothie without having to add ice cubes.
Along with this step, you can also freeze half of the coconut water into cubes overnight. This is optional but further guarantees a thicker consistency to your pineapple smoothie.
How to Make a Pineapple Smoothie
With only six ingredients, this Pineapple Smoothie is quick and easy to make. It’s so simple you can even put together ingredients for the week and blend it every morning (with any of your own adjustments of course!)
Simply combine the frozen and liquid ingredients. We prefer to have at least half the coconut water in liquid form to achieve a slightly fluid consistency— one that’s easier to sip through a straw.
If you find your smoothie to be too thick for your liking, just add more coconut water as you go along. Otherwise, we found the consistency to be smooth and pleasantly creamy.
What Makes This Pineapple Smoothie Healthy?
To begin with, this pineapple smoothie provides 11% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of dietary fiber. Fiber from fruits aids in gastrointestinal health to prevent complications such as constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Over time, this leads to better weight management and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This pineapple smoothie also provides over 50% of the RDI of vitamin C. Vitamin C, found in pineapples, bananas, coconut milk, and coconut water, helps to produce collagen and maintain connective tissue. It’s an ascorbic acid that we can only get from our diet, as we can’t produce it in our bodies.
Finally, to complete a healthy dose of nutrients, this beverage provides almost 20% of the RDI of vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine). Among several other benefits, a high intake of pyridoxine may lower the risk of heart disease by assisting in controlling the level of amino acids in the blood associated with heart problems. At first glance, you may think of this beverage as an easy go-to, but look again and you will see a wealth of health benefits too!
Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz pineapple cut into chunks and frozen
- 8 oz bananas sliced and frozen
- 1/2 cup coconut water
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cut pineapples and bananas into bite-sized chunks. Transfer into a Ziploc bag and freeze overnight, or for at least 8 hours until frozen.
- Add frozen pineapples and bananas, coconut water, coconut milk, honey, and vanilla into a blender and blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and serve.
Nutrition
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