Enjoy a taste of a tropical vacation from home with this delicious, easy Tropical Smoothie recipe! Loads of tasty tropical flavors and ideas of how to change it up with YOUR favorite ingredients!
Smoothies are a delicious way to start the day or for a nutritious snack after a workout.
This Tropical Smoothie recipe boasts the best of tropical fruit flavors in one rich, creamy drink!
You can almost feel the tropical breezes as you sip.
It’s easy to change up for ingredients you love or have on hand too (ideas included).
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The Secret to a Great Smoothie
In my experience adding a frozen ingredient along with fresh ingredients blends to a perfect consistency without using ice.
Ice can water down the flavor and not fully puree.
This tropical smoothie is rich and thick without ice!
Ingredients
- fresh Pineapple
- Orange
- frozen Mango
- Maple Syrup
- ground Flaxseed
- Vanilla Extract
- Coconut milk (canned or from a carton)
- fresh mint (optional garnish)
What Type of Coconut Milk to Use
Canned coconut milk adds a very creamy consistency to the tropical smoothie.
If preferred coconut milk from a carton or even coconut water can be substituted.
They will still add delicious coconut flavor though the consistency may be slightly different than canned coconut milk.
Coconut Milk Substitute
If you’d not use coconut milk or it’s not available to you here are some other substitutions:
- 2% milk
- almond milk
- mango kefir
- water
- fresh squeezed or pressed juice (like orange or apple juice)
- canned or boxed tropical juice like Guava Nectar
Be aware that substituting add-ins will change the flavor and texture of the smoothie.
Taste and adjust the ingredients to your preference after blending.
What is Flaxseed?
Flaxseed is a plant based food that has many health benefits.
It is high in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids (the healthy fat!), and rich in dietary fiber.
It should be eaten in a ground form versus whole seeds to gain nutritional benefit from it.
It is essentially tasteless and has a texture similar to wheat flour or a ground mill.
Why Add Flaxseed to the Tropical Smoothie?
Adding flaxseed to your smoothie is similar to hiding vegetables in your spaghetti sauce.
You (and your kids!) won't even notice that it's there. You will get all of the nutritional benefits without much effort.
It can be purchased online or in most grocery stores.
Flaxseed substitutions
I love using hemp hulls (also called hemp hearts or hemp seeds) or chia seeds too. They have great nutritional benefits with no impact on taste.
Also you can choose to leave flaxseed or a substitution out all together.
It won't affect the recipe if you simply leave it out of the smoothie and keep everything else the same.
Additional Tropical Smoothie Ingredient Ideas
Feel free to make this smoothie your own! There are many variations for this tropical smoothie.
Some possible add-ins include:
- passion fruit
- papaya
- kiwi
- guava
- strawberries
- bananas
- grapefruit
You can also add in greens such as kale and spinach for some hidden greens.
Adjusting the Liquid if Substituting Ingredients
Swaps of ingredients can require an adjustment of liquids in the smoothie.
Here is a guide for adjusting:
Making the tropical smoothie recipe as written AND adding more ingredients: add 1/4 -1/2 cup more liquid per cup of additional ingredients.
Swapping in a different fruit for one listed in the tropical smoothie recipe: the liquid amount should be fine.
Swapping in a frozen fruit for a fresh fruit: the liquid level may need to be increased in order for the ingredients to blend smoothly.
How to Make this Tropical Smoothie – Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Add the fresh pineapple, orange to the blender followed by the frozen mango.
PRO TIP: adding the fresh ingredients BEFORE the frozen ingredients makes blending the smoothie easier.
STEP 2: Add the maple syrup, flaxeed, vanilla extract and coconut milk. Blend until smooth.
Tropical Smoothie Cocktail
Can I add alcohol to this? Yes, you can!
Because of the tropical fruits in this smoothie recipe, the addition of rum is great for a delicious cocktail.
If making this into a cocktail, I recommend:
- substituting the frozen pineapple for the fresh pineapple, or
- keep the ingredients the same and add a frozen banana. Frozen bananas add a wonderful creamy texture without needing ice!
This will give it more of a frozen daiquiri vibe.
More Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love!
- Green Smoothies: the Ultimate Guide
- Banana-Peach Almond Smoothie
- Bikini Body Smoothie
- No Fat Pants Persimmon Smoothie
- Green Tea Blueberry Ginger Antioxidant Smoothie
- Raspberry Pina Colada Smoothie
Recipe
Tropical Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh Pineapple
- 1 Orange peeled
- 1 cup frozen Mango
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon ground Flaxseed
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Coconut milk ½ of a 14 oz can (about 1 cup)
- Fresh mint optional garnish
Instructions
- Add fresh pineapple, orange, and frozen mango to your blender. PRO TIP: layer the fresh ingredients on the bottom, frozen on top for easiest blending.
- Add maple syrup, flaxseed, vanilla, and coconut milk.
- Blend ingredients together. NOTE: If using the "smoothie" cycle on the blender, I prefer to run it twice to make sure it's extra creamy.
- Pour into prepared glasses. Garnish with cut pineapple and mint (optional).
Nancy says
Perfect! So refreshing and delicious! The flavors are just perfect!
Jacque Hastert says
This makes me want to visit the beach badly! In place of the beach I will just have to make these at home this weekend for my birthday.
wilhelmina says
Oh my goodness, this was such a refreshing way to start the day! Fabulous!