Sunshine Smoothie

Transport yourself to the tropics with this refreshing mango coconut smoothie.

Remember those mango and coconut Weiss ice cream bars we had as kids? This easy tropical smoothie is inspired but those, just without the sugar. Made with 5 simple ingredients including mango, banana and coconut, it’s the perfect afternoon snack, light dessert, or brekky on the go.

This smoothie is also influenced by my travels through South East Asia – including Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bali and Borneo. There you’ll find side stalls everywhere blending up all manner of tropical concoctions, with gloriously ripe fresh fruit, ice, and a generous helping of sweetened condensed milk. We’re skipping the condensed milk part, but keeping all the flavour.

As a Registered Nutritionist and Naturopath, I’m all about creating quick and easy recipes that contain no added sugars; even the “less refined” ones like coconut sugar or maple syrup. If we can sweeten things with fruit instead of sugars and syrups, it means we’re getting the whole package. Consuming our sugar wrapped up inside a convenient envelope of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and coenzymes, means we’re able to absorb the sugars much more slowly into our blood stream. Ideal for blood sugar regulation, as well as satiety, weight management, gut health, and healthy aging (1).

This creamy fruit smoothie is ideal when you’re craving something sweet, yet light and refreshing at the same time. If you’re after more smoothies that follow this same low/no-sugar vibe, be sure to check out BGO’s full smoothie and drink collection. My Daily Green Smoothie is an absolute crowd favourite, and if you’re yet to be convinced about those more Shrek-looking bevvies, it’ll have you converted in no time.

How To: Mango Banana Coconut Smoothie

Ingredients Needed

This easy tropical smoothie is super simple, with just 5 core ingredients:

• Mango. I always keep a bag of store-bought frozen mango in the freezer, which you can find in the freezer aisle of the supermarket. Or, if you have access to fresh mangoes, peel, cube, and freeze in advance.
• Banana. I also always keep sliced frozen bananas in the freezer, perfect for adding creaminess to your smoothies, without too much fat.
• Plant-based milk. I love coconut milk in this recipe to really amplify the tropical vibes, otherwise any milk will work. If you’re using the tetra-pak thin style coconut milk, use the full milk measure; if you’re using canned coconut milk or cream, only use ¼ cup and the rest water as it’s much creamier.
• Dates. Regular dried dates from the baking aisle, not the more expensive juicy medjoul variety.
• Lemon juice. To offset the sweetness, and also help with digestion. Lemon is great for the liver.
• Desiccated coconut. Optional for the top.

Want more protein? Feel free to add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to add an easy 20 grams of protein to your brekky, afternoon tea snack, or dessert. Protein is important for muscle maintenance as we age, and also helps with satiety. If you do add this, you may want to skip the date (as the protein powder will add its own layer of sweetness).

Kitchen Tips

Keen to perfect for your smoothie game? Here are my tried and tested tips:

• Liquids on the bottom, ice on top. You want to always put your liquids in first, then your fruit and other ingredients, and finally your ice. This way when the blades of the blender get going, they’ll pull in the easy to blend ingredients first, then slowly bring in the harder ones such as the frozen fruit and ice last. Do it the other way round and your blender will likely get stuck (or over heat).
• Add something creamy. For each cup of liquid, either use all plant-based milk, water plus a tablespoon of nut butter (almond or cashew is more subtle in flavour, rather than peanut), or ¼ cup coconut cream and ¾ cups water. The banana also adds creaminess without fat.
• Always use frozen fruit. This will make your smoothies creamy and thick.

Get yourself smoothie ready: I recommend buying bunches of ripe banana and other fruits (pineapple, mangoes, feijoas from your garden) when they’re in season and on special. Slice them up, lay in a single layer on a silicon baking sheet, then freeze. Once frozen, put them in a container or reusable zip lock bag – this way they’ll be free flowing rather than frozen together in a titanic sized iceberg, ready for your smoothie creations (as well as other muffins and baked goods too).

Serving Suggestions

This creamy tropical fruit smoothie is best enjoyed immediately, for a creamy soft-serve style consistency. Otherwise, any leftovers you can store in the fridge or 1-2 hours. Or pop in the freezer for an hour for a more scoop-able ice cream type treat.

This smoothie is ace as is, but if you want to throw in some additional flavours, here are some of my favs:

• Lime zest. To amplify the tropical vibes.
• Maca powder. To enhance hormone balance and provide additional energy (the Peruvians used this traditionally for stamina).
• Ground linseed/flaxseed. To bump up the protein and omega content.
• Vanilla protein powder. My favourite, to transform this tropical delight into the perfect sustaining brekky on the go.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this creamy 5-ingredient smoothie. If you’re team tropical and want to try something next level, you can’t miss my uber-popular Mango and Turmeric Cheesecake.

V GF NF SF OF

Sunshine Smoothie

This tropical mango smoothie is quick, contains no added sugars or syrups, and is the perfect thing for those hot summery days.

AuthorBuffy Ellen Gill

Servings 2 people

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 ½ c mango, chopped & frozen
• 1 banana, sliced & frozen
• 1 c plant-based milk
• 1 date
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 c ice
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut (optional)

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a blender, liquid on the bottom and the ice on the top.
• Blend for 1 minute until smooth, top with desiccated coconut, and serve. You can also pop it in the freezer for half an hour to firm up slightly, then eat with a spoon as a frosty style gelato.

Equipment

• Blender

Recipe Notes

• If you use coconut milk it makes this even more tropical. If you’re using the tetra-pak thin style coconut milk then use the full milk measure; if you’re used canned coconut milk or cream, just use ¼ cup and the rest (¾ cup) water as it’s much creamier.z

Nutrition Disclaimer

As a Registered Naturopath and Nutritionist, I create nutritionally-balanced recipes using whole food ingredients designed to support optimal health and wellbeing. While I encourage an intuitive approach to eating, I also recognise the value of understanding calories and macronutrients as tools to build awareness around your intake. This awareness can be helpful in aligning your nutrition with your personal health goals.

Please note: all nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Variations will occur depending on the specific brands used, recipe adjustments, and portion sizes consumed. If you have individual dietary needs or health conditions, I recommend booking a personalised consultation for tailored advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 170mgPotassium: 458mgFiber: 4gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 1378IUVitamin C: 56mgCalcium: 172mgIron: 0.4mg

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