Not fond of green smoothies? Try my Very Berry Kale Smoothie for healthy veggie goodness wrapped up in the flavors of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries with a kick of pineapple and ginger.

Why Make a Berry Kale Smoothie?

This berry kale smoothie features the health benefits of fresh kale- think vitamins K, A, and C- plus the antioxidants of fresh berries AND the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger, orange juice and pineapple. Wow- that’s a lot in one cup!

The flavor is sweet and bright, perfect for that morning “I don’t have time for breakfast!” meal. When I make smoothies, I drink one and freeze the rest to keep on hand for exactly those mornings!

How to Prep Kale for a Smoothie

One of my favorite joys of being a gardener is having fresh produce straight from the garden. This spring I have plenty of kale and today I’m adding it to my smoothies.

I am growing regular Curly Leaf Kale this season, but any type of kale will do. In fact, Red Russian Kale would be delightful in this berry kale smoothie because it’s slighter and has a reddish tinge to the leaves.

Learn more about kale in my post: How to Grow Kale and 3 Easy Ways to Use it in the Kitchen.

The trick to using kale is to:

choose small baby leaves when possible
wash and dry thoroughly
remove the fibrous stems
massage the leaves for 1-2 minutes to break down the fibers and reduce its bitterness.

This last step will also help the kale leaves blend better in the mixer. If you have a fancy high-powered blender, you can skip the spa treatment!

How to Make a Very Berry Kale Smoothie

It’s not hard to make a smoothie, but your equipment and ingredients do matter.

Equipment

I have used traditional blenders, Ninja Processors, Magic Bullets and Vitamix machines. They all work well, but the Vitamix wins overall for performance! It’s important to have strong machines with sharp blades to break down tough ingredients like frozen fruit or ice cubes.

Don’t you hate it when you’re using the blender and you can hear all the choppy grinding sounds and then it turns into a dull buzzing noise with nothing happening anymore? Ugh, it’s so frustrating to stop and scrape out the ingredients and try again. Opt for the best equipment you can afford!

For this smoothie, I’m using my Ninja food processor because I’m in a hurry and want to throw everything in the dishwasher when I am done. Vitamix containers and lids are dishwasher safe, but it’s recommended to hand wash and use its built in cleaning cycle.

Ingredients

While the equipment is important, the ingredients also contribute to the success of your smoothie. If your ratio of solids to liquids is not the right proportion, the blender will struggle.

Meaning? You need to have sufficient liquid (almond milk, juice, water, kefir, etc) in which the solid fruits and veggies can blend. If the blades stop spinning, add more liquid.

For the berry kale smoothie, I am using fresh squeezed orange juice and some pineapple juice for my liquid.

I am using fresh kale from the garden. I also have frozen berries in the freezer that I saved from last summer. Feel free to swap out the types of berries, but I love the mixture of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Let’s Blend it All Together!

This first step is very important when it comes to making smoothies with greens like kale:

Add the kale leaves (remember-no stems!) and the liquid to the mixer first.
Blend until the leaves are completely mixed and liquified. It’s easier to do this step first before adding the frozen ingredients.

Next we will add the frozen fruit and sliced ginger. If you’re not a fan of ginger (gasp!), it’s okay to leave it out. The flavor profile will be fruitier and less zesty. What can I say? Gingers add a little zing!

Mix all of the ingredients together until it is smooth enough to drink through a straw. You might need to add some more juice if it’s too thick. Get it to the consistency that you prefer and serve immediately.

How to Freeze Leftover Smoothies

Like I said earlier, save any leftover smoothie mix in a freezer bag for another day.

I fill a quart size bag, remove any air and lay it flat in the freezer.

When I am ready to use it, I set it on the counter and let it thaw. Or if I’m in a hurry, I will toss it into a large bowl of warm water and defrost it faster. Just remember to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t defrost completely and lose that frozen smoothie consistency.

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