This quick prep method is my favorite way to guarantee that for a whole week, at least one meal will provide a good dose of greens. I love green smoothies, but if you’ve ever made too much at once and put it in the fridge for later, you know how tragically the story ends. It separates, turns a lovely brown shade, and takes on what can only be described as a funky smell —not the most appealing thing to drink.
With a simple big batch system you just pour into serving-size mason jars and freeze—it’s a no-brainer for busy weeks!
Transfer it out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before you want a smoothie for breakfast. Or if you’re looking for mid-morning or afternoon snack, the frozen smoothie makes a great ice-pack for the rest of your lunch.
The best part? It takes 10-15 minutes to make 5 smoothies!
The next best part? There’s no funky smell, and it tastes just as delicious as it was when it went in.
Big Batch Smoothie Recipe
You can do this with any smoothie recipe, but if you love the pineapple-coconut combo, I highly recommend giving this one a try. And if you have an aversion to putting green things into drinks, trust me when I say that this drink puts the classic piña colada to shame.
Richly coconut-y and creamy, this drink is one you want to sip—no spinach detected. Worst case scenario (or best, you be the judge): come Friday night, you’ve got a great vehicle for your rum and a healthier take on a summery cocktail.
Want more mason jar recipes? Try these make-ahead mason jar salad ideas!
How to Prep a Weeks Worth of Green Smoothies (and a recipe for Pina Colada Green Smoothies)
Equipment
- Blender
- Mason jars or freezer-safe containers
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh roughly chopped pineapple
- 8 cups spinach
- ½ cup vanilla or unsweetened protein powder preferably with a low sugar content
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 4 cups your favorite unsweetened coconut water
- 1.5 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- Dates optional *See note
Instructions
- Layer the ingredients in a blender in the order listed (pineapple, spinach, protein powder, coconut, chia seeds, and liquids (coconut water and almond milk).
- This will help with proper blending. You may need to do this in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your blender.
- Blend until smooth and then taste. If the smoothie is too sweet, consider adding in more spinach and almond milk. If it’s not sweet enough, add a date or two.
- Blend again until smooth. If you don’t have a strong blender and you have pieces in your mixture, you may want to strain it.
- Pour into 5 mason jars, leaving a little space at the top so it doesn’t expand and pop the lid in the freezer.
- Put the lids on and store in the freezer for when you’re ready to use.
Notes
Photos by Ana-Maria Stanciu
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Thank you so much for posting this. It’s nice to be able to make a handful of smoothies at once! I’m not a pineapple fan but I added green pears instead. I also only started off with 4 cups of spinach. Have to slowly work into the spinach ! Lol
Allergic to coconut ????
How are you gonna even rate a recipe when you cant try it? Dont rate it all, not the fault of the creator that you’re allergic to its ingredients. Wow.
What size mason jars lol I used 16 oz and it made like 12 16 oz jars full.
What size mason jars do you use for this volume?
*see note
No note. Thanks.
That was meant as a general comment, not a reply, sorry.
I would like to know about the protein as well. My husband experienced horrible joint pains when we tried the protein powders before.
I hope he saw a doctor because your husband has gout. Happens to me if I have protein powder as well. I take Allopurinol everyday to help prevent gout attacks, but he may want to limit his red meat intake and increase his water.
Doesn’t the glass jars brake in the fridge?
I’m not the administrator of this site, so I ask for forgiveness in advance…but I often freeze in glass jars. Just leave a couple of inches at the top for expansion and it will work.
Thanks, i was worried about the breaking as well but i will try this method
this is a great idea. I forwarded to several friends. My daughter works hard as a single mom so this would be great for her. Thanks for the idea. cindy
This really is kinda brilliant. I’ve been prepping mine the night before, but it never occurred to me to make and freeze for the week. What a great idea and it will make use of my many, many mason jars!
Sounds delicious and practical! Is there something else that can be used in place of the protein powder to get a bit of protein in there? I try to avoid processed ingredients like that when I can.
my question too…did you get an answer? I like to avoid processed stuff as well.
I sometimes use organic silken tofu to add some protein in my smoothies. I will also use a spoonful of natural peanut butter, chia seeds or flax seed meal.
I use hemp hearts in my smoothies for protein :)