Avocolada Smoothie Recipe

Make Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Avocolada smoothie at home with this simple recipe! It’s a refreshing combination of greens, pineapple, coconut, and lime. It’s easy to make and customize!

This Avocolada recipe is a copycat version of Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Avocolada. Whenever I do copycat recipes, I always do a side-by-side comparison.

It tastes just like the original, lightly sweetened with a hint of coconut!

Why You’ll Love it:

• A delicious way to eat your greens! Leafy greens boast numerous health benefits, including a reduced risk of mental decline.
• Easy to customize. Adjust the sweetness to your liking or swap in other ingredients.
• Cost effective. Takeout smoothies are expensive! When you buy your own ingredients, you save money.
• Nutrients: Pineapple is rich in immune boosting vitamin C and antioxidants!

Avocolada Ingredients:

Avocado – Look for a ripe, hass avocado! If your avocado isn’t ripe, you can find frozen avocado chunks in the freezer aisle. You need to add more liquid if you go that route. Avocadoes are a rich source of healthy fats AND add creaminess to smoothies.

Baby spinach & kale – I prefer baby greens. They have a mild flavor and soft leaves that blend well. Baby greens boast the same nutritional benefits of full-grown greens. They are nutrient-dense, low in calories, and won’t overpower the flavor of sweet fruit.

Frozen pineapple – Be sure to use FROZEN pineapple! I buy a big bag at Costco and feel impressed with the quality.

Ice – I don’t typically add ice to smoothies, but Tropical Smoothie does! So I add ice to achieve the same texture.

Coconut cream – You can find coconut cream in the international foods aisle near the coconut milk. It’s a thick cream made from coconut milk. It adds coconut flavor and creaminess. You can leave it out if you want.

Coconut water – I used Vita Coco coconut water. It only has 1 gram of added sugar. It adds natural sweetness, coconutty flavor, and plenty of electrolytes!

Sweetener – Most of Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s smoothies are sweetened with turbinado, a form of minimally processed sugar crystals. I prefer not to add it, but if you’re looking for the same sweetness level, you can add turbinado, maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey.

How to Make an Avocolada Smoothie:

It’s super simple to make! Here’s what you need to do:

• Combine ingredients: In the pitcher of your blender, add the avocado, greens, coconut cream, frozen pineapple, ice, lime, coconut water, sweetener, and water. Always start with the soft ingredients! It helps prevent stalling.

• Blend: Start the blender on low speed, then gradually increase the speed to high. If your blender has a tamper, you can use it to push the ingredients toward the blades. Blend until smooth.
• Adjust: If the smoothie’s too thick, add a splash more liquid and blend to incorporate. Taste for sweetness and flavor.

• Serve: Pour the smoothie into glasses and enjoy immediately!

Expert Tips:

• Use baby greens. They offer the same nutritional benefits, but they blend easier than mature greens.
• If possible, use a high-speed blender. A powerful blender pulverizes fruit and greens more effectively. The result is a green smoothie without little chunks of spinach in it.
• Start the blender on low speed. This method helps prevent stalling. Gradually increase your speed once the ingredients get moving.
• Order matters. I always add the soft ingredients first. It gives the blades something to catch and gets everything moving effectively.

Variations:

This Avocolada recipe is easy to customize!

• Protein – Add 3 tablespoons of protein powder. Use a whey protein blend or plant-based protein for best results. 100% whey protein gets foamy in the blender.
• Yogurt – Add 1/3 cup Greek yogurt for a boost of high-quality protein and creaminess.
• Chia seeds – Add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds for omega 3 fatty acids and a bit of texture!
• Sweetener – Add as much or little sweetener as you like. Tropical Smoothie Café uses turbinado, but I recommend a natural sweetener like juice or maple syrup. If you start making your own smoothies, your palette will get used to less sweetness!
• Liquid base – You can swap coconut water with juice or plant-based milk. Try passionfruit juice, orange juice, or almond milk.

Storage:

I don’t recommend storing this green smoothie overnight, since it has greens and avocado in it. The flavor and texture suffers.

I recommend storing it for no longer than 4 hours in the fridge.

How healthy is the Avocolada smoothie?

Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Avocolada is a mixture of greens, pineapple, coconut, and lime. While it does contain important nutrients from the greens and pineapple, it’s also packed with sugar. It contains 96 grams of sugar! To make it healthier, ask for no turbinado or make it at home without added sugar.

What’s the healthiest smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Café?

The healthiest option is their detox island green. It’s a refreshing combination of spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana, and ginger. It’s naturally sweetened with pineapple juice and doesn’t contain turbinado. It’s only 190 calories and contains 29 grams of sugar.

Copycat Smoothie Recipes:

• Tropical Smoothie Sunrise Sunset Recipe
• Mango Magic Tropical Smoothie Copycat
• Bahama Mama Tropical Smoothie Copycat
• Tropical Smoothie Peanut Paradise Recipe
• Tropical Smoothie Jetty Punch Copycat