10 Tropical Smoothies to Brighten Your Morning

Smoothies are one of our favorite breakfast options year-round, but especially in the winter because it’s an easy way to brighten the mornings by adding extra fruit to our diets. And since frozen fruit works just as well (if not better — hello, icy, creamy texture), there’s no worry about whether it’s in season.

If you’re stuck in the doldrums of gray days, try these tropical smoothies. It won’t be quite like you’re relaxing on a white-sand beach, but it’ll be closer to it than your normal bowl of oatmeal.

Sometimes, you just have to go with a classic. This smoothie recipe is one of our standbys. We might dress it up or down with a touch of mint or swap in coconut water, but we can always count on it to be delicious.

You’ll definitely get bonus points if you use a fresh coconut to make this smoothie. But because we know mornings are hectic, you can also swap in a can of coconut milk, and it will be just as creamy and delicious.

Adding mint to your smoothie is a total pro move. Not only does it amplify the fresh taste, but it also makes it feel slightly more like dessert than a healthy breakfast. This smoothie also has a pinch of sea salt to boost all the other flavors.

Don’t be fooled by the nondescript hue of this smoothie; it’s packed full of tropical flavors including banana, pineapple, mango, and ginger. Plus it gets an added texture from the chia seeds that are mixed in.

This rich smoothie is perfect for cooler weather, thanks to the warming spices like cardamom and cinnamon. But before you think it’ll taste too much like banana bread, there’s a squeeze of lime juice mixed in for a bit of brightness.

If you like cilantro, this should be the next smoothie recipe that you try. The subtle spice of the cilantro offsets the sweetness of the pineapple and banana and starts your morning off with an herby kick.

Not only does this smoothie get a nutritional boost from fresh (or ground) turmeric, but it also has oats as its base to give it a nice dairy-free creamy consistency.

This is the perfect way to use up any of those kiwis that you had the best of intentions of using, but that have been languishing on your counter for just a touch too long. Blend them up with coconut milk, avocado, and some lemon juice (along with water and ice) and you’ll end up with a delicious and creamy breakfast.

If you have a restricted diet, this is the smoothie template to try. It relies on silken tofu for creaminess, agave syrup for sweetness, and soy milk for smoothness. The only decision you have to make is what kind of fruit to mix in.

If you want to make mornings even easier on yourself, try prepping your smoothie ingredients for the week over the weekend and stashing them in the freezer. Then all you have to do is blend and go.