5 Smoothies With Hidden Veggies for Kids

Updated 11 September 2026

Purple berry, golden mango or chocolate banana. Which one would your child pick?

Vegetables can bring creaminess, colour and a different flavour to a smoothie. The trick is starting with a small amount and pairing it with fruit your family already enjoys. There is no need for a long shopping list or a blender full of greens.

Below are five blends to try, with measured ingredients and tips for getting a texture that works through a straw. “Hidden” means blended in, not a secret you need to keep: children can help choose the ingredients and see what goes into the jug.

Before you blend

Use a 250ml measuring cup. Each recipe is a small batch to share; the finished volume will vary with the size of your fruit and any extra liquid. Start with a small serving and offer more if wanted.

Wash fresh produce, remove stones and stalks, and use cooked vegetables where specified. Follow frozen-produce packaging instructions, including any cooking directions. Choose milk and yoghurt your child already tolerates; the recipes below contain dairy unless you use suitable alternatives.

Add liquid first, followed by the softer ingredients, then frozen fruit. Blend until smooth, stopping the machine before scraping down the sides. An adult should operate the blender.

1. Mango, banana and carrot sunshine smoothie

For a child who likes: mango yoghurt or banana smoothies.

Cooked carrot is the starting point here. It blends more easily than raw carrot and sits comfortably alongside the orange colour of the mango.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mango pieces, fresh or frozen
• ½ small ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons cooked, cooled carrot
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup milk

Method

1. Add the milk, yoghurt, carrot and banana to the blender.
2. Add the mango and blend until there are no visible carrot pieces.
3. Check the texture. Add a tablespoon of milk at a time if it is too thick to sip.

Make it work: Steam a little extra carrot when preparing dinner and set some aside for this recipe. Let it cool before blending.

2. Purple berry and spinach smoothie

For a child who likes: berries and a little tang.

Start with just a few spinach leaves. The aim is a berry smoothie with vegetables blended in, rather than a large green smoothie with a handful of berries added.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen
• ½ small ripe banana
• 4–6 small baby spinach leaves, washed
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup milk

Method

1. Blend the spinach with the milk first, until the leaves are finely broken down.
2. Add the berries, banana and yoghurt.
3. Blend again until smooth, then check for any leafy pieces before serving.

Make it work: Berry blends vary in sweetness. If yours tastes sharp, add a little more ripe banana. For children who dislike seeds, use blueberries and strawberries rather than a mix heavy on raspberries or blackberries.

3. Strawberry, banana and zucchini smoothie

For a child who likes: a familiar strawberry-banana combination.

Zucchini has a mild flavour. A small amount, peeled and cooked, is an easy place to start without introducing another strong taste.

Ingredients

• ½ cup strawberries, hulled
• ½ small ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons peeled zucchini, steamed until tender and cooled
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup milk

Method

1. Add the milk, yoghurt and zucchini to the blender.
2. Add the strawberries and banana, then blend thoroughly.
3. Check the consistency and add a little more milk if needed.

Make it work: Drain the cooked zucchini before measuring it. Too much cooking water can dilute the fruit flavour.

4. Chocolate banana and pumpkin smoothie

For a child who likes: chocolate and banana together.

A little plain cooked pumpkin adds body to this blend. Begin with a small amount of cocoa: you can add more, but a heavily cocoa-flavoured smoothie can turn bitter.

Ingredients

• 1 small ripe banana
• 2 tablespoons cooked, cooled pumpkin, without skin
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• A small pinch of cinnamon, optional

Method

1. Add the milk, yoghurt and pumpkin to the blender.
2. Add the banana and cocoa, plus cinnamon if using.
3. Blend until smooth. Taste before deciding whether to add a little more cocoa.

Make it work: Use plain steamed or roasted pumpkin, without savoury seasoning. Frozen banana makes a thicker blend; add milk gradually until it flows easily.

5. Peach, mango and sweet potato smoothie

For a child who likes: mellow fruit flavours and a creamy texture.

This is a useful option when you have a little plain cooked sweet potato left over. Start small—it can thicken the smoothie quickly.

Ingredients

• ½ cup peach slices, fresh or canned in juice and drained
• ¼ cup mango pieces
• 2 tablespoons cooked, cooled sweet potato, without skin
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup milk

Method

1. Check that the peach has no stone fragments, then add all the ingredients to the blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add extra milk one tablespoon at a time if the sweet potato makes the blend too thick.

Make it work: No peaches? Try ripe pear, with the core removed. The flavour and colour will change, so taste before serving.

Getting the texture right

Too thick to drink? Add a little liquid and blend again. A smoothie that needs a spoon may not suit your child's straw cup.

Too thin? Add a few pieces of banana or a spoonful of yoghurt, then blend again.

Bits of spinach left behind? Blend the leaves with the liquid first. A longer blend may help, but follow your blender's operating instructions.

Vegetable flavour too strong? Use less next time. Two tablespoons is a starting point, not a target your child has to accept.

Your child takes one sip and stops? Offer a smaller amount next time or let them choose between two flavours. These are ideas to explore, not five guaranteed favourites.

For more flavour combinations, explore our other smoothie recipe ideas.

Pour, sip and clean up

The Brightberry Kids Smoothie Cup comes with a lid, stopper straw and cleaning brush. Its straw has no valve, and the stopper helps keep it in place.

The cup holds 240ml, with a recommended fill of 200ml when using the lid. That is a cup-filling limit, not a recommended serving size: pour the amount that suits your child and leave room to fit the lid.

Serve seated and supervised. The cup is not leak-proof, so keep it upright. After use, separate the cup, lid and straw, wash them thoroughly and use the brush inside the straw. Dry all parts before reassembling.

Explore the Brightberry Smoothie Cup →

Still choosing a cup? Our smoothie cup buying guide explains the features to compare.

Choose one recipe to start with, put the ingredients on the bench and let your child pick the cup. Tomorrow's favourite might be a different colour.