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I have been making this Copycat Detox Island Green Smoothie for years and am still obsessed. The small pop of ginger and creamy texture makes hard not to enjoy. Plus, it’s dairy free because it is blended with water and ice instead of milk. Dairy free and creamy? Yes, if you blend it just right you won’t need any milk – and won’t miss it either.

Judging from the name, you might be mislead to believe this is a summer smoothie, but I am convinced it is more a fall or winter smoothie because of the ginger. Some people have even claimed that the ginger reminds them of Christmas! Try it for yourself and let me know where you stand in the comments below.

This smoothie only requires a handful of fruits and vegetables:

• Frozen pineapple
• Frozen mango
• Frozen banana
• Kale
• Spinach

Blend together with ground ginger, water, and ice and you have yourself a smoothie!

It sounds too easy, and I promise you it IS easy, but there is a small trick in the blending process that you don’t want to skip – keep reading to get the inside scoop on how to make a creamy smoothie without adding milk.

Here is the first secret: Make sure you are using a high-quality blender. I use the Ninja blenders, including the blender bottle, for all of my smoothies. When you are packing the ingredients into the blender, try to keep the ice and leafy greens closest to the blades. If you are only making one serving, I highly recommend making this smoothie in the blender bottle.

Arrange all your ingredients into the blender, fruits furthest from the blade and leafy greens and ice closes to the blade. I like to drop the bananas, mangoes and pineapples into the bottom of a blender bottle. Next, I add the ginger, spinach, kale, ice cubes. Add the water last.

Use the smoothie button, if using the Ninja, or pulse for 5 seconds. Stop after 5 seconds, remove the blender bottle, and give it a good hard shake (as if you were shaking a cocktail). If shaking it doesn’t help at first, use a small Rubber Spatula to help loosen evertything up.

Return the bottle to the blender base and repeat until the mixture starts to blend easily on it’s own. It might take 4 or 5 rounds of shaking, but I promise it will be worth it! Shaking all the ingredients, rather than adding more and more water, is the secret to getting this Copycat Detox Island Green Smoothie the desired creamy texture.