If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m a huge fan of kale smoothies (and green smoothies in general). Over many, many years of making kale smoothies, I’ve come up with a few tricks that have helped me make my smoothies even more delicious. So, whether you’re just getting started with green smoothies or you’re looking for a few extra tips to improve what you’re doing, I hope these 4 tips help you make your best kale smoothie ever!

Tip #1: Use Baby Kale

I’ve tried using regular (adult?) kale in my smoothies, and those smoothies are never quite as delicious as my smoothies with baby kale. Baby kale leaves are softer and more tender, which means it’s easier for the blender to chop them up into tiny, tiny pieces. Using regular kale can leave your smoothie with a grittier texture, especially if you don’t have a high-powered blender. So, if you can, grab baby kale instead of regular kale for your smoothie.

Tip #2: Freeze Your Kale

In my experience, freezing greens like kale and spinach actually makes it easier to blend them up. Some of the cell walls get ruptured during the freezing process, which means they break up a little more easily in the blender. Added bonus: your kale will last a lot longer in the freezer, too, and using frozen kale helps make your drink colder, too. I actually hardly ever use ice in my smoothies; instead, I just use frozen greens and fruit.

Tip #3: Use a Strong Blender

Having a good blender can make a huge difference when it comes to smoothies. When I first started making smoothies regularly, all I had was a cheap blender I bought when I got my first apartment. It didn’t do the best job of blending greens like kale, which meant that my kale smoothies were just okay. My hubby got me a high-powered blender for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s made a huge difference and my kale smoothies are a lot smoother. So, my advice: buy the best, strongest blender you can afford.

Tip #4: Blend the Kale First, then Add More Ingredients

Through trial and error, I found that my kale smoothies came out…well, smoother when I blended the kale first with a little liquid. That allowed the kale to get some extra time in the blender, when the only thing being chopped up was the kale itself. The kale had more time to get blended into even smaller pieces, which meant it was easier to blend with the fruit and other smoothie mix-ins. So, when I’m making my smoothies, I usually add in the kale (or other greens) first, along with the liquid I’m using (water, milk, almond milk, etc.). I’ll blend that for several seconds until it looks like the kale has been broken up and blended into one homogeneous liquid. Then, I add the rest of my smoothie add ins and blend those together. Making my smoothies in that order has made a huge difference!