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This Rainbow Smoothie is more than just a drink—it’s an edible rainbow stacked with seven vibrant layers of fruity goodness, topped with a fun fruit skewer! It’s not your typical breakfast smoothie, but it’s perfect for special occasions like birthdays, St. Patrick’s Day, or celebrating anything with a bang!
This recipe was first shared in 2016, in 2025 I updated the post with additional photos.
A Smoothie That’s All About the Celebration
With its bold colors and playful layers, this smoothie is made for those extra-fun moments. Hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party? Add a gold chocolate coin at the bottom of the glass before layering the smoothie—because what’s a rainbow without treasure at the end?
I didn’t want any of the extra smoothie to go to waste, so I turned the leftovers into rainbow popsicles—and let me tell you, they’re just as fun and delicious as the smoothie itself! With just one recipe, you get two colorful treats: a refreshing rainbow smoothie and vibrant rainbow popsicles. It’s a two-for-one that’s perfect for both instant enjoyment and later snacking.
Think of it like baking muffins versus bread—same batter, different results. Just like you can make banana bread muffins or a classic banana bread using the exact same batter, this rainbow smoothie works double duty. Sip it fresh as a layered smoothie, or freeze it into popsicles for a chilled, on-the-go snack.
The popsicles are a great make-ahead option for summer days, kids’ parties, or just when you want something fruity and frozen. Plus, the colorful layers freeze beautifully, making them just as eye-catching as the smoothie.
Whether you’re sipping or snacking, this recipe’s got you covered! 🌈
If you have leftover frozen berries, make a Grimace shake!
Base Smoothie Ingredients
Each layer of our rainbow smoothie is built using a similar set of simple, wholesome ingredients. Here are the key components that create the creamy texture and vibrant colors:
- Frozen banana – adds natural sweetness and a smooth, creamy base.
- Greek yogurt – for added creaminess and a boost of protein.
- Liquid for blending – use your favorite option like milk, almond milk, or water to get the perfect consistency.
- Frozen fruit – each layer features a different fruit to match the specific color we’re aiming for.
By keeping the base ingredients consistent, it’s easy to create distinct, colorful layers while ensuring every sip is smooth, flavorful, and packed with nutrients.
Frozen Fruit for Smoothies
To make this rainbow smoothie, you’ll need a good amount of fruit—but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune on frozen produce.
While some fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and mango are easy to find in the frozen section, here’s my go-to hack for thick, frosty smoothies without the hefty price tag:
Instead of buying expensive bags of frozen peaches, grab a can of peaches. Simply drain the juice, transfer the peaches to a zip-top bag, and pop them in the freezer. Voilà—instant frozen fruit at a fraction of the cost!
I use this trick for bananas too. I’ll slice up a bunch, toss the pieces into a freezer bag, and stash them in the freezer. That way, I always have frozen bananas on hand for smoothies.
Pineapple? Same method. Buy it canned, drain it, freeze it—and you’re ready to go!
These simple swaps make it easy to keep your freezer stocked with smoothie-ready fruit, so you can whip up this colorful rainbow smoothie anytime. 🌈🥤
Layer by Layer
Red Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, liquid for blending.
Orange Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen peaches, frozen mango, orange food coloring, liquid for blending.
Yellow Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen pineapple, liquid for blending.
Green Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen pineapple, frozen peaches, spinach, liquid for blending.
Blue Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen pineapple, blue food coloring, liquid for blending.
Purple Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberries), liquid for blending.
Magenta Layer: frozen banana, greek yogurt, frozen mango or peaches, frozen sliced beets, liquid for blending.
Pro tip! Use the remaining sliced canned beets in an acai bowl.
How to Layer a Rainbow Smoothie
Creating those beautiful, distinct layers in your rainbow smoothie is all about getting the right consistency. Since you’ll be stacking each smoothie layer on top of the other, you want each one to be thick enough to hold its shape. If the smoothies are too thin or runny, the colors will blend together instead of forming those clean, vibrant layers.
But you might be thinking, “BETH! My smoothie is too runny—what now?”
No worries! If a layer turns out too liquidy, just pour it into a plastic bag and pop it in the freezer for a bit. After some time, it’ll firm up, making it perfect for layering.
Tips for Perfect Rainbow Layers
Once all your smoothie layers are prepped, it’s time to bring that rainbow to life!
- Layer in color order—starting from red at the bottom and working your way up.
- Use a spoon to gently add each smoothie layer to the glass. Pouring too quickly can cause the colors to blend together, and we want those layers to shine.
- If you accidentally blend two layers—no biggie! It’s still going to taste amazing.
With a little patience and these easy tips, you’ll have a stunning, colorful rainbow smoothie that’s almost too pretty to drink… almost. 🌈🥤
The Tricky Blue Layer
Let’s talk about that blue layer—because it gave me a bit of trouble.
My first attempt? I used blueberries, yogurt, and banana, hoping for a bold blue, but it turned out purple instead. Classic blueberry move.
So, here’s how I got the actual blue: I repeated the yellow smoothie layer (since it’s the lightest in color) and added a bit of blue food coloring. Simple fix—and it gives the rainbow its full, colorful lineup. After all, a rainbow just isn’t complete without blue!
If you prefer to skip food coloring, that’s totally fine—you can leave out the blue layer altogether. Or, if you’re into all-natural options, there are ways to make it work! Check out this tutorial for homemade natural blue food coloring, or grab some natural blue dye here or here.
For the orange layer, I noticed that the natural color wasn’t as bold and vibrant as I wanted, so I added a small amount of orange food coloring to really make it pop. It’s a simple touch that helps the orange stand out in the rainbow lineup. If you prefer to skip food coloring, you can absolutely leave it as is—but if you’re going for that bright, eye-catching look, a little bit of food coloring does the trick! 🍊✨
Ultimate Rainbow Smoothie
For a fun presentation, top the smoothie with a toothpick full of leftover fruit.
If you’re wanting to swirl the smoothie together like I did in the above picture, use a straw or stir stick to pull the bottom layers of the smoothie to the top of the glass.
There we have it – the ultimate rainbow smoothie!
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Rainbow Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
Red Layer
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- ½ cup frozen raspberries
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Orange Layer
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- ½ cup frozen peaches
- 1 small orange
- ¼ cup frozen mango
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
- small amount of orange food coloring
Yellow Layer
- 2 frozen bananas
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Green Layer
- 2 frozen bananas
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- 1 handful, or more spinach
- 1 cup frozen pineapple, peaches or mango
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Blue Layer
- 2 frozen bananas
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- small amount of blue food coloring
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Purple Layer
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries
- almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Magenta Layer
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain
- ½ cup frozen sliced beets, I used canned, drained beets and froze them.
- 1 cup almond milk or milk, liquid for blending
Instructions
For each smoothie layer
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid to help it blend if it’s too thick.
- Transfer the smoothie to a bowl or container, place in the fridge, rinse the blender and prep the next smoothie.
To assemble the rainbow smoothie
- Use a spoon to gently add each smoothie layer to the glass. Pouring too quickly can cause the colors to blend together, and we want those layers to shine. If desired, blend the smoothie using a straw or stir stick. Top each smoothie with a toothpick filled with leftover fruit.
Video
Notes
- I was able to make 8-10 rainbow smoothies using 15.5 oz glasses.
- The recipe can be scaled back to yield a smaller portion. Simply cut each smoothie recipe in half.
- If you’d like to avoid canned fruit, use fresh fruit. I would suggest cutting it up and freezing it so the smoothie will still be frosty and thick.
- I added a small amount of orange and blue food coloring to enhance those specific layers. The orange layer needed a little boost to make it more vibrant, and as for the blue layer, it’s nearly impossible to achieve that true blue hue without some form of coloring. If you want to go the all natural route, here is a tutorial for how to make natural blue food coloring, or you can buy natural blue food coloring here or here as well.
I 💘 THIS RECEIPE IM GOING TO MAKE A 🌈 SMOOTHIE REAL SOON THIS SMOOTHIE IS 👌 FOR ANY OCASSION 😂