Best Smoothie Bowls (+ Simple Recipe)

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What is a smoothie bowl?

It’s basically a smoothie with a slightly thicker consistency, topped with ingredients that you eat from a bowl with a spoon. It's kinda like a parfait, only healthier.

Compared to regular smoothies, smoothie bowls have a hand up since:

• They tend to be more filling, with more food and less liquid
• You are more conscious of what you’re eating, since you’re actually chewing it rather than just gulping it down
• The extra toppings add more wholesome ingredients that can be good for your body

Are smoothie bowls healthy?

They definitely can be! The healthiest bowls combine low-sugar fruits with hearty toppings that not only add complementary flavors and textures, but also provide healthy fats and more nutrition than what you’ve already included in the smoothie bowl base.

Extra healthy smoothie bowls add in nutrient-dense vegetables that are also good for the body.

Can you make smoothie bowls ahead of time?

Of course, fresh is best, but if you do want to store them in the fridge, you can usually get away with doing so for 1-2 days.

When keeping smoothie bowls in the fridge, you may see some change in color or separation of ingredients, so it won’t look as great as it does when you just finish making it.

For those who like to meal plan and make ahead, most recipes should be all right to do so, though you may have ingredients that don’t freeze as well.

Your best bet is to prep ingredients, such as by keeping Ziploc bags* of pre-cut fruit. Frozen fruits work perfectly for smoothie bowls, so don’t be shy about storing loads of fruit in your freezer so that you can enjoy them months later when the fruit is no longer in season.

The nice thing is, smoothie bowls usually take only 5-10 minutes to make so it’s not too time-consuming to throw your ingredients together and whip a smoothie bowl up when you’re in the mood for it.

How to make a smoothie bowl

The question of "how do you make a smoothie bowl" got you a little hesitant?

Not to worry! It’s hard to go wrong with your ingredients since there are so many great combinations out there to be made.

The smoothie base usually contains fruits, optional but highly-recommended veggies, and some liquid or thickener to give it a smoothie-like consistency.

Examples of ingredients you can throw together for the base:

• Berries
• Acai
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Spinach
• Kale
• Greek yogurt
• Oats

• Milk
• Non-dairy milk like almond, soy, or coconut
• Avocado
• Coconut oil
• Ground flax or other seeds
• Apple or other fruit juice

• Berries
• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Other fresh fruit
• Shredded coconut
• Nuts like cashews or pecans

• Seeds like chia or hemp
• Cacao nibs
• Bee pollen
• Granola
• Honey
• Maple syrup

How do you thicken a smoothie bowl?

Since you're aiming for a smoothie bowl and not smoothie soup, be sure to include some kind of thickening ingredient to help achieve the consistency that can hold up to your toppings. Some options include:

• Frozen fruits
• Freeze some of the liquid or use less liquid
• Greek or other yogurt
• Tofu
• Nut butter*
• Rolled oats*
• Chia seeds* (they’re good at absorbing liquid)

Easy smoothie bowl

If you're new to the smoothie bowl scene, try this super simple, easy go-to recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, sliced & divided
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup unsweetened milk of your choice, like almond milk*
• hemp seeds*, to garnish
• cacao nibs*, to garnish
• shredded coconut*, to garnish

Instructions:

• Step 1. Put the milk, Greek yogurt, mixed berries, and half of the banana into a blender and blend until thoroughly combined.
• Step 2. Place into a bowl and garnish with the remaining ingredients.
• Step 3. Enjoy!

Feel free to switch up or add other desired ingredients to the base or as toppings.

Smoothie bowl recipes

Chocolate

A high-fiber smoothie bowl that’s got avocado and prunes. (via Laura Fuentes)

Peanut butter

An adult version of peanut butter and jelly. With cauliflower. (via Bakerita)

Mango

Lots of tangy sweetness with pomengranate and kiwi to complement the mango in a smoothie bowl. (via Cooking Light)

Acai

A vegan paleo delight with favorite topping options like bee pollen, coconut flakes and granola. (via Lexi's Clean Kitchen)

Mixed berry

This one's got strawberries and blueberries. (via Minimalist Baker)

Dragonfruit

This exotic fruit, also called pitaya, gives such a wonderful color contrast that you almost don’t want to eat it. Almost. (via Sunkissed Kitchen)

Peach

A peaches and cream treat with cinnamon to top it off. (via Oh My Veggies)

Without banana

This posts gives you 3 ways to make delicious and colorful smoothie bowls sans banana. (via Feasting on Fruit)

With oats

This perfectly pink strawberry oats smoothie bowl has a drizzle of honey that really brings all the ingredients together. (via Delish Knowledge)

Matcha

This green tea smoothie bowl has another unique ingredient: zucchini! (via Running on Real Food)

Green

This one’s tropical and creamy with pineapple, mango, avocado, and coconut milk. The green comes from spinach! (via Natasha's Kitchen)

Blue

The mermaid smoothie bowl gets its blue hue comes from the color of spirulina. Definitely showstopping. (via Greens of the Stone Age)

Unicorn

Definitely a kid-friendly smoothie that they'll enjoy helping you create and eating it too. (via Crazy Adventures in Parenting)

Dessert

A healthy banana cream pie dessert smoothie that’s also vegan. (via Emilie Eats)