Here’s how to make a smoothie bowl! These tips and tricks make it easy to whip up this tasty breakfast or snack homemade…
Need breakfast or snack inspiration? Try a quick and easy Smoothie Bowl! Instead of sipping the fruity puree through a straw, grab a spoon and eat it in a bowl loaded up with toppings. It’s a satisfying blend of textures and flavors that honestly tastes more like dessert than a healthy way to start the day! Here are a few tips to making a killer smoothie bowl: how to avoid melting too fast, how to pack it with protein, and the best toppings to use.
How to make a smoothie bowl (base recipe)
Making a smoothie bowl is simple, but you’ll a few tricks. The smoothie bowl concept is modeled after an Acai Bowl, a Brazilian dish that’s a frozen puree of acai berries topped with fruit, granola, coconut and nut butter. It was invented in the 1980’s in Brazil and spread to the US in the 2000’s. Now, smoothie bowls hold a place in popular culture: made with any type of frozen fruit. Here’s what to know about how to make a smoothie bowl:
- Freeze the bowl first. This quick tip helps to avoid the smoothie melting too fast.
- Prep the toppings while the bowl freezes. You’ll want them all ready to go before you blend it up.
- Memorize the base recipe. The base recipe for a smoothie bowl is thicker than a normal smoothie. Use 1 ½ cups frozen fruit, 1 banana, ½ cup Greek yogurt and ½ cup orange juice, plus any more to get it to blend. (For vegan, omit the Greek yogurt and add enough orange juice until the puree is able to blend.)
Smoothie bowl flavors
You can vary a smoothie bowl in so many different ways using different frozen fruit! Shown in these photos is the mixed berry smoothie, using frozen mixed berries (the package with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries). But there are infinite variations on the base recipe. Here are some ideas for varying the 1 ½ cups frozen fruit:
- Strawberry using frozen strawberries, or a combination of strawberry blueberry, strawberry mango, strawberry peach or strawberry pineapple.
- Blueberries using frozen blueberries, or blueberry peach or blueberry pineapple.
- Mango using frozen mangos, or mango peach, mango pineapple, or mango blueberry.
- Peach using frozen peaches, or peach pineapple or peach raspberry.
- Pineapple using frozen pineapple.
- Green smoothie bowl using frozen mango or pineapple as the fruit, along with 2 cups spinach or baby kale.
Packing the bowl with protein
This smoothie bowl has a dose of protein from the Greek yogurt: and you can add more if desired! Protein is important for keeping you full and satiated, especially important if you’re eating this smoothie bowl as a meal. Here are a few ways to add protein to a smoothie bowl, including plant-based options:
- Greek yogurt adds a creamy texture and flavor, along with 12 grams protein in a ½ cup serving.
- Protein powder adds a a major boost of staying power (we like this protein powder that has 24 grams protein per scoop).
- Chia seeds are a great way to add plant-based protein, with 2 grams protein per tablespoon.
- Nut butter in the topping also adds a nice boost of plant-based protein, adding 3.4 grams protein per tablespoon of almond butter.
Smoothie bowl toppings
What are the best smoothie bowl toppings? A mix of fruity, crunchy and drizzled items makes the ideal topping blend. The key element that ties everything together is nut butter, in our opinion. The way it slightly solidifies in the smoothie reminds us of hot fudge in a sundae! Here are our ideal toppings:
- Fresh berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries
- Sliced fruit like bananas, apples, pineapple, or mango
- Nut butter like almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, pistachio butter, or walnut butter (use sunflower butter or tahini for nut free)
- Granola like homemade granola, peanut butter granola or your favorite brand
- Chopped nuts like pecans, sliced almonds, hazelnuts, or cashews
- Seeds like pepitas, sesame or sunflower seeds
- Coconut, large or small flakes
- Honey, maple syrup or agave syrup, for drizzling
Vegan variation
Our standard smoothie bowl recipe has Greek yogurt because of the creamy texture it lends and protein it adds, which helps to keep you full longer. Want a vegan smoothie bowl? Simply omit the Greek yogurt and add more orange juice until the smoothie blends. You also may want to add another protein source like protein powder or chia seeds to make the bowl more filling.
This smoothie bowl recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, see the notes in the recipe below.
Easy Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
1x
- 1 ½ cups frozen mixed berries or any frozen fruit
- 1 banana room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yogurt*
- ½ cup orange juice plus more as needed
- Optional: 1 scoop protein powder or 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Toppings: fresh berries sliced bananas or other fruit, granola or nuts, coconut, almond butter, honey or maple syrup
2x
- 3 cup frozen mixed berries or any frozen fruit
- 2 banana room temperature
- 1 cup Greek yogurt*
- 1 cup orange juice plus more as needed
- Optional: 1 scoop protein powder or 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Toppings: fresh berries sliced bananas or other fruit, granola or nuts, coconut, almond butter, honey or maple syrup
3x
- 4 ½ cup frozen mixed berries or any frozen fruit
- 3 banana room temperature
- 1 ½ cup Greek yogurt*
- 1 ½ cup orange juice plus more as needed
- Optional: 1 scoop protein powder or 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Toppings: fresh berries sliced bananas or other fruit, granola or nuts, coconut, almond butter, honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- Place the bowl for the smoothie in the freezer, then prepare the toppings (this helps to slow the melting process).
- Place the frozen fruit, banana, Greek yogurt and orange juice in a blender. Blend until thick and smooth, adding a splash more orange juice as necessary.
- Pour into the bowl and quickly top with the toppings. Enjoy immediately.