If you don't find smoothies very filling, then why not try a smoothie bowl that is loaded with toppings. Smoothies bowls are a great way to get fruit in to your diet, and there are so many different flavour combinations, that you can never get bored. Here you will find how to make a smoothie bowl, with lots of different options.
This Smoothie Bowl is a filling and balanced meal that is packed full of deliciousness. You can use any kind of smoothie as the base, just make sure it is thicker than a normal smoothie that you would drink, and load it with more fruit and crunchy toppings. In this post we will give you lots of options for the smoothie, and the toppings.
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Why you will love it
- Nutrient dense
- More filling than a smoothie
- Easy to adapt
- Kids love them
Step by step
One: Put all of the ingredients in to a blender and blend until smooth.
Two: Pour into a bowl and add toppings.
What fruit to add
There are so many options here when it comes to what fruit to use. We went for a berry mix (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) and banana. Use a frozen banana if you want a super cold smoothie, or you could just add some ice cubes if your banana isn't frozen. A frozen banana will help to thicken it too.
Any kind of berries work in this, and we also like to add cherries and blackberries. Bear in mind that the fruit you use can effect the colour of the smoothie. Berries will make it a bright pink/purple colour.
If you want more of a tropical flavour to this smoothie, then use pineapple and mango. Try to make sure these are frozen too, and you will have yourself a super refreshing smoothie. Using these fruits will make it a nice vibrant yellow colour.
Using frozen fruit means that you can make this smoothie bowl all year round and use fruits that might not be in season.
Green smoothie
Why not give this smoothie bowl a green boost. If you don't want it to taste "green", then just use a handful of spinach. Bear in mind that it will turn it more of a brown colour. You could also use kale, Swiss chard, pak choi, romaine lettuce or even the green carrot tops, which is a great way to reduce waste. But these will give the smoothie bowl a different flavour.
You need to use a lot of greens to get that super green colour. See our Green Smoothie recipe for a really green drink!
What milk to use
You have lots of options when it comes to the milk used in this recipe. We used standard whole milk, however you could make this a vegan smoothie by using a plant based milk like almond milk, cashew or oat milk and replacing the honey with maple syrup.
To make this smoothie creamier and add some extra flavour, swap 50ml of the milk for coconut milk. This will really help to thicken the smoothie too.
You could use water instead of milk, however I wouldn't recommend doing that because it would make it really thin and won't be spoonable.
What toppings to use
A smoothie bowl is all about the toppings. Whilst the smoothie itself is important, the toppings are where you can get really creative and add lots of texture and extra nutrients.
Extra fruit on top is a must. It adds lots of colour and gives it more of a berry boost. You then want to give it lots of crunch, so some oats, nuts (cashews and peanuts) and some coconut are the way to go.
Give the smoothie bowl a protein boost with a sprinkle of chia seeds. You could also add a drizzle of nut butter to finish it off.
What can you use instead of banana?
I think bananas are kind of essential in this smoothie. Not only to they add lots of sweetness, but they thicken it too. If bananas aren't your thing, then you could use avocado instead. Fruits like mango would help to thicken it also.
Nut butter will also give the smoothie some creaminess if you aren't using banana.
Can it be made in advance?
It's always best to make this just before you are ready to eat it. However, if you have leftovers of the smoothie then you can keep it in the fridge in an air tight container for a day or two.
Don't add the toppings until you are ready to eat it, as they will start to go soggy.
FAQ
We used honey to sweeten the smoothie, however if you want it to be a vegan smoothie then swap it for maple syrup. The riper the fruit used, the sweeter it will be naturally. You don't have to use any added sweetener at all.
More smoothie recipes
If you’ve tried this smoothie bowl recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
How To Make A Smoothie Bowl (in 2 minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 Banana
- 200 g (1.25 cups) Frozen berries
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) Whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Honey
Optional toppings
- Banana
- Chia seeds
- Cashews
- Oat and bran mix
- Fresh berries
- Coconut
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour in to a bowl and add toppings.
Notes
- If you don't have frozen fruit, then you can add ice cubes to the blender instead.
- Try to make the smoothie from fresh. However if you want to prep it in advance, then you can put everything except the liquid in a freezer bag and freeze until you need it.
- Don't add too much liquid, as you want to smoothie to be nice and thick, so the toppings don't sink. It should be the texture of soft serve ice cream.
Anna
Wow the smoothie looks so pretty! Love the aesthetics. The blender sounds amazing as well. We have a Kenwood one that is sort of ok...
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Now therre's an idea - a smoothie in a bowl! Makes perfect sense to me - drinking smoothies from a glass can be challenging... What a wonderful colour too!
Maria @ runningcupcake
That smoothie looks so pretty. My favourite one is with frozen banana (I slice them before I freeze them to help them blend quicker), frozen cherries, frozen blueberries, soya or almond milk, and a little acai powder, then topped with some muesli. Reminds me of our holiday to Hawaii as lots of cafes served acai bowls like that.
Lauren
This looks right up my street! I LOVE smoothie bowls!! You can get loads of fab toppings on them!
This looks really delicious! The blender looks great too!
Jessie
Gorgeous color smoothie bowl. It sounds so fruity - which I love. Thanks for sharing :)
Megan
i love any kind of berry smoothie! yum! Never thought about putting a smoothie in a bowl but I like your idea!
Ruby @ Ruby Red Apron
This looks so pretty! I love smoothie bowls. Mango and blueberry are my favorite with lots of coconut on top. :)
Brittany
I can't believe you got this Vita-baby fo free. TOO LEGIT! I have one, and I also have a Blendtec. HAHA. Smoothie bowls are the only way to go!
Katie @glutes and ladders
I would have never thought of serving a smoothie in a bowl, what a great idea! I think part of the reason why I don't really utilize the smoothie is that I don't really like drinking my meals.
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods
I need a new blender. I haven't seen that one before. Looks really nice.
I love the idea of having your smoothie in a bowl. Funny thing happened to us. I took my kids to a frozen yogurt shop last week. Completely unaware their first 2 machines were yogurt smoothies not frozen yogurt. My daughter accidentally poured smoothie into her bowl and loved it. I love your strawberry blueberry combination :D
Taylor
Just found your blog and I have to say I like what I see! I think I will try a smoothie bowl for breakfast tomorrow morning after my run. Looking at all your recipes is making me hungry now so I will check things out more thoroughly tomorrow! Can't wait to see more!
[email protected] The Gastronomic Bong
How amazing is this smoothie! ! And that colour.. What a fun and creative idea of serving it in a bowl.. love it!!!
Deena Kakaya
What a lovely and fun idea to keep the eyes and mind excited...gorgeous colors x
[email protected]
This smoothie recipe sounds yummy. I do have the vitamix bc I was told it was one of the best ones out there but after comparing them I'm not so sure now. But it does do a great job! Better than most anyways.
Fish Fingers for tea
How pretty does that look! Love the idea of serving a smoothie in a bowl Dannii, mine are often on the thick side so it makes perfect sense! And thank you for the link.
Charlene @ That Girl Cooks Healthy
This smoothie bowl looks so darn tempting. I'm going to purchase some strawberries towards the end of the week, to give this recipe a try.
Kristina @ Blog About Running
I've made super thick smoothies that I've had to eat with a spoon out of the glass -- makes so much sense to just put it in a bowl!!!
Maria
This smootie looks quite amazing; I will try it soon for my kids, I hope they will enjoy it
Annie @Maebells
How clever is this!! I am totally doing this! Maybe I could trick my husband into eating a smoothie like this! Such a great idea!
Kate @ Veggie Desserts
How gorgeous. My little ones would love to sit down to such a beautiful breakfast!
Grace
This looks so pretty! Too pretty to eat.