How To Make a Smoothie Bowl

Name: How To Make A Smoothie Bowl (in 2 minutes!)
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Ingredients: 1 banana; 200 g frozen berries mix; 300 ml milk; 1 tbsp honey; Optional toppings ((banana, chia seeds, cashews, oat and bran mix, fresh berries, coconut etc.))

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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.

A purple smoothie in a bowl topped with fruit, nuts and seeds

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 should you try it?
Step by step
What fruit to add
Green smoothie
What milk to use
What toppings to use
What can you use instead of banana?
Can it be made in advance?
FAQ
Extra tips
More smoothie recipes
Recipe

Why should you try 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 in to a bowl and add toppings.

A blender jug viewed from above containing bananas, berries and yogurt

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.

A pile of frozen berries on a wooden board

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, cashew or oat 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.

Raspberries, blueberries, a sliced banana, nuts and seeds topping a purple smoothie

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.

A selection of oats, nuts and seeds on a wooden surface

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.

a bowl full of purple smoothie with a small wooden spoon

FAQ

How to sweeten a smoothie bowl?

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.

Extra tips

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.

More smoothie recipes

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