Where To Find Smoothie Bowls
Aside from Instagram, that is. These days, there are lots of places that have smoothie bowls on their menus. You can get them at juice bars and smoothie shops, upscale cafes, and some vegan or vegetarian restaurants. Youll even sometimes find them in airports.
Commercial smoothie bowls come with two problems, however. First, they can be really expensive. Second, theyre often formulated to be more delicious and pretty than nutritious, so you may end up eating a lot of sugar and empty calories, along with artificial ingredients in the toppings. Make sure you know whats really in a restaurant smoothie bowl before assuming all those colors are truly healthy.
The safest and healthiest way to enjoy smoothie bowls is to make your own.
Preparing A Smoothie Bowl
1. Freeze bananas.
Start with frozen bananas as a base.
If you have a lot of freezer space, its best to go to the store when bananas are on sale and buy several bunches. Then, break them up into gallon zip-closure bags and freeze them. This works best when theyve been frozen at least overnight.
2. Blend frozen bananas and liquid.
Toss frozen banana pieces and at least 1/8 cup of liquid into the food processor and start pulsing to break the banana up a bit, then pulse and hold or set to on and let the processor do its thing. This may take a while, but be patient!
With a small flexible silicone spatula or just an ordinary spoon, feel free to pause the food processor and scrape the bottom of the mixer, and stir whats in there, and keep blending. Thatll help push the contents around so everything eventually gets to the blades and gets pureed.
If your mixture turns into a huge ball and rolls around in your food processor, you need more liquid! Just keep adding little by little through the spout of the food processor until it gets to the desired consistency.
When the mixture is done, it should be as creamy and perfect as the most amazing soft serve or frozen custard youve had. You can test it by dragging the bottom of a spoon around in the mixture. Does it look and feel lovely? Then its ready!
What Is The Difference Between A Smoothie And A Smoothie Bowl
Smoothies are drinks made in a blender, poured into a glass or cup and enjoyed by sipping or drinking with a straw. While they can vary in consistency from thinner to thicker, smoothies are always drinkable from a straw. Smoothie bowls on the other hand are meant to be enjoyed out of a bowl and eaten with a spoon!
The consistency of the smoothie portion of a smoothie bowl is usually much thicker than a traditional smoothie, and can range from a thick soup-like consistency to a scoop-able sorbet consistency. Smoothie bowls are also always topped with garnishes like fresh berries, sliced banana, nuts, seeds, granola, or other superfood toppings .
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Thick Smoothie Bowls With Tons Of Toppings
Being served a runny, thin smoothie bowl, with the toppings sinking in, is one of my dining-out pet peeves! If the toppings cant sit on top, and you cant finish it without it completely melting, it doesnt belong in a bowl.
I have a method for making the best thick smoothie bowls. Put the blender away, and break out the food processor. Choose your favorite fruits, and keep them chopped and in the freezer ready to go.
When youre ready, its fast to process your favorite frozen fruits along with creamy coconut milk into an ice cream-worthy smoothie. These bowls are like soft serve ice cream except totally made from fruit.
Add your favorite smoothie bowl toppings I love:
- Nut and seed butters my new fav is Chocolate SunButter. This long-anticipated SunButter variety is finally here!
- Shredded Coconut
- Crumbled healthy cookies or muffins
If youre dying to try this, and enter to win Chocolate SunButter!
Its like Nutella except better! It has a rich chocolate flavor and is slightly salty. And instead of being mostly sugar, its main ingredient is protein and vitamin rich sunflower seeds.
Hop on over to the SunButter website to learn more about this delicious spread!
Top Tips For Making Healthy Smoothie Bowls
Also Check: How To Make A Strawberry And Banana Smoothie Bowl
How To Make Them Perfect
Basically, everything you use in a regular smoothie is what goes into a smoothie bowl, only less liquid. I mostly use:
- Frozen banana
- Ice
- Toppings!
Having a high-speed Blendtec blender for recipes like smoothie bowls is also a plus, they can easily blend frozen fruit, ice, and whole ingredients compared to regular blenders. While I encourage you to use what you have, I do recommend something like the Blendtec.
Ive had mine for YEARS, and to this day it still whips up thick smoothies from whole frozen fruit, as well as perfectly smooth hummus, healthy chocolate pudding, and pancake batter. Cant go wrong with one of these blenders!
Grab a Blendtec for 20% off using the code: LF20OFF
How To Make A Smoothie Bowl
How to Make a Smoothie Bowl an easy guide to make juice-shop worthy smoothie bowls at home in four simple steps!
Any chance to make something healthy tastes like a decadent dessert, and I am IN! And smoothie bowls are one of my go-to healthy treats.
They have the rich and creamy consistancy of soft serve with all the nutrition of fruit. They are incredibly easy to make and made absolutely irresistible when topped with crunchy and creamy toppings.
My go-to method makes blending a smoothie bowl a breeze. As if we needed more reasons to enjoy them OFTEN 🙂
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How To Make A Frozen Fruit Smoothie
Making frozen fruit smoothies isnt rocket science. A little down below, youll find my favorite frozen fruit smoothie recipes.
If you want to create your own smoothie recipes, heres how you can do it.
If you want to avoid the five major mistakes people make when making smoothies, check out this article: How Long Do Smoothies Last?
1. Start with a Liquid Base
When were making frozen fruit smoothies, we want to start with a base. Its best to always have some liquid in our smoothies. One serving usually needs about ½ 1 cup of liquid. Good options are:
- filtered water
- nut milk
- soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, rice milk, etc.
- dairy milk
- fruit juice
The lowest calorie version is obviously plain water. Unsweetened nut milk or coconut water can also be a healthy, low-fat, and low-calorie choice.
Adding too much fruit juice may spike your blood sugar levels, so its best not to overdo it.
Also, be careful with coconut milk , as its high in fat and calories.
2. Add Some Frozen Fruits
After youve chosen your liquid base, its time to add some fruits to your smoothie. Id recommend using both frozen fruits and fresh fruits in smoothies.
If youre using too many frozen ingredients, it can make your smoothie too slushy.
If you dont use any ice or frozen fruits, your smoothie wont taste as good as it could.
Every smoothie I make will have some frozen ingredients in it.
You can completely skip the ice, and add some frozen fruits or veggies instead.
- berries
- mango
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl Healthy Ingredients:
- Banana is such an accessible fruit that I always keep stocked. It is filled with nutrients to get your day started right. And, since it is so sweet it makes the best smoothie base!
- Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits but only when they are in season! Out of season they are flavorless. Which is why I typically buy frozen strawberries. Frozen fruits and vegetables are picked in season, at the peak of their ripeness, and immediately frozen. So, you get a lot of nutrition and flavor!
- Beet root powder is what I primarily use for color in my smoothies. But, it also packs a lot of nutrition!
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How To Make A Berry Smoothie Bowl
To make this simple and delicious smoothie bowl you only need to follow the simple steps below, or watch the recipe video!
Do you love smoothie bowls? Whats your favorite kind? Tell me about it in the comments and be sure to pin the photo below the recipe to save this one for later!
When Learning How To Make Smoothie Bowls There Are A Few Things To Keep In Mind The Smoothie Itself Is Important But In The Toppings You Can Get Creative And Add A Lot Of Texture And Extra Nutrients If You Use Any Type Of Smoothie As A Base Make Sure The Smoothie Bowl Is Thicker Than A Regular Smoothie You Would Drink And Top It Up With More Fruit And Crunchy Toppings All You Need Are 5 Ingredients And Some Delicious Toppings Such As Cereal Fresh Strawberries Or Bananas With Other Toppings You Can Add More Nutrients And Proteins To Your Bowl Making It A Complete Meal For Extra Protein You Can Add Protein Powder To Your Smoothie Flax Or Chia Seeds
Nobody likes big chunks of kale in their smoothies, so investing in a quality blender is a good idea for any smoothie recipe. High-quality blenders are perfect for smoothies as well as soups, nuts and butter. They can mix frozen fruits, ice cream and whole ingredients much faster than conventional blenders.
Try these tips and suggestions for the best smoothie bowls:
- To start a smoothie bowl recipe, add your frozen fruits of your choice to the container of a blender. Put all ingredients in the blender and place in a bowl. Remember that the fruits you use affect the color of the smoothies.
- Add frozen fruits and vegetables adding them will help thicken your smoothie. Add protein powder add a scoop of protein powder to make it thicker.
- Add chia seeds they absorb the liquid and make the smoothie thicker than a mixture of chocolate and chia pudding.
- Top Chia seeds with coconut flakes, mango and cherry almonds In a smoothie bowl, combine all ingredients and toppings in a blender and whisk until smooth.
Read Also: Best Blender For Personal Smoothies
Three Types Of Healthy Smoothie Bowls
Ive made three delicious and nutritious smoothie bowls for you to enjoy. which one will be your favorite?!
Mango Banana Smoothie Bowl
Mango and banana blended with coconut water, ginger and turmeric.
Strawberry Raspberry Smoothie Bowl
Frozen strawberries and raspberries blended with coconut milk and topped with hemp seeds.
Blueberry Blackberry Smoothie Bowl
Blueberries and blackberries blended with coconut milk and water and topped with chia seeds.
Making The Smoothie Bowl Base
Use frozen fruit.
To keep the smoothie bowl from being too runny, use as much frozen fruit and as little liquid as possible.
- Frozen bananas are helpful to create a creamy, frozen base: Just cut leftover or overripe bananas into chunks and freeze in plastic bags to keep them smoothie-bowl ready.
- Other frozen fruits are easy to find at the grocery such as frozen pineapple, frozen mango, and frozen berries.
This smoothie bowl features a rainbow of mixed frozen berries and banana — and so much more: “So nutritious, so quick and easy, so delicious!” raves Kassandre. “Experiment with different frozen fruit varieties or juices.”
Pictured recipe: Super Antioxidant Smoothie Bowl
Invest in a high-speed blender.
The best tool for a smoothie bowl base is a high-speed blender, which quickly and easily blends frozen fruit. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, a regular blender works as well, but you may need to stop and scrape the jar of the blender more often while blending.
Make the color pop.
Your artistic flair gets to shine when topping your smoothie bowl. A few guidelines to follow:
Go big with colors.
Fruit adds a burst of color to your bowl. Complementary colors work well , or try monochromatic .
Add a protein punch.
When serving a smoothie bowl, think about balancing fruit with protein to keep things filling. Especially if you have a smoothie made fully of fruit with no nuts, think about adding a dollop of almond butter or a handful of nuts as a topping.
Freeze the bowl.
Also Check: Watermelon And Banana Smoothie For Weight Loss
Orange Mango Smoothie Bowl
This is my favorite of the 3 options! Frozen citrus is amazing is smoothies. It adds the perfect sweet-tart component, and blends into the creamy banana.
- Frozen bananas
- Frozen Mango
- Coconut Milk
Step 1: Add the frozen bananas, frozen mango, and frozen oranges, along with coconut milk into a food processor bowl. This can also be done in a high speed blender with a tamper stick, but I find it quicker in a food processor.
Step 2: Process until all the fruit is broken down into a soft serve ice cream consistency.
Step 3: Top with your favorite smoothie bowl toppings.
Why Use Frozen Fruits In Smoothies
Its so convenient!
Most supermarkets sell frozen smoothie packs these days.
Theres no need to wash or cut the fruits. Everything is done for you already. Its a huge timesaver!
You wont even have to defrost the fruits before making smoothies. Just open the bag, add some to your blender and youre good.
Just because its convenient doesnt mean its less healthy!
Fruits are picked and frozen at peak ripeness. Studies show again and again that frozen fruits retain at least as many vitamins, minerals, as fresh fruits. Some fruits can even retain more vitamins when theyre frozen than when theyre bought fresh.
Using more frozen fruits also means less spoilage.
Frozen fruits are good for months, instead of just days. You can easily enjoy your favorite fruits at any time of the year.
Using frozen fruits actually makes your smoothies taste better.
Some people like to use ice cubes in their smoothies, I like using frozen fruits. A chilled smoothie simply tastes better, theres no question about it. Save the ice, and add some frozen fruits instead.
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How To Make Drop
It’s one thing to slurp a colorful and nutrient-dense smoothie in the morning, but how about a smoothie bowl? Smoothie bowls let you eat your smoothie with toppingsbe it vibrant fresh fruit, a dollop of almond butter, or crunchy coconut flakeslike a healthy version of a sundae. They’re easy to make and look beautiful, too. And even better: They’re a tasty way to fuel up with a load of nutrients, fiber, and protein.
Double Berry Walnut Smoothie Bowl
I went through a major froyo phase back when I had just finished college and entered the working world.
Every night I swung open the jingly Froyo shop door and marched over to the counter in my gym shoes to order a dip of vanilla froyo with raspberries and walnuts for toppings.
I didnt really need to say anything, because the employees started dipping the vanilla froyo when they first glimpsed me through the door.
Simple, delicious, and so tasty. This bowl combines fresh berries and walnuts to achieve that same killer combo, minus the froyo.
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Best Smoothie Bowl Toppings:
- Granola is a must for me. The textural contrast is much-needed! I love using our homemade classic granola or this banana bread granola.
- Nut butter is another essential on my list. Any nut butter will do peanut, cashew, almond, sunflower seed, even tahini!
- Fresh fruit is optional, but I usually add a handful of fresh blueberries to my smoothie bowls. Other fruits that work well include bananas, raspberries, blackberries and diced strawberries.
- Coconut flakes
- Nuts & seeds: not a huge fan of nut butter on your smoothie bowl? Toss on a handful of cashews, almond, sunflower seeds, pepitas, etc instead.
How To Make Thick Smoothie Bowls
Try these easy recipes for thick smoothie bowls. If you get as annoyed as I do when served a runny smoothie bowl at a restaurant, youll choose to make your own at home. Learn how to make 3 delicious smoothie bowl recipes with your favorite fruit and toppings!
This post is sponsored by SunButter, makers of my favorite nut/seed butter! Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep Sunkissed Kitchen up and running!
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What Is Acai Smoothie Bowl Made Of
An acai smoothie bowl consists of two main parts:
- The Base This acai bowl features healthy, antioxidant-rich acai berry powder or acai packets along with frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and banana blended with vegan milk, non-dairy yogurt, or water into a thick & creamy smoothie.
- The toppings Top off your acai smoothie bowl with an assortment of healthy toppings. Some of my favorites include sliced bananas, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, goji berries, cocoa nibs, crunchy granola, coconut, chia seeds, etc.
Its a great way to start the day and treat yourself to something good!
But, the acai bowl isnt just for mornings! You can just as easily enjoy this superfood treat anytime time of day morning, noon, or night.