This ultimate smoothie bowl recipe is super easy to make with just 5 ingredients plus all your favorite toppings! It’s thick, creamy, refreshing and great for breakfast or a snack.
I used to find it impossible to have a smoothie for breakfast because I need something to chew in order for my brain to register that I’m eating a meal. Plus, I drink smoothies with a straw so fast… they’re gone in like 10 seconds. But there’s any easy solution and it’s called a smoothie bowl!
You make a thick smoothie base, load it up with toppings (which gives you something to munch on) and eat it with a spoon. It’s cool, refreshing and packed with good-for-you ingredients. Grab your spoon and dive in!
Why You’ll Love This Smoothie Bowl
- Easy – It’s comes together in no time at all… just add everything to a blender, blend, pour into a bowl, add your toppings and enjoy.
- Healthy – This bowl is packed full of fiber and protein and makes a great, well-rounded breakfast or healthy snack.
- Less expensive – smoothie bowls from a smoothie shop tend to be so pricey, but they’re pretty inexpensive to make at home.
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients used to make a smoothie bowl can vary, but the base is typically always frozen fruit! Here are the main ingredients I use to make my ultimate smoothie bowl:
- frozen banana – frozen banana helps thicken the smoothie and adds a little sweetness. Check out my how to freeze bananas guide for tips and tricks! If you don’t like banana, you can try swapping for frozen avocado chunks, frozen mango or even frozen zucchini for the thickener. If you use the avocado or zucchini you may need to add a little maple syrup, medjool dates or honey for extra sweetness.
- protein powder – You can use vanilla or chocolate protein powder! If you don’t want to use protein powder, you can skip it.
- frozen berries – any frozen berries will do. My favorite options are frozen strawberries, blueberries and/or cherries. You can also use a bag of mixed berries
- unsweetened almond milk – any dairy-free milk (or regular milk) will work here!
- almond butter or peanut butter – any nut butter you can sub for sunflower seed butter if you have a nut allergy.
Topping Ideas
Okay, this is the fun part and the options are truly endless here! Get creative with your smoothie bowl toppings. Here are some of my go-to toppings:
- fresh banana – slice fresh bananas for added sweetness!
- fresh berries – I like using a combination of strawberries and blueberries but any fresh berry works! You can also do freeze dried berries
- granola – want to add some texture to your smoothie bowl? Add crunchy granola on top! Try my homemade granola or this hemp granola.
- almond butter or peanut butter – can’t go wrong with a little extra nut butter drizzled on top.
- chia seeds – add in healthy fats, fiber and texture with chia seeds.
- coconut – mmm add toasted coconut or shredded coconut for added sweetness and crunchy!
- chocolate – make this more of a dessert and add some chocolate chips or melted chocolate drizzled on top. You could even do a homemade magic shell!
How to Make a Smoothie Bowl
Step 1: Gather all your ingredients and place them in a high-power blender.
Step 2: Blend until smooth and serve immediately with your favorite toppings!
How to Make Your Bowl Thicker?
Nothing is worse than a melty smoothie bowl that’s hard to eat with a spoon. If you blend up your smoothie and are wishing it was thicker, here are some things to try:
- Use less liquid – this won’t necessary fix a liquidy smoothie bowl, but it’s something to remember next time you make a smoothie bowl! Less liquid = a thicker smoothie bowl.
- Add frozen fruit or veggies – yep, adding more frozen fruit or veggies will help thicken your smoothie. I like adding frozen zucchini or frozen cauliflower rice! They add any flavor but thicken the smoothie right up!
- Add avocado – add a quarter or half of an avocado when blending for an instant thickener!
- Add chia seeds – chia seeds absorb liquid and will make your smoothie thick like this blended chocolate chia pudding.
- Add xanthan gum – I don’t use this ingredient often, but if you’re looking to instantly thicken up a smoothie bowl, xantham gum works great. Just know that a little goes a long way so start with 1/2-1 teaspoon.
More Smoothie Recipes to Try
Be sure to check out all of the smoothie recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
