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 (seriously!) 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 :)
How to make a smoothie bowl?
Smoothie bowls can be an effortless and fun experience OR a tiresome blend with endless scraping, stirring, and tampering just to get the bowl to BARELY come together. The trick to the former? The easy method I have been using for years.
Step 1: Add your frozen fruit and blend on low.
The goal of this step is to chop the frozen fruit into small bits - which will make blending later a breeze. Pick the lowest setting and let the blender do its thing. The fruit will bounce all around the blender as it gets chopped into small pieces.
Step 2: Add milk and blend until smooth.
Now is the time to add some liquid. Choose your favorite milk and add ½ cup into the blender. Blend on low until the little fruit bits turn into a smooth mixture. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times to "unstick" the blender. Once the mixture is moving, ever so slowly increase the speed to medium to help the smoothie become a smoother consistency.
Step 3: Add protein, nut butter, and other optional superfoods.
The title of this step sums it up! If you'd like to add in any powders or nut betters, now's the time.
If you want to make a green smoothie bowl, I recommend using a greens powder and adding it now.
Blend again until smooth.
Step 4: Top and serve!
Once the mixture is smooth, spoon it into a bowl, add on as many toppings as your heart desires, and enjoy!
What tools do you need for this recipe?
- High Speed Blender - I use a Vitamix and LOVE it! It has been conquering 1-3 blends a day for 6 years now and is still going strong!
- Spatula
What ingredients do you need for a smoothie bowl?
- Frozen Banana - or frozen cauliflower for a low sugar version. If you freeze your bananas whole, like I often do, run them under hot water for 30 seconds to one minute and the peel should slide right off!
- Frozen fruit - I used mixed berries but pineapple, strawberries, mango, etc. are all delicious!
- Dairy free milk - I like soy for its rich and creamy consistency
- Optional protein powder - I love this pea-based vanilla flavor!
- Optional nut butter - PB, almond butter, sesame seed butter. Go crazy!
- Superfoods if you'd like! - Powdered greens, adaptogens, cacao powder, maca...
- Toppings, toppings, toppings - I usually go for a combo of coconut flakes, nut butter or a sprinkle of PB2, fresh and frozen fruit, freeze dried fruit, cacao nibs and/or granola. The sky's the limit!
Variations!
This guide is just the beginning! You can use this method to make different flavored smoothie bowls.
Acai Smoothie Bowl
This version boasts the superfood acai berry which gives it a vibrant color and nutritional boost! The luxuriously creamy acai base is like sweet sorbet. Topped with crunchy granola, fresh fruit, and nut butter it is a texture and flavor explosion!
Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
This Strawberry smoothie bowl is rich, creamy, and decadent. It tastes like a creamy sorbet, but is healthy enough to eat for breakfast any day of the week.
Banana Smoothie Bowl
This Banana Smoothie Bowl is impossibly creamy, perfectly thick, and loaded with toppings for contrast in texture. A little nut butter and cinnamon added while blending take this bowl to the next level!
More How-To Guides:
- Three ways to make a matcha latte
- Grow your own sprouts (in a jar!)
- How to make vegan cream cheese
- The best way to cook jackfruit!
How to Make a Smoothie Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 smoothie bowl 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to Make a Smoothie Bowl - an easy guide to make juice-shop worthy smoothie bowls at home in four simple steps! Customize it with your fruit of choice!
Ingredients
- Small frozen banana, sliced OR 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen fruit of choice - we used mixed berries but strawberries, pineapple, mangos, etc. all work great!
- ¼ cup liquid of choice - we used almond milk but any milk or juice will work
- Optional scoop of protein powder
- Optional spoonful of nut butter
- Toppings of your choice - granola, nuts and seeds, sliced fruit, freeze dried fruit, nut butter, coconut flakes, etc. etc.
Instructions
- Add the frozen banana (or cauliflower) and fruit to the blender and blend on low. The goal of this step is to chop the frozen fruit into small bits - which will make blending later a breeze. Pick the lowest setting and let the blender do its thing. The fruit will bounce all around the blender as it gets chopped into small pieces.
- Add milk and blend until smooth. Blend on low until the little fruit bits turn into a smooth mixture. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times to "unstick" the blender. Once the mixture is moving, ever so slowly increase the speed to medium to help the smoothie become a smoother consistency.
- Once smooth, add in optional protein powder, nut butter, and other superfoods. Blend again, starting on low, until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, cover with toppings, and ENJOY!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (with banana, no protein, no nut butter, no toppings)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 46mg
- Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: berry, banana, cauliflower, low sugar, peanut butter, protein, protein powder, dairy free, easy, 15 minute, healthy
We love this smoothie bowl! It’s better than one you can get at a fancy juice shop and my husband and I can make this recipe with our kiddos! They love it and ask for it every weekend.
★★★★★
So yummie!! And healthy! It is like eating desert for lunch!
★★★★★
This smoothie bowl is so delicious and simple to make! I love that it comes together so fast! Definitely recommend this smoothie bowl...SO GOOD!
★★★★★
Can I make this in bulk and save them in the freezer for later in the week? I think that would be so helpful with a busy schedule.
★★★★★
Kelli! Yes, you can freeze individual smoothie bowls without toppings for 1-2 months. Set them out on the counter for 20 minutes before topping and serving. Or, it I'm impatient, I will microwave them on 50% power for 1-2 minutes until softened enough to eat :)