The question is, what makes it special and different from the good old smoothie (except from the bowl, of course)? There are two main points that I'll share with you: The first one is: consistency. Because without the increased thickness the toppings would not stay where you placed them but sink down to the bowls ground. Speaking of toppings, that is #2 of the speciality of a smoothie bowl. The toppings are what really makes the smoothie bowl unique. It either transforms the plain thick smoothie into the most delicious and gorgeous dish ever seen (and eaten) or it doesn't. Here's a rough guide that is meant to show you the basics of how to make a smoothie bowl, but feel free to experiment with whatever comes to your mind (and show me, I'd love to see your recreations! use #mangoandcoconuts).
#1 THE BOWL
If you know me, you know that I'm OBSESSED with bowl. Small, big, glass, ceramic, metal, printed, plain, whatever. I love them. Depending on what look you want, I'd say choose either a super fun pattern that has a totally different color than your smoothie or go with plain white, black or grey. If you make a pink smoothie and choose a pink bowl, it won't bring out the vibrant color of your smoothie as perfectly as a white one would.
#2 THE INGREDIENTS
BANANAS
Making smoothie bowl usually takes some preparation. Make sure you freeze some bananas the night before (peel, cut in 1/2 inch - 1 inch coins & put them in a zip lock bag - DO NOT freeze them whole like my mom did once - it's a mess haha).I usually add 1-2 bananas (if you're HCLF, add 20?).
FRUIT
(I found this amazing color-based list here).
Red
- Blood Oranges
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Red Grapes
- Pink Grapefruit
- Red Pears
- Pomegranates
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Red Currants
Yellow/Orange
- Apricots
- Cape Gooseberries
- Cantaloupe
- Yellow Figs
- Golden Kiwi
- Lemons
- Mangoes
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Mandarines
- Papayas
- Peaches
- Yellow Pears
- Persimmons
- Pineapples
White/Brown
- Dates
- Bananas
- White Nectarines
- White Peaches
- Brown Pears
Green
- Avocado (add 1/2 avocado instead of the banana if you like)
- Green Apples
- Green Grapes
- Honeydew Melons
- Kiwi
- Limes
Blue/Purple
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Black Currants
- Purple Grapes
- Plums
- Elderberries
- Figs
- Raisins
It works best when you freeze them before as well but if not, it'll still work fine. For best results, choose your fruit (apart from the banana) out of one color group.
Use about 1/2-1 cup.
GREENS
If you're feeling super healthy, I'd highly recommend adding leafy greens into your smoothie bowl. I like cabbage, kale, spinach (HISTAMINE!), bok choy and chard. But feel free to throw in whatever you have in your fridge like zucchini, red cabbage & more!
1 large handful should be enough.
LIQUIDS
In order to get your blender or food processor going, it's essential to add some liquid. I like coconut water, homemade oat milk, almond milk, water, green tea, chocolate mylk, etc.
Start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed. But keep in mind that you want the smoothie to be THICK.
SUPERFOODS/ADD INS
These add ins are optional but I highly recommend trying them out for the ultimate flavor explosion. I like to add nut butters (almond, peanut, cashew, hazelnut (!!)), maca powder, mesquite powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds, shredded coconut, protein powder (sun warrior is my favorite but I also like the PUR YA! protein drinks), cocoa powder, carob powder, chai drink mix, vanilla, acai powder, acerola, spirulina, ...
Use about 1 tsp - 1 tbsp each.
Okay, once you have everything ready to go in your blender, GO AND BLEND.
#3 THE TOPPINGS
If everything is nice and smooth, pour it into your bowl, flatten the top (if necessary) and start adding on the goodies.
I like to combine different textures and colors on top. Your smoothie bowl usually is really smooth and creamy, which creates the urge for some crunchiness. Think granola, rawnola, buckinis, chia seeds and nuts.
Other than that, adding some nut butter is never wrong.
When it comes to choose fruit, I like to stick either with colors from the same color family or go suuuuper crazy. Have fun here (but make sure to add some crunch!).
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE BOWL
serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 banana, frozen
- 3 dates
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 large leaves green cabbage
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp maca
- 1 tsp mesquite
- 1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder
- 3 macadamia nuts
- iChoc vegan chocolate
- 1 tsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp buckinis
- 1 tbsp coconut shavings
Method
Blend first ingredients until smooth. Pour into a bowl and top with nuts, chocolate, pb, buckinis and coconut. YUM.
