How to Make Smoothie Bowls

Smoothies bowls are like soft-serve but good for you! Made with fresh fruit and healthy ingredients they’re a more satisfying swap for the regular smoothies.

Check out how to perfect a smoothie bowl in this video:

After finding out the ins and outs of smoothie bowl making with many runny failures along the way, the video you watched above are my tips to making better smoothie bowls that can be eaten with a spoon.

What Are Smoothie Bowls

If you don’t know what a smoothie bowl is, you are not alone. A year ago, when my smoothies were super thick, the kind that did not sip through a straw well, I either reblended the smoothie with a little more liquid or poured it into my cup and waited until the thick mixture would melt a little until my straw and my lungs could handle the sip. Now I know better. Those thick smoothies are perfect for smoothie bowls!

So what’s the difference between sipping a smoothie through a straw and eating it with a spoon? Good question and up until recently, I wasn’t sure either, but thanks to Instagram and the #smoothiebowl tag I got schooled on the art of smoothie bowls.

Instead of a smooth, liquid texture, smoothie bowls are a thick blend of frozen fruit, veggies, superfoods, and topped with more healthy ingredients such as chia seeds, seeds, shredded coconut, fruit, etc. They contain more fruit and less liquid which gives it an ice cream-like texture you can eat with a spoon, making it a more substantial meal and fun to eat.

I usually have them for breakfast, but you can easily pack a smoothie for lunch too! It’s a wonderful cold treat to have at the office after a few hours of work. Trust me, there is NOTHING like an ice-cold mocha smoothie bowl in the middle of the workday.

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
• Fruit/veggies
• Non-dairy/regular milk
• 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.

I’ve 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. Can’t go wrong with one of these blenders!

Grab a Blendtec for 20% off using the code: LF20OFF

Best Smoothie Bowl Ingredients

Since a thick, soft-serve texture is key for smoothie bowls, the less liquid the better. That being said, you will still need a little of your favorite non-dairy or regular milk to help break the ice. Otherwise, any frozen fruit and veggies are the main star for smoothie bowls. Let’s take a look at the top smoothie bowl ingredients:

• Frozen fruit
• Greek yogurt
• Almond or peanut butter
• Avocado
• Leafy greens- kale, spinach
• Cocoa Powder
• Almond, cashew, or coconut milk
• Dates or prunes- for sweetness, 1 or 2 max
• Honey

As far as toppings go, let your imagination run wild! Here are a few of the more popular ideas:

• Chia seeds
• Berries
• Sliced Banana
• Granola
• Seeds
• Flax seeds

The best part about smoothie bowls is they’re made with real, natural ingredients that provide us with the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we need.

That’s exactly what we’re going for around here and the Family Kickstart Program proves it! It is a huge game-changer for families who want to eat fresh but have struggled to find the time (or the family-friendly recipes).

Family KickStart is like a Whole30 with kid appeal, thanks to recreated favorites like chicken nuggets, pancakes, and our favorite- Pizza Chicken! Grab a sample plan of the Family Kickstart here.

How to Make a Smoothie Thicker

There are a couple “secrets” to perfecting that soft-serve texture. Instead of using fresh fruit, opt for frozen, it helps the texture stay thick. This is one reason I like to buy fresh berries in bulk and freeze them for quick and healthy recipes like this one.

Another trick to creating thicker smoothies is to use less liquid. It can be tempting to douse the ingredients to make everything blend smoothly, this is also where a Blendtec or high-speed blender comes in super handy.

Smoothie Bowl Ideas

I couldn’t leave you without sharing some yummy smoothie bowl ideas and don’t worry, these are 100% kid-approved.

Peaches & Cream Smoothie Bowl
High Fiber & Protein Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
Blueberry Smoothie Bowl
Coconut Pie Smoothie– add an extra frozen banana
Healthy Frozen Mocha Smoothie
Strawberries & Cream Smoothie Bowl

So what do you think? Are smoothie bowls something your family would like, or, do you enjoy making traditional smoothies? Let me know!