Smoothie Bowl Guide: Build your Perfect Bowl for Optimal Nutrition

Smoothies have been in vogue for some time now. They are even so popular that they are gradually replacing cereals as breakfast classics. For me, however, the absolute further development of the smoothies are smoothie bowls. These viscous smoothies taste delicious, saturate long and are full of healthy nutrients. Depending on the ingredients, you can choose between breakfast, light lunch, a post-exercise snack or a healthy dessert. To build your bowl right and to achieve optimal nutrition, I’ve put together a smoothie bowl guide for you.

What is the Difference between a Smoothie and a Smoothie Bowl?

A smoothie is drunk, while a smoothie bowl is spooned with a spoon. Instead of cereals flakes, milk or a liquid mass, you fill your bowl with a creamy-thick smoothie as a nutritious base and top it off with fruits, nuts, seeds, flakes or crispy granola. Yummy!

The smoothie gets its creamy-thick consistency through deep-frozen fruits or some ice cubes. Deep-frozen bananas, for example, are an excellent ingredient to achieve the thick texture of the smoothie bowl.

Smoothie bowls can be reinvented over and over again because there are endless possibilities to combine the ingredients. The limits are only set by your imagination or the contents of your refrigerator.

Below you will find suggestions and hints on how to put together your smoothie bowls to achieve optimal nutrition, to make them even creamier and more varied. If you prefer to orientate on existing recipes, you can try out some of my favourite recipes at the end of the article. I hope that you´ll like them as much as I do and that they´ll add variety to your diet plan. Have fun tasting!

But first of all, let´s have a look at the smoothie bowl basics.

The Ingredients of a Smoothie Bowl:

First of all, choose ingredients that you like and that are good for you. If you need an energy boost, use fresh fruits, granola and plenty of nuts or seeds. Because protein-rich foods saturate long, and fruit sugar provides the extra energy boost. If you like it lush in the morning, mix creamy nutmeg into your smoothie bowls and sprinkle them with chocolate flakes. Just irresistible!

Do It Yourself - Smoothie Bowl Base:

Choose at least one ingredient from each column. The different components will influence the consistency of the smoothie. Just try out how creamy you like your smoothie bowl. In any case, it should be that thick that the toppings do not sink into it.

If you want a big bowl, make sure to add some vegetables. This gives you larger portions with almost the same number of calories.They also keep you satiated longer than pure fruit bowls.

This is how the Smoothie becomes creamy:

Certain ingredients make smoothies particularly creamy and thick, which makes it the perfect base for the various toppings.

Deep-frozen fruits & vegetables:

They are the base for ice-cream-like-smoothie bowls. You can get frozen fruits and vegetables in every supermarket, or you can freeze fresh fruits and vegetables yourself. But note that you have to cut them into small pieces before freezing. The best way is to freeze them in portions so that you can use them more easily. The rule is: Freeze smaller fruits and veggies as a whole, peel larger fruits and veggies and dice them into pieces. Since frozen ingredients cannot spoil, nothing is wasted. As a further alternative, you can also use fruit purees instead of frozen fruits.

Ice cubes/crash ice:

If you only want a light, low-calorie snack or don´t have frozen fruit at hand, you can also use a handful of ice cubes. These also make a smoothie creamy. You simply have to crush them with the other ingredients into the blender.

Avocados:

They contain healthy fats, valuable proteins and transform smoothies from fruits and vegetables into wonderful creams. They, too, are simply added to the blender when mixing all other ingredients.

Nutmeg:

Protein-rich nutmeg enchants smoothies in an extra-creamy and fine-nutty taste experience. Try to mix in 1 tbsp cashew-, peanut- or almond butter. But attention: Do not use too much nutmeg! Although it is healthy, it is also very high in calories, which is why it should be eaten in moderation.

Oats:

Hearty oats need to soak overnight; soft oats can be added directly into the blender. Both give the smoothie a sticky texture that saturates a long time.

Protein powder:

Protein powders are available in many different flavours. It depends on what you like and if you want to use them or not. The powders are available in most grocery stores or online. If you prefer more natural flavours but want to keep the protein intake high at the same time, then instead choose ingredients like nutmeg, nuts, oatmeal, quinoa or spinach.

Embedded dates:

Dry dates thicken and sweeten smoothies at the same time. If they are too dry, just soak briefly in hot water.

(Plant) Yoghurt:

Using yoghurt also is a great way to thicken smoothies. It again depends on your taste and your general eating habits, whether you prefer regular yoghurt or vegetable alternatives, such as soy yoghurt, oat yoghurt or coconut yoghurt, which, e.g. fits perfectly with mango.

Smoothie Bowl Toppings:

Here is a list with different smoothie bowl toppings. Choose what ever you like.

Especially smoothie bowls with a crispy granola topping taste particularly delicious. Granolas combines not only healthy fats and protein-rich ingredients but also ensures extra crunch. Since granola in the supermarket often contains a lot of sugar, I prefer to produce my granola by myself. I linked you some simple granola recipes that you can make by yourself.

Tip: It is best to roast a larger amount to always have some in stock.

Crispy Nut Granola_ granola in a fallen glas jar

Crispy Nut Granola with Cranberries

Coconut Granola_granola in a glas jar on a black baking tray

Healthy Coconut Granola with Chia

Sesame Quinoa Granola_ granola in a glas jar

Light Sesame Quinoa Granola

Our Tips and Recommended Equipment:

Bowls:

As already known, food should be a feast for the eye too: the more beautiful and colourful the toppings, the greater the taste experience. Therefore, it is no less important to choose the right bowl for your smoothies. Choose a wide bowl, so that you have enough space for your toppings.

If you don´t have the right dishes at home, take a look at the article, I linked below, where I put together my favourite bowls. They are all beautiful and perfect for your next bowl creations.

Lifestyle

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls: Beautiful Bowl Sets for your healthy Breakfast

Blender:

Invest in a good blender!
In the case you need a blender frequently or for different purposes, like blending green smoothies, fibrous fruits and vegetables or preparing soups and purees, I recommend investing in a high-power blender. In this, the products are processed in a high-quality, which results in a better taste experience. I´m using this Kitchen Aid Artisan Power Plus, and am absolutely happy with it. Also the Vitamix VTX BK Explorian is highly recommended.

If you are using a blender just twice a week or not that frequently, there is no need to buy such an expensive one. In this case, it is totally enough to buy a standard blender like the cheaper KitchenAid Artisan K400 or the Homgeek Smoothie Maker.

One thing to keep attention when using a blender is to load it right. The important thing here is always to add the liquids, like milk or yoghurt, first and then place all other ingredients on top. That especially is important if you use solidly frozen berries. If you do this right, your blender will blend the ingredients better, and you don´t have to stop it several times to loosen the mass.

All blenders at a glance:

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KitchenAid ARTISAN 5KSB8270EBK Power Plus

The latest innovation from KitchenAid. The powerful motor allows you to chop and mix hard ingredients such as frozen fruit, ice cubes and fibrous vegetables evenly and quickly. And allows a maximum nutrient release.

Vitamix VTX BK Explorian E310 Power Blender

Elegant, compact and light model with a container for 3-5 portions. Ideal for mixing and squeezing as well as preparing hot and cold dishes.

KitchenAid ARTISAN K400

With the K400 blender you can easily chop up the hardest ingredients and give them a smooth consistency for the perfect taste. Let your creativity run wild in the kitchen!

Smoothie Maker Homgeek

This high speed blender has an excellent performance and delivers smooth results. It crushes the hardest fruits, vegetables, seeds and superfoods for nutrient-rich protein and green shakes.