Smoothie bowls are amazing for breakfast, snacks, or lunch. There are so many different fruits and mixtures of fruits that make smoothie bowls the nutritious yummy meal they are. There are also a lot of toppings that add to the tastiness of smoothie bowls. I have compiled five of my favorite recipes for the most colorful, tasteful smoothie bowls! All of these recipes I have tried and are mostly original but have also been adapted from many Pinterest recipes that I found.
Image via Pinterest
1. Verry Berry:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
Measurements: I usually just use a hand full of each
Putting it all together: If you use frozen berries then you do not need to add ice, but you will need to add about ¾ cup of milk (the milk of your choice, I like using almond or coconut milk) to thicken the smoothie. Once you have the fruit and milk, I usually add about ¼ cup of water just to get it to the consistency I like. But this smoothie is very basic and very tasty. It is just fruit, milk and water. This means it does not have many calories and is usually eaten as a snack, not an entire meal. To also thicken, instead of milk, you could use yogurt. I use plain vanilla yogurt but Greek yogurt can be used, too.
Toppings: I love adding granola, bananas and almonds on top of this smoothie to bring a crunchy texture. The bananas (cut about half the banana) add a softer taste, all the berries can be tart and the banana is much calmer.
Image via Olive and Artisan
2. Power Mint:
- Mint leaves
- Strawberries
- Kale (or spinach)
- Raspberries
- Lemon
Measurements: For the mint leaves and kale, I only throw in a few because I like the health benefits and not much of the taste. For strawberries and raspberries, I eye-ball it and usually use a little less than a handful. For the lemon, a slice will be perfect to give you the benefits without making the smoothie too sour.
Putting it all together: You will need to add about 1/3 cup of water or more to dilute the lemon flavor if you do not like the added taste. Adding 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt gives this smoothing an amazing consistency. Other than the ingredients and added water and thickener (yogurt or a protein powder), this smoothie is complete.
Toppings: Adding the extra raspberries and strawberries on top brings a pop of color and sweetness to your smoothie. Again, I like to add a bit of crunch, so I will add some almonds and possibly granola depending on what meal this is. Because there are so many ingredients and they are filling, I would only add almonds OR granola if eating this for breakfast.
Image via Instagram
3. Pretty in Pink:
- Pitaya
- Kale (or spinach)
- Your choice of berries (I like using blackberries and raspberries in this mix)
- Banana
- Almond milk
Measurements: Pitaya comes in packets (Pitaya PLUS) or you can buy dragon fruit (another name for pitaya) and peel it off the skin. Just grab a few leaves of spinach to add. Depending on how many smoothies you are making, a half a banana is one serving in the mixture. Then add about a ½ cup to ¾ cup of almond milk.
Putting it all together: I do not add much more thickeners because bananas do this naturally, but if you want a high protein smoothie for breakfast, you can add protein powder. Sometimes you will have to add a little water just to get the consistency right.
Toppings: Chia seeds are nice on top or mixed into the smoothie. If you put them on top, soak them in water first so they are a bit softer. I also like adding the left-over fruit to make me feel like I am being healthy.
Image via She Knows
4. Melons on Melons
- Watermelon
- Honeydew
- Lemon
- Ice chips
- Apples
Measurements: Cut the whole melon and divide according to how many smoothies you want. Since these will liquefy quickly, not a lot of each is necessary. Also depending on which you like more, you can add more of the apple or more of the watermelon.
Putting it all together: There isn’t much need to add water, unless you want to dilute some of the acidity of the fruit. Adding protein powder is a good idea for this smoothie, because these fruits are mostly water-based. I like this smoothie for a snack because it will not be super filling, but it will bring great health benefits and detoxing.
Toppings: I like keeping this more of a juice smoothie, so I don’t add toppings, however, if I do make it thick (like with the protein powder) I like adding some of the leftover apples and any kind of nuts or seeds that are around my house at that time.
Image via Stay Fit and Travel
5. Sweet like Honey
- Papaya
- Banana
- Honey
- Pineapple or mango
Measurements: I don’t measure out a lot of the things I cook. I like eyeballing it and adding more of the things I like and less of the things I don’t.
Putting it all together: I like adding a half cup of water to this smoothie to thin out the consistency and to take the strength down a notch. The honey can be messy so mix everything together first, then put the honey on a spoon and stir so all of it goes into the smoothie. Depending on which ingredient you use (the pineapple or mango) the thickness will change, so be aware of this. A lot of people will also add coconut milk for added flavor; you can if you want to.
Toppings: Since you could easily add oranges as an ingredient, they also work as perfect toppings. Coconut shavings add great texture and flavor to this tropic smoothie. Really you can be as creative as you want with this smoothie.
Remember that smoothie bowls are supposed to make eating healthy fun and aesthetically pleasing, so be as creative as you want. Sometimes a plain smoothie is JUST as good as some of the more exotic ones. You know what food you like, so use that when making a bowl to create one will be appealing to you. If you don’t like toppings, don’t add toppings, if you don’t like lemon, leave out the lemon, and if you’re allergic to strawberries, please don’t use strawberries. The idea here is that you can make this however you want to, this is just a list to get you started!