Smoothies are all the rage now. They’re healthy, easy to make, quick, and above all super tasty. Now there is a new trend out there—the smoothie bowl. These bowls contain the exact same contents as a smoothie but with the added benefits of toppings as well as gorgeous presentation. We’ve all seen them on fitspo Instagram and Twitter accounts: the beautiful bowls with the intricate toppings and complicated ingredients. But how easy are they to make and are they any better than they typical smoothie we have come to know and love?
Over the course of my spring break, I took the time to try out some of these tasty bowls by making them myself using three recipes from this Huffington Post article. I chose to try the Spiced Apple and Oatmeal, Carrot Cake, and the Green Tea Lime Pie smoothie bowls. Here is what I found.
The first bowl I made was the Spiced Apple and Oatmeal Smoothie Bowl. The ingredients were simple and I had most of them in the house already. I followed the recipe to a tee and found it was not what I had expected. The consistency was very watery and not at all like a smoothie. The toppings did not lie on top like they do in the pictures. I was disappointed that it didn’t look as pretty but it did taste good.
Next I tried the Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl. This one was very complicated with many ingredients that the typical blender probably couldn’t handle. I had to blend the ingredients in shifts because there were so many. This one tasted very good, but not at all like carrots, nor did it end up being orange. It was more of a greenish color. I think this one can be crossed off the list as not to be tried again.
For my final attempt at perfecting the smoothie bowl, I tried the Green Tea Lime Pie Smoothie Bowl. This one had the most complicated ingredients, including lime zest and matcha green tea powder, which was very hard to find. However, this ended up being by far the best one of the three. It tasted amazing and the consistency was perfect. It was easy to make and the most photogenic which is always a plus. I guess the saying “third times the charm” is true!
Trying these smoothie bowls was a fun way for me to eat a healthy meal. Although a lot more complicated than a typical smoothie the extra toppings of fruit and nuts made it more filling and definitely prettier. However, I don’t think I will be winning any awards as a chef nor will I be getting an insane amount of likes if I were to post pictures of them on Instagram. I think these bowls are more of an art form than a cooking endeavor, but try it out for yourself to see if you can perfect the amazing smoothie bowl.