Heaven in a bowl …. Well maybe not quite but this is the king of all breakfast / brunch snacks. Can’t decide whether to have a smoothie, fruit or some cereal for breakfast? Why choose! You can have everything in one bowl …. AMAZING!!
Our love of smoothie bowls started in sunny Portugal while on honeymoon, we found a lovely smoothie bar just off the beach and it was in that state of being hungry and also thirsty that we stumbled across what would be Matt’s 2nd love – the humble smoothie bowl.
Despite it maybe seeming a bit hipster, vegan, too healthy (not that any of those things are wrong at all!) this bowl of goodness to be honest is just worth creating because it’s so tasty and refreshing. Great for a morning wakeup or refreshment on a summers day.
So with out further a do I present to you …. **drum roll please** … the smoothie bowl!
So smoothie bowls are basically a base of crunchy honey granola. I like granola because it gives that crunch to the snack, but muesli, other cereals (if eaten quickly – no one wants a soggy mess!) would work well as well.
Then assorted fruit (unfrozen) ready to eat scattered across sparingly.
Then the main item .. the smoothie (but made thicker). Down below is the recipe for cherry & chocolate, but the joy of smoothie bowls is ‘there are no rules’. You go for whatever smoothie, base ingredients and toppings as you want – I’ve tried lots and generally speaking they’ve always tasted pretty good!
I use a Nutribullet blender for making our smoothies, the extra large 32oz cup works a treat for this recipe – other blenders would work but make sure they are powerful enough to crush up ice as there’s a lot of frozen ingredients going in. The recipe could be done with unfrozen fruit but put less liquid in (as the frozen ingredients thicken it a bit) and maybe chill the fruit first of all.
Note – Any smoothie mix would work, but the trick is not to be too sloppy – if you’re trying out different smoothies then the rule of ‘less is more’ with the liquid is the best option. Reduce the liquid and give it a whirl, until you get to a thicker consistency – remember it’s a meal not a drink.
Now for the ‘pièce de résistance’, the glorious topping. Not only does this bring out your creativity but it also gives a great look, texture and alternative taste to your snack. I’ve tried a couple of different smoothie recipes so will show you two of my topping layouts below.
Kids would love this recipe too, so why not give it a go with your family also.
AuthoradminDifficultyBeginnerFind a deep bowl and fill the bottom layer with your base mix - we like honey granola, nice clusters of oats and honey for the perfect crunch.
Add the bananas, cherries, cocoa power and the milk to the container and whizz away until all is fully blended, it should be a thick consistency. Then pour over the granola base mix in your bowl.
My favourite part!
This can be any toppings really, but take your toppings individually and using a teaspoon carefully line them up going across the bowl like shown. Look for ingredients that add colour, crunch and a flavour that would compliment your smoothie mix.
Now take a moment for yourself.
Find a nice place in the garden or in your house, pull up a chair, listen to some chilled music and enjoy your delicious smoothie bowl. You will be filled up and refreshed at the same time.
Do let us know what toppings / smoothie mixes you have tried and worked well in the comments below 🙂