+ Pink Smoothie Bowl Recipe
If you have internet, and enjoy food, it’s likely that you’ve seen a beautifully curated smoothie bowl pop up once or twice. As a busy mom of twin toddlers, I make almond beverage based smoothies using Natura dairy-free beverages for the kids pretty much every day – but never thought of trying out a smoothie bowl for them. Smoothies have been a hit and I’ve learned that it’s the only way they will consume most vegetables, for sure anything green. But, for whatever reason, they LOVE a green smoothie. Don’t even get me started on the day they discovered that smoothies could be any colour; now I get requests.
The most recent one was from my son for a pink smoothie. Pink, I thought. How the heck am I going to make it healthy or add in green veg?? Nevertheless, challenge accepted.
But first, let’s talk smoothie bowl basics. I learned from experience over the past week of experimenting that it’s not always as easy as it looks, however, once you learn the secrets and perfect your liquid to produce ratio, you’ll be smiling all the way to smoothie bowl enlightenment.
3 Secrets to Creamy Smoothie Bowl Texture
- Love your liquid. The main difference between a regular smoothie and a smoothie bowl is the amount of liquid that is used. Too much liquid turns the best-intentioned smoothie bowl into soup, and too little means an icy, chunky mess. I like using a dairy alternative – the unsweetened vanilla almond beverage from Natura is perfect as it adds a touch of sweetness without the unnecessary sugar. It’s also thicker than water so it adds to the consistency of your bowl without diluting the taste or texter. Steer clear of high-sugar low-nutrition choices like concentrated fruit juice.
- Pro Tip: Freeze 1 cup of your choice Natura beverage into a small ice cube tray for easy blending and less prep in the morning. **Almond beverages may separate when frozen, but this doesn’t alter the taste when it’s blended. This will keep your smoothie texture more like frozen yogurt than a drinkable smoothie, and then you can add in additional liquid almond beverage in small quantities when blending.
- Balance your base. Going with an all-fruit smoothie might seem like an easy option, but now’s the time to balance your fruit to veggie ratio to ensure your making the most of this delicious meal option. Smoothie bowls that pack in a nutritious punch via vegetables can look amazing and taste amazing, too! Veg like zucchini, avocado, butternut squash, and cucumber are the best bets for keeping the texture smooth and not overpowering the stronger fruit flavours. However, spinach, kale, and butternut squash are all extremely valuable when added in if you’re not afraid of a little texture (if you have an incredible blender at home, this will not be an issue. I, however, do not) and more noticeable flavour – which can also be balanced with things like peanut butter, or fruits like mango and pineapple.
- Pro Tip: FREEZE EVERYTHING. In order to get that creamy smoothie bowl texture, freeze everything that you possibly can. Seriously. Fruits like banana, mango, strawberries, blueberries, papaya, pineapple, kiwi. Veggies like cucumber and zucchini (peeled), butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, even beets! (I haven’t tried a beet smoothie yet but looking forward to it.) The one caveat for me is leafy greens and avocado which I prefer to blend from room temp.
- Pro Pro Tip: Save pre-cut ready-to-blend smoothies in freezer containers for no-mess no-stress prep.
- Texturize your toppings. Toppings on a smoothie bowl are a great way to boost the nutritional and health benefits even higher. The limit does not exist on selection and combo variation when it comes to the add-ons. Nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, peanut butter drizzle, edible flowers (sorry, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, lol) – you name it. If you can eat it, you can top it…or, uh, you know what I mean.
- Pro Tip: Measure out your toppings according to their serving size. When it comes to foods like nuts and seeds, a little goes a longgggg way. Don’t worry if you saw an IG post or photo online of a beautiful bowl twith toppings bigger than the smoothie itself. Yes, those are gorgeous, but
neverrarely an actual real-life human-sized serving.
- Pro Tip: Measure out your toppings according to their serving size. When it comes to foods like nuts and seeds, a little goes a longgggg way. Don’t worry if you saw an IG post or photo online of a beautiful bowl twith toppings bigger than the smoothie itself. Yes, those are gorgeous, but
I made 3 different versions of smoothie bowls before settling on the one that is showcased in this blog post. I decided to take a classic breakfast smoothie that I grew up on – orange, strawberry, banana – and give it a little twist to pump up the flavour and add in, you guessed it, veggies!
Sunshine, Baby! Smoothie Bowl Recipe
BONUS TIP: As a thank you for sticking around, I’m going to leave you with a parting gift aka a bonus tip for ensuring your smoothie bowl dreams are realized. If you have one, use a food processor instead of a blender. I know, mind-blowing, right? My first few attempts at thick, creamy smoothie bowls were #fails because it turns out my trusty blender isn’t actually that good.
Once I pivoted to my food processor, I was able to control the pulse level much better allowing me to add in liquid one bit at a time, careful not to over mix. My blender was just wilding chopping while the food processor is much more like making ice cream. You’re welcome 😉 **If you don’t have a food processor, just go low and slow on your blender so that the food is more mixed than pulverized if you know what I mean.
Have you tried making a smoothie bowl? Let me know in the comments!
Clarice
Wow! This looks delicious. I wanted to lose weight and cut on carbs and this smoothie bowl is a nice alternative. Thank you for sharing these tips. Will make sure to measure out my toppings according to serving size.
Monica Tatomir
It looks absolutely delicious. Must try it, seems super simple and quick too! Thanks!
Kelsinwonderland
Monica TatomirAs long as you prep before hand, it is super quick! I try to batch prep at night for a few days worth of smoothies and bowls 🙂
Erin Smith
Yummmmmm I’ve never tried to make one!
Kelsinwonderland
Erin SmithLet me know if you do! You won’t believe what you’re missing <3
Monica Simpson
I love smoothies but haven’t been the greatest at making smoothie bowls. Thanks for the tips about blending the frozen fruit first then adding in liquid little by little.
Kelsinwonderland
Monica SimpsonI hope it helps! Worst case if you don’t get the texture you want, you can always freeze in popsicle molds or even as a sorbet!
Alyssa
I love making smoothie bowls! Compared to juicing, smoothie bowls retain the fiber from fruit and veggies, which helps you feel fuller, longer; adding protein and fat has the same effect. Thank you for this guide!
Kelsinwonderland
AlyssaTotally agree! As long as you’re mindful of the high fructose content then I prefer them over a juice. Thanks for reading!
Lynn
Yum! Smoothies are one of my favorites! Love the tip about using a food processor! Never would have tried!
Kelsinwonderland
LynnThank you so much! It honestly changed the game for smoothie bowl texture 💕
Sushma
This look scrumptious and healthy. I love smoothie bowl. Will definitely give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
Kelsinwonderland
SushmaThanks very much for reading! I hope you enjoy your smoothie bowl ❤️
Clarice
Wow! This looks delicious and easy to make. Not to mention its healthy too. Thank you for sharing your secret to making it creamy. Would love to try this on Saturday.
Kelsinwonderland
ClaricePlease let me know how it goes! And remember to only put in a small amount of liquid at a time until you get your desired consistency. Have fun 🙂
Shayla Marie
First off, your blog is so beautiful. Secondly is I’ve never seen this idea before but it looks delicious! I pinned it to try!
Kelsinwonderland
Shayla MarieThank you so much for your kind words! Smoothie bowls are a great way to have fun with breakfast or snack, and super easy to get a lot of veggies into. Let me know if you try it xo
Cyndi Buchanan
This looks delicious. A nice light snack.
Kelsinwonderland
Cyndi BuchananAnd great for kids and adults alike! Thank you for reading 🙂
Marysa
I started making some smoothie bowls when the pandemic started. I enjoyed your tips, and they will come in handy. I will have to start freezing more fruit.
Kelsinwonderland
MarysaHonestly, freeze as much as you can! That made the biggest difference in texture and consistency for me — and made it easier to sell as “ice cream” or froyo to my kids haha. Enjoy and thank you for reading!
Monica
This looks great! I would love to make one!
Kelsinwonderland
MonicaThey are super easy to make, and easier to prep ahead of time! Please do let me know if you make one xo
Charul
Looks yum and healthy! Will try sometime 😊
Kelsinwonderland
CharulI can attest that they are both yummy and healthy! Thank you for reading 🙂