7 Easy Smoothie Bowls You Can Make in 10 Minutes or Less (2024)

FAQs

How to make a smoothie bowl with a regular blender? ›

Add frozen berries and banana to a blender and blend on low until small bits remain – see photo. Add a bit of coconut or almond milk and protein powder (optional), and blend on low again, scraping down sides as needed, until the mixture reaches a soft serve consistency (see photo).

Yes! In order to achieve that thick, ice cream like texture, the bananas must be frozen. If you are in a rush, the banana slices can be frozen for a minimum of 4 hours before blending into a smoothie bowl.

Smoothies and bowls that provide a balanced nutrient profile ARE a healthy choice. They will keep you fuller for longer, provide you with a variety of vitamins and minerals to nourish your cells, and maintain steady blood sugar levels to keep you functioning at your very best!

No ice: If you don't have ice, you can use frozen fruit, oats, chia seeds, yogurt, or nuts and nut butter to thicken your smoothie. No frozen fruit: Add a scoop of raw oats or chia seeds into the blender instead. No yogurt: You can swap yogurt with nut butter to thicken a smoothie.

While adding milk might dilute a smoothie too much, yogurt adds the same delicate flavor, but with a much thicker, creamier texture. Any type of yogurt will add thickness to your smoothie. You can even use non-dairy yogurt if you prefer.

Standard ice cubes are great for adding thickness to smoothies but bear in mind you will need a powerful enough blender to crush the ice (more on this later). For the cleanest flavor also try and avoid adding tap water ice cubes if possible. Opt for cubes made from purified, filtered water instead.

A smoothie bowl usually has a thicker base, and unblended toppings so it has to be eaten with a spoon. This not only forces you to consume it slower, but the crunchy toppings will also help to make you feel fuller and more contented.

Your Smoothie as Meal

In order for a smoothie to qualify as a meal, it needs a few extra hearty ingredients — simply fruit blended with coconut water is not going to cut it. Grab at least two high-protein additions like Greek yogurt, tofu, nut butter, and chia seeds. A fiber boost helps too.

Freeze bananas for up to 3–6 months. Freezing bananas beyond 6 months may be fine, but the peeled bananas do begin to darken over time, and then they thaw into an overly mushy mess. I've found up to 6 months is fine, and under 3 months is even better.

Can I blend banana then freeze it? ›

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy. Learning how to freeze bananas is one of the best meal prep hacks you can have up your sleeve! Just slice, halve or mash, then freeze, and store away for future smoothies, baked goods, and so much more.

Freezing Whole Bananas

(This will make them harder to separate later.) Secure the lid and store the bananas in the freezer overnight. You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, and use them as needed in smoothies, nice cream, and more.

Sounds pretty nutritious, right? Here's the catch. When you add all of the toppings suddenly your bowl of healthy goodness could easily contain over 500 calories and 40-90 grams of sugar. This is why consuming acai bowls should be an occasional indulgence not part of your everyday diet.

Acai (ah-sigh-EE) berries are a grape-like fruit native to the rainforests of South America. They are harvested from acai palm trees. They contain antioxidants that may help boost heart health, improve memory, and protect against cancer. Acai berries are available dried, frozen, as juice, as powder, and in other forms.

It's important to choose a blender that can handle the ingredients you want to blend into your smoothies. You'll want at least 1,500 watts for blending vegetables and fibrous ingredients. For smoothies with less fibrous ingredients, a 500-watt blender may work.

In a plastic shaker cup or jar, combine half the milk and all the yogurt. Seal and shake until the yogurt is smooth (about 15 seconds). Add the rest of the milk and other ingredients, and shake for an additional 30 seconds or so. Let sit for 5 minutes before drinking.

KITCHEN TOOLS

Tools like rolling pins, a masher or a mortar and pestle can be used to mash or puree soft ingredients like ripe fruit, or help you crush ice in a pinch. Keep in mind that blending or crushing ingredients by hand may be more time consuming and achieve less consistent results than appliance alternatives.

In general, a blender is better suited for quickly liquefying ingredients for soups, sauces and smoothies. When using a blender as a food processor, blend using a pulse button or in short bursts to monitor your progress and avoid over processing.