Quick and Easy Strawberry Smoothie Bowl Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken a smoothie for a smoothie bowl? ›

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.

Assemble Smoothie Base:

We recommend following any of our smoothie recipes, but you can also make your own. Here's a good rule of thumb when putting together your own smoothie: 2 cups frozen fruit (strawberries, bananas, avocado, mixed berries, mango) 1 cup liquid (milk or juice)

The key to a thick smoothie bowl is frozen fruit. The thick consistency of the smoothie makes the toppings stay in place on top without sinking to the bottom of the bowl. Adding bananas to the mixture not only adds sweetness but also helps with the thickness.

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).

Large amounts of nuts, seeds, peanut butter and avocado can also jack up the fat content — healthy fat, but excessive nonetheless. Bottom Line: There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. While smoothie bowls can be inherently healthy, be careful not to overdo it with large portions and high-calorie ingredients.

Start your smoothie with two mugfuls of a liquid base. This can be milk, or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, natural or flavoured yogurt, fruit juice, or for a tropical flavoured smoothie, low-fat coconut milk or coconut water.

Blend protein powder or greens first

This will help break down the greens easily before you add in other ingredients that will make your smoothie thick. This also works well if you're using protein powder, so you can avoid any grittiness in your smoothie bowl.

You can create vibrant and delicious smoothie bowls with almost any blender, however, it may be easier to use a powerful blender on low speed with a tamper that you can use to push frozen produce down toward the blade to help ensure a silky smooth consistency.

Fruit, including berries, mango, bananas and avocado. Greens, such as spinach or kale. A liquid base such as dairy or plant-based milk, water or fruit juice.

I recommend that you enjoy these bowls as soon as you've made them, but you can prep ahead and freeze them once you've made them if you like. Make the smoothies and then freeze them in ziplock bags. Let the smoothies defrost in the fridge the night before and then add to your bowl with your favorite toppings.

Why is my smoothie bowl so thin? ›

The trick to thicker smoothie bowls is less liquid. In my Pitaya bowl recipe, I use 3 frozen packs Pitaya and 1 1/2 frozen bananas and add less than a cup of my homemade almond milk to blend. I use the Vitamix tamper to work the frozen fruit to the consistency I like. Play around with it and you will get it!

These include Vitamix, Hallde, Blendtec and Hamilton Beach. Our top commercial blender pick for making acai bowls is the Hallde VCB-32.

Using frozen ingredients is the key to creating a thick, satisfying smoothie. Other options for thickening include using fibrous fruits and veggies, adding chia seeds, spooning in yogurt, using avocados, or scooping in protein powder. Having the right blender also makes a big difference.

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.

Putting too much water in the blender can be a fatal flaw. "You can always add more, but start with less so it stays thick," Barkyoumb said. She and other food bloggers said that adding extra liquids to the ingredients can ruin a smoothie bowl's otherwise thick consistency.