I’ve been drinking a green smoothie for breakfast for about five years now.
There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with working out and getting in two servings each of fruit and vegetables before 10 a.m.
But have you heard the new thing about smoothies? You can put them in BOWLS. Yes, bowls. Why, you ask?
Because you can make them into even more of a complete meal with the simple addition of a few blend-in ingredients and toppings. Count me in!
This smoothie bowl is absolutely delicious. Plus, it’s simple (as always), requiring just 10 minutes to make, and entirely customizable. I provide a basic round-up of ingredients for you to start with so you can then experiment and make this bowl your own.
The basic idea, in my opinion, is to make a slightly thicker, more nutritionally dense smoothie (with things like avocado and nut butter) and then top it with some game-changing ingredients, like coconut, hemp seeds, granola, nut butters, etc. You get the drift.
Basically, anything in your pantry that will take your smoothie from tide-me-over snack to seriously-substantial meal.
My ideal green smoothie bowl has:
Super bright green color (achieved with lighter-colored berries and loads of greens)
Nut butter for extra protein
Avocado for healthy fats and richness
Flaxseed meal for fiber
And natural sweetness from frozen bananas
When it comes to toppings, a few of my favorites include:
Roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
Grain-Free Granola
Unsweetened coconut
Fresh berries
& Hemp seeds
I also think coconut butter, peanut butter, or even a crumbled-up Coconut Berry Muffin would be amazing! Dream big, people – the options are endless.
I hope you guys LOVE this recipe and make it your own.
If you give it a try, let us know by leaving a comment and rating it! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can be smoothie buds. Cheers!
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 2 medium ripe bananas, previously sliced and frozen
- 1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (organic when possible) - use strawberries/raspberries for a greener smoothie, darker berries for a purple smoothie
- 2 large handfuls spinach (organic when possible)
- 1 small handful kale (organic when possible), large stems removed
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (DIY or store-bought - will depend on if your berries are frozen)
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- Optional: 2 Tbsp salted creamy almond or peanut butter
- Roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
- Granola
- Raw or roasted nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.)
- Shredded unsweetened coconut
- Fresh berries
- Hemp seeds
- Add all smoothie ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Add more almond milk (or water) to thin.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more ripe banana (or maple syrup) for added sweetness, more spinach for a bright green hue, or almond milk for creaminess.
- For the green smoothie, I used strawberries, which let the green color come through more. For the purple bowl, I used darker berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries).
- For more protein, add nut butter! This also offsets / enhances the natural sweetness of the smoothie.
- Divide between 2 serving bowls and top with desired toppings!
- Best when fresh, though leftovers can be kept in jars in the fridge for up to 1-2 days.
*Adapted from my Favorite Green Smoothie.
Beautiful photos, everything looks so yummy and fresh! – Charlie
Ditto that. These smoothie bowls seem (especially with the added protein) so much more filling) that a regular ole smoothie. And wife and I have a little competition going on. Who ever loses 10 pounds first gets “something special” And I want to win! This recipe should help me along the way.
Fun competition! Good luck Tom!
Looks amazing! I love smoothie bowls…and all the toppings! Beautiful AND delicious AND good for you…wins all around. I love to add some vitamin C in the form of a splash of fresh orange juice or a squeeze of lemon or lime…this help reduce (i.e. donate electrons) to the non-heme iron in the spinach, thereby increasing uptake by our body! It also brightens the flavor!!
Great tip, annaliese!
Instead of using orange or lemon juice, use Kiwis. They’re not only the perfect color & add a knockout punch of fiber but they are chock FULL of vitamin C.
And like peeled and pitted quarter slices of avocado, the can be dipped in lemon juice and water, the frozen in layers with wax paper in a plastic container, to break apart easily to blend in your smoothy.
I freeze a lot of my fresh prepared veggies and fruits to reduce spoilage, & buy a lot of my veggies iqf frozen in big bags from Sam’s club, as well as buying fresh out of our local armer’s market and prepping them to freeze using one day’s fresh as well.
Mornings are great, but if i’m craving a snack late at night, that’s when i’ll whip together a pretty much spoonable smoothie, and grom now on i wont be so upset if lumps remain!
I’ve sent the link to this site & serious eats all over the world to friends.
Not vegan but can see where these can be re omnivored.
OMG – genius! Some day I might do this, add some protein powder, and break out the ice cream maker!! Protein packed goodness for a hot summer day!
Great idea!!
This looks amazing! I have give avocado a try in my smoothies. This looks perfect for a post workout meal!
I love avo in smoothie bowls for extra creaminess and healthy fat! It also helps keep the toppings from sinking :D
These bowls looks absolutely gorgeous – that bright green with the raspberries and coconut makes me weak at the knees. You were well ahead of the curve 5 years ago! ;D
Never put avo in a smoothie before! Does it taste good?
It does! Keep it limited to 1/4 or 1/2. And be sure to sweeten with banana to mask the flavor.
Love!
Hey! Looks great! By the way, I’ve heard a tip that if you blend the green leafys with your liquid before everything else, it can make the pieces smaller and less noticeable when you go to drink it, it won’t be in your teeth!
Smart tip! I blend my smoothies on super high speed for 2-3 minutes and that usually does the trick, too!
I blend the unfrozen stuff (almonds, flax seed, water, greens) for 20 seconds (in my vitamix) before I add the frozen stuff. That way the almonds, flax and greens are all completely blended (definitely no chunks) without having to over-blend the frozen stuff (bananas and berries)
This looks delicious! So super healthy!
I am in love with this. Such a beautiful way to enjoy breakfast! Yum!!
Hi Dana,
Thanks for the lovely looking smoothie bowl recipe! I’ve recently been making these myself, with a tropical mango version and also a delicious green smoothie bowl using spirulina – have you tried adding some to your recipe? I often find it’s like a second pat-on-the-back after a morning of fitness as it offers a much needed protein boost.
Besma
I haven’t tried spirulina in smoothies but I have in snacks! Great tip!!
What a beautiful bowl! I haven’t had a breakfast smoothie in so long because of this lingering cold weather we’re having, but I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Now that it’s warming up, it’s the perfect transition-into-summer breakfast!
It’s so funny how putting a smoothie in a bowl has become such a big deal. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. But it’s just funny what catches on. I love your list of add-ins. :)
I know! It is funny. But it’s a trend I can definitely get on board with.
I too have been blending up green smoothies for years now and I’m not stopping anytime soon. I have been wanting to look into these smoothie bowls that are all the rage now but haven’t gotten around to it. I bet granola would be an awesome addition to my green smoothie, along with all those other fabulous toppings.
Looks gorgeous, sounds amazing! And I have been wanting to try avocado in my smoothies for a while! Thank you for the extra push to make something extra special!
I love this, Dana! What a gorgeous, vibrant, green color! <3
Wow! I need to make this, I just always do the normal smoothie to drink.
I love a great smoothie. I never considered this. Seems great.
Keri
yumm!! can’t wait to try this for breakfast :)
I’ve been intrigued by smoothie bowls for a few weeks now, after seeing this I think I’m going to need to try this out :)
So… possibly the prettiest smoothie bowl I’ve ever seen. You’ve convinced me, I need to get on the smoothie bowl train. Gorgeous!
Thanks Sarah! Hope you give it a try!
I drink a green smoothie, or at least a smoothie with something green in it, every morning too. Smoothie bowls are such a nice change of pace, especially when you have time to just relax and eat. Love this! Pinned.
I love it when healthy stuff looks more appetising then the real stuff. You’ve totally nailed that requirement with this smoothie bowl! The only problem is that you don’t get the fun of trying desperately to suck up granola through a straw!
It looks delicious! But do you eat anything else for breakfast besides the smoothie bowl? Just wondering if it’s enough to keep one full till lunch.
Smoothie bowls are much more filling than regular smoothies and you should defiantly have no problem making it to lunch. I promise you will love this smoothie bowl!! My new favorite treat love them so much and love how customizable they are!!!
I’ve never actually drank a green smoothie before, but this looks so amazing, I’m going to try it!
I just had a green smoothie, but I never have them in bowls. Now you inspired me to put it in a bowl next time, it looks so beautiful!
Hi there! I love that I have never heard of the smoothie bowl, but apparently it is HOT! Do you make your almond milk? Or do you buy the carton in the grocery store? Thanks!
When buying almond milk, I usually go for Almond Breeze or any brand that sells unsweetened plain. And when I make my own, I use this recipe!
I discovered your site a few weeks ago but today I finally tried this recipe and I absolutely love it! I’ll definitely be spending a lot more time on here!
Yum! I bet throwing in some mango and pineapple chunks instead of the berries would taste great! Just to switch things up a bit
This looks delicious! I’ve never been much of a green smoothie drinker but I’d love to give it a try! I was just wondering whether the greens have an overpowering flavour? Or if the smoothie mainly tastes of banana and berries? Thanks xx
Do you use a regular food processor to blend the ingredients?
A blender.
Hi, I love your post about smoothie bowls! Eating a smoothie bowl with all or many of the ingredients you mention is so healthy! I’ve been eating thick green drinks and bowl breakfasts like yours for years now and I find that I am in better health and shape than people 5-10 years younger than me. I’ve been eating a lot of green goods for years and it has kept me young and fit. (I also attribute at least 3 hours of a variety of exercise a week to staying in good health.) Kale, spinach, watercress, parsley are a few of the greens I combine in my VitaMix to make up a thick green drink (along with freshly ground flaxseeds, raw hempseeds, almond milk). Sometimes I just drink it down. Other times (if it’s fairly thick, I put it in a bowl and top it with apple slices, raw nuts/seeds, coconut flakes, more hemp seeds, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries. If more people ate this way (breakfast especially) we’d have healthier citizens.
Hi Dana!
Loved stumbling upon this through a Huffington Post article, can’t wait to try it as a pre long run breakfast this weekend! It’s great how versatile the smoothie bowl is, adding different toppings takes a regular smoothie to a whole new level! I’m giving it five stars before even trying because your photos are beautiful and recipe so easy to follow! Thanks for the breakfast inspiration :D
Yup just made this :D Thanks! I did it with blackberries+strawberries so it ended up pink and not green :P oh well, delish!
Hello, who does your photographs? They are breathtakingly good.
Me! Thanks.
If I make it and save a portion for the following day how does it hold up? Recently got into macadamia nut milk – good stuff!!
It will keep for 1-2 days, covered in the fridge!
This was delicious! I used coconut milk and added a spoonful of protein powder and it’s much more filling (and comforting) than the regular green smoothie.
Thanks for sharing.
I’m wondering how to keep it thick enough…whenever I try to get my smoothie “bowl-like” it’s always too thin. I’ve never used a recipe, so that might be the issue, but is it the amount of greens that give it the right consistancy?
I make my green smoothie with 1/2 an apple, some cantaloupe, either strawberries, figs or persimmons, lots of spinach, I tsp. matcha, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, flax seed meal and a little protein powder with almond milk. Alternately I make a Kefir smoothie ( I been making my own Kefir for about 20 years ) with banana, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, or whatever fruit I have handy. I had never heard of smoothie bows but will definitely give it a try. I can then make it a little thicker, top it with goodies and eat it with a spoon.
Planning to make this for breakfast tomorrow! Looks delicious. Would it be okay to use frozen spinach/kale?
Tried this today, it was delicious! How do you get the smoothie so green?? Mine looks a lot darker and muckier!
So does mine!
So good! I left out the avocado, and halved the recipe. It came out great! I also added the peanut butter to replace the fats from the avocado and loaded it up with protein powder, chia seeds, and goji berries.
I used raspberries with a ton of greens and my smoothie still turned out brownish. Does anyone have any tips to keep it bright green like this?
The lighter color the berries the better, like strawberries and light raspberries! Blackberries and blueberries turn it brown.
Gorgeous content and awesome ideas.
What kind of blenders do you recommend? Looking for something requiring minimal counter space bc I live in an apartment! Thank you!
Hi! We love this one!
Looks absolute delecious! I can’t eat spinach☹️ What would be a good substitute?
Hi Sherri! Kale would be a nutritious substitute! Let me know how it goes!
Fantastic! Mine was a little more brown than green, but it tasted delicious.
I follow you guys on IG and I must say I love seeing what you guys come up with. I also love love your photography. I need to step up my photo game. I really look forward to your posts :)
I have an allergy to bananas. Is there something I could substitute for them that will still make the bowl creamy?
Hi! You could try a vegan yogurt or chia seeds (either soak them in water for about 10 mins before you add them to your blender, or grind them up and add the powder) You could also add more of the other ingredients to thicken the smoothie bowl!
Looks great Dana. I always love the recipes(and pictures) on your site