Easy Smoothie Bowls {3 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (2024)

FAQs

What the heck is a smoothie bowl? ›

Smoothie bowls are generally more nutrient dense compared to smoothies, and are thick enough to eat with a spoon rather than consumed through a straw. Smoothie bowls often incorporate frozen fruits, veggies, juices or milk, ice and even butters like peanut butter or almond butter for added protein.

Smoothie bowls can be a good source of fiber, protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates to start your day or help you refuel after a workout. But they can quickly turn into high-calorie sugar bombs if you're not careful.

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.

The Bottom Line. Acai bowls can be a great way to get antioxidant-packed fruit into your day. However, Harrington says that the trend has driven supercharged acai bowls that are blended with juice and other fruit and then heavily topped with things like granola or honey, which can pack a lot of added sugar.

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.

Avoid Excessive Added Sugars

Limit or avoid added sugars often found in granola, sweetened coconut, chocolate shavings, and other typical acai bowl toppings. Excess sugar can cause unwanted blood sugar spikes, followed by the dreaded sugar crash.

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.

The better the blender, the less liquid you'll have to use. If you don't have a fancy blender, you might need a bit more liquid but try to only use a little at a time while you're blending. If you add too much, it'll be runny.

When your smoothie bowl base is ready, you should be ready with toppings immediately. Any delay in getting toppings can cause your smoothie bowl to melt and get unnecessarily watery and melty.

Do ice cubes make smoothies thicker? ›

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.

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.

Flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds would be a good substitute. shredded coconut – I love adding shredded coconut or toasted coconut for added sweetness and crunch! nuts – nuts add the perfect amount of crunch to smoothie bowls. I prefer walnuts, cashews or almonds.

Even the biggest smoothie aficionados need a little crunch sometimes, and making a smoothie bowl is the perfect way to beef up your favorite recipe. Add a low-sugar, high-protein granola and some nuts, nut butter or seeds along with your fruit toppings to help keep you full for hours on end.

One of the key advantages is the opportunity for incorporating a variety of textures and toppings. Unlike traditional smoothies, smoothie bowls allow for the addition of nuts, seeds, granola, fresh fruit, and even a drizzle of honey or a spoonful of nut butter.

Smoothie bowls have gained immense popularity in recent years due to their dual appeal as nutritious and visually pleasing. With the increasing focus on health and well-being, individuals are always seeking ways to incorporate nutrient-rich foods into their daily routines.

Acai bowls are essentially thick smoothie bowls loaded with toppings. They are made of pulped and flash-frozen acai berries that are pureed with other frozen fruit then served in a bowl and topped with a variety of fresh fruit, granola, seeds, nuts, peanut butter, etc.

Both smoothie bowls and smoothies can be enjoyed as snack or meal replacements, making them an excellent option for on-the-go eaters who want to stay healthy and energized throughout the day.