How to Make a Smoothie Bowl

Mix things up by turning your usual smoothie into a thick smoothie bowl, topped with ingredients like sliced fruit, chopped nuts, and granola.

Smoothie bowls are such a fun spin on the usual smoothies a lot of us make. They’re basically just a thicker version of smoothies. Plus, they’re covered in toppings for added texture and flavor, and you eat the bowl of goodness with a spoon. My favorite aspect of smoothie bowls? The toppings!

Even though I drink smoothies as meal replacements once in awhile (usually because I’m too lazy to make real food), they’re often not the most satisfying. I think it’s because I like there to be more texture in my meals to feel like I’m actually eating. That’s something great about smoothie bowls—they’re thick, and you can add a bunch of toppings so it seems more like a meal.

Plus, you get to play with your food! I love seeing how others have put their smoothie bowls together, making it look like food art. If you eat with your eyes first, then smoothie bowls are a feast!

The first time I ever made a smoothie bowl, I decided to go with a green base, using my Protein Spinach Smoothie. It made for a beautiful, vibrant background to the colorful fruit I ended up adding as my toppings. Since then, I’ve made all sorts of combinations, including mastering the homemade acai bowl. For some tips on how to make the perfect smoothie bowl with a thick base, check out my list (and recipe!) below.

How to Make a Thick Smoothie Bowl

1. Include frozen fruit, ice, or another thickener in the base.

Banana is my go-to way to make smoothies thick and creamy, but any frozen fruit works well. A lot of people add ice, as well, to help thicken it up. For a little bonus, use xanthan gum—a thickening agent you can probably find at your grocery store (it’s a bit pricey, but you only need a few pinches). OR, ground flax seed and chia seeds both absorb liquid and can help with thickening.

2. Prepare the toppings ahead of time.

Before you even blend your smoothie, prepare your toppings by washing and slicing the fruit and getting the other toppings on deck for fast assembly. Since smoothies can melt quite fast, this helps you in the race against time.

3. Use as little liquid as possible.

The more liquid you add to a smoothie, the thinner it will be. The amount of liquid (e.g., milk, juice, water) you’ll need will ultimately depend on how good your blender is. Err on the side of not adding enough at first; you can always add more to help things get moving. Bonus tip: try using a food processor instead of a blender. Doing so can help reduce the amount of liquid needed to get everything to blend.

4. Use a variety of toppings for added color and texture.

The toppings make the smoothie bowl, in my opinion. They add more color, texture and flavor. I like using ingredients like fresh blueberries, strawberries, and banana, as well as coconut flakes, chia seeds, and granola.

5. Freeze the smoothie bowl before adding toppings if it’s too thin.

This is a fix for a smoothie bowl “oops.” When I accidentally add too much liquid, or the smoothie’s melting at an alarming rate, I like to stick the smoothie bowl base in the freezer. This gives you a little extra time to get your toppings together (if you haven’t already), and it can create a more sturdy smoothie to hold your toppings.

Bonus: Snap a picture and show off your food art.

Did you really make a smoothie bowl if you haven’t shared a picture of it on social media? 😉 I love seeing how people have “styled” their smoothie bowl. If you’re spending the time to make it pretty, you might as well inspire others to eat pretty and healthy too!

And that sums up my top five suggestions for how to make a [thick] smoothie bowl. Check out my Green Smoothie Bowl recipe below!

Have you ever made a smoothie bowl? Any other suggestions for making it awesome?

The original version of this post was published on September 14, 2015.