Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl

Name: Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 large banana (peeled); 2 cups frozen strawberries; ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

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This strawberry banana smoothie bowl is sweet, creamy, and scoopable! Spoon it into a bowl and add your favorite toppings for a fun and healthy breakfast.

strawberry smoothie bowls with toppings.

Why You’ll Love it:

This strawberry banana smoothie bowl is a classic! It’s bursting with strawberry flavor with an ultra creamy texture from the banana. My entire family loves it. And you only need 5 minutes and three ingredients to make it. Score!

A smoothie bowl is just a super thick smoothie that’s scoopable. The key? Frozen fruit, less liquid, and a little bit of patience.

Matt and I like to add sliced almonds and cacao nibs for a bit of nutty crunch. But the sky is the limit for toppings on this one.

Strawberry smoothie bowls are great for more than just breakfast! My kids love them as mid-afternoon snacks. And I love them because I know they’re getting a dose of antioxidants and feel-good nutrients.

Key Ingredients:

banana, frozen strawberries, almond milk.

Banana – A banana creates a super creamy texture and adds natural sweetness. You don’t need a frozen one. This smoothie bowl is plenty thick and the banana helps get things moving.

Frozen strawberries – It’s important to use frozen strawberries! This is what thickens the smoothie bowl so it’s scoopable.

Almond milk – You can use any milk you like – regular or plant-based. I love the mild flavor and creamy consistency of almond milk. Almond breeze is my current favorite brand.

How to Make a Strawberry Smoothie Bowl:

Smoothie bowls are easy to make! But it’s helpful to use a high-speed blender with a powerful motor. High-speed blenders blend frozen fruit effectively without damaging the motor.

You can use a regular blender, but you may need more liquid to get the frozen fruit moving.

Combine ingredients: In the pitcher of your blender, combine the banana, frozen strawberries, and milk. It’s important to put the banana in first. Placing the soft ingredients closest to the blades helps them pulverize the fruit and get things moving right away.

Blend: Blend to incorporate. Once the mixture stops moving, stop the blender.

Scrape & blend: Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender. Put the lid back on top and blend again until smooth.

TIP: If the ingredients aren’t moving at this point, add a splash more almond milk.

Serve: Scoop the mixture into two small bowls or one large one and add your favorite toppings. Enjoy with a spoon!

Smoothie Bowl Tips:

Start with less liquid. A third cup of milk is not a typo. Less liquid gives you a thicker texture. If you need more, you can always add a splash more.
Use a high-speed blender. High-speed blenders are the best option for smoothie bowls! Their powerful motors are built to pulverize frozen fruit. I highly recommend a Vitamix or a Ninja.
Scrape down the sides as many times as you need. For this recipe, I only had to stop and scrape the sides once. Do it as many times as necessary to get the ingredients blending.
For an ultra-thick texture, you can use a frozen banana. You will need to add extra liquid to compensate though.

Smoothie Bowl Toppings:

The best part about smoothie bowls are the toppings! The contrast of creamy and crunchy is divine.

Here’s a few of my favorite toppings for this strawberry smoothie bowl:

Nuts – Sliced almonds, pecans, or walnuts (Almonds are a fave!)
Freeze-dried fruit – Strawberries or raspberries
Cacao nibs – For a bitter crunch!
Fruit – Sliced bananas, berries, mango, etc.
Nut butter – Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.
Granola – Use your favorite brand and flavor.

strawberry smoothie bowl with cacao nibs, almonds and raspberries on top.

Strawberry Smoothie Bowl Variations:

Fruit – You can substitute half the strawberries with pineapple, mango, or raspberries! Strawberry mango is one of my favorite combos.
Liquid – You can swap the almond milk with any kind of milk or juice.
Sweetener – For a sweeter smoothie bowl, add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup or honey.
Protein – Add a scoop of peanut butter or protein powder to the blender for a boost of protein.
Drinkable – To make this a drinkable smoothie, add more liquid.

FAQs:

Does fruit have to be frozen for a smoothie bowl?

The short answer is yes, you need frozen fruit to thicken a smoothie bowl. The long answer is you can use fresh and frozen fruit. You just need to decrease the amount of liquid you use when you add fresh fruit. Fruit is made up of roughly 80 percent water so it doubles as a liquid.

How do you thicken a smoothie for a smoothie bowl?

The key to a thick smoothie bowl is frozen fruit and minimal liquid. Use just enough liquid to get the ingredients moving in the blender. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides of the pitcher as necessary.

Can you use a regular blender for a smoothie bowl?

Yes! A regular blender isn’t as powerful as a high-speed blender, so you may need to add a bit more liquid. Just add enough to get the ingredients moving so they can blend up smooth. When in doubt, gradually add more liquid, a tablespoon at a time. Avoid running the blender when the ingredients aren’t moving.

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