Easy 4 Ingredient Green Smoothie Bowl

This easy green smoothie bowl is a healthy treat packed with nutrients and antioxidants! It’s super thick, creamy and delicious. Make it at home with just 4 simple ingredients in 5 minutes. Vegan, gluten free and soy free.

Why You’ll Love This Smoothie Bowl

• Sweet and super thick
• Nutrient-rich
• High in antioxidants

This easy green smoothie bowl is naturally sweet and has a super thick consistency. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have a ‘green’ taste at all despite the vibrant colour! It’s actually very mild tasting, with a slightly nutty flavour thanks to almond butter.

The green used in this smoothie bowl is frozen spinach. Spinach is an extremely mild, pleasant tasting green to use in smoothies and smoothie bowls. Other greens like kale or arugula can be strong and overpowering, but because spinach is so mild it goes perfectly in sweet smoothie bowls. It’s nutrient-rich and packed with vitamins A, C & K and more. This makes spinach great for eye health, immune system function and glowing skin! Using frozen spinach provides all of the same benefits as fresh spinach.

Almond butter is the key ingredient in this smoothie bowl. It helps to create the creamy, ultra smooth texture that is so satisfying. Without almond butter the texture is more icy. It’s healthy as well—almond butter provides good fats, iron, magnesium and phosphorus making it a worthy addition to any smoothie bowl!

Bananas, spinach and almond butter are all antioxidant-rich foods. It’s important to consume antioxidants on a regular basis because they reduce damage caused by radical cells. Eating antioxidant-rich foods like berries, fruits, leafy greens and seeds is a health protective habit.

Ingredients Needed

These are the ingredients you will need to make this easy green smoothie bowl.

Frozen banana: Creates the thick, naturally sweet base of the smoothie bowl. Be sure to freeze only fully ripe bananas for sweet tasting smoothie bowls!

Spinach: Frozen spinach will make a slightly thicker smoothie bowl, but fresh spinach works as well. Wash any dirt from fresh spinach leaves before adding to the blender.

Almond butter: The key ingredient to achieving a super creamy consistency—don’t skip it!

Coconut milk: Also helps create a nice creamy texture. Use the type in a carton as the type in cans tends to be too thick.

For ingredient amounts and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Smoothie Bowl Benefits

High fibre

Easily get more fibre in your every day diet with smoothie bowls! In addition to being generally healthy, getting enough fibre can be extremely helpful for weight loss as it helps keep you feeling full for longer, without adding calories. Fibre also helps improve our gut health.

Nutrient dense

Vegan smoothie bowls are a great way to get more nutrient rich foods in each day. By blending them into a single meal, it’s super quick, easy and fun! Choose ingredients like dark leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds and fruits to make your smoothie bowls nutrient rich.

Quick and easy

It’s incredibly fast to make a yummy smoothie bowl. Gather your ingredients and toss them in the blending container, blend, and you’re already done! Rinse the blender container. It doesn’t get much more simple than that. Smoothie bowls rarely take more than 5 minutes to make. This makes them a great option if you find yourself short on time for a healthy meal.

Topping Ideas

There are endless topping options with this green smoothie bowl! Here are some particularly delicious ideas:

• sliced strawberries
• toasted coconut chips
• goji berries
• blueberries
• mango chunks
• chia seeds
• hemp seeds
• raw cacao nibs
• extra almond butter
• vegan protein bar pieces
• granola
• sliced star fruit
• sliced banana
• freeze dried berries
• passionfruit

Variations

Try an alternative plant milk

This recipe uses coconut milk but you can try using any plant based milk you prefer. Some alternatives include soy, almond or cashew! You can also make your own plant milk from scratch. Avoid using just water as the blending liquid as it will create a more icy texture.

Add some protein

For a high protein green smoothie bowl add your favourite vegan protein powder! Plain or vanilla (sweetened or unsweetened) flavours work best in this recipe. Add 1-2 large scoops. Adding more than this may change the consistency of the smoothie bowl.

Make it sweeter

This smoothie bowl is naturally sweetened by the frozen bananas. For an extra sweet version, add a spoonful or two of agave syrup to the recipe. Date syrup also works. Another option is adding 1-2 medjool dates. Just make sure the pits are removed before adding to the blender.

Make it without banana

It’s easy to make this green smoothie bowl without any bananas! Simply swap the banana out for frozen mango chunks. Mango will give the smoothie bowl a more tropical taste. The spinach will still blend perfectly and taste very mild. Frozen pineapple chunks are another great option.

Instructions 

• Add all ingredients to blender.

• Start blending at low speed for 5-10 seconds. Increase to high speed and blend for 1-2 minutes. Use the blender tamper to push ingredients down towards the blades.

• Scoop into a bowl and add desired toppings. Serve your easy green smoothie bowl immediately!

Prep & Blending

Add ingredients in the correct order

Always add liquid ingredients to your blender first. Then add powders, nut butters, nuts and seeds. Then add fresh greens and fresh fruit. Finally add your solid ingredients like frozen fruit. If using a small blender container with a twist on lid, reverse the order so that when you turn the container over to blend the frozen ingredients are farthest away from the blades.

Use a tamper

Push ingredients down towards the blades while blending using the tamper that comes with your blender. This helps to avoid thick smoothie bowls from getting stuck, so you don’t have to stop blending and scrape down the sides of the container.

Avoid over blending

Try to blend your smoothie bowl for less than a couple of minutes. If blended for too long, even thick smoothie bowls will become thin. This is because the heat generated by the blades and motor of the blender heat up your ingredients while they are being blended.

Use a high power blender

For smoothie bowls that have a perfectly smooth and creamy texture use a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. A Vitamix can break down any ingredients to much finer particles than standard blenders, and more nutrients are released. A high speed blender also reduces the time you need to blend your recipe, which helps keep it nice and cold.

Chill your bowl

By placing your bowl in the freezer for a few moments you can help your smoothie bowl stay cool for longer. This way it won’t start melting instantly while you are eating it. This is especially helpful if you’re in a hot climate. Pop it into the freezer while you are prepping and blending, then take it out when it’s time to pour your finished smoothie bowl!

How to Freeze Bananas for Smoothies

There are different ways to freeze bananas for making smoothies and smoothie bowls. This method is the simplest way to freeze plenty of ripe bananas for smoothies at one time.

1. Peel your fully ripe bananas.
2. Break each banana into two or three pieces.
3. Freeze the banana pieces overnight in a reusable freezer bag.

FAQ’s

Can I use fresh bananas instead of frozen?

For smoothie bowls it’s important to use frozen fruit. Especially if you want to get a super thick consistency. Even if using frozen spinach, be sure to use completely frozen bananas. Using fresh bananas will result in a smoothie that is drinkable with a straw.

Can I lose weight with smoothie bowls?

Smoothie bowls are an excellent weight loss food! This is because they are generally healthier and higher in fibre and nutrients. Due to high water content, the large volume of a smoothie bowl helps your stomach to feel satiated. And the fibre keeps you feeling full for longer, without feeling weighed down or tired.

Can smoothie bowls be refrigerated?

Smoothies are best enjoyed immediately after blending, while they are freshest. However you can refrigerate most smoothies for 1-2 days in an airtight container such as a jar. Be aware the consistency won’t be as thick as when it was first blended.

Can I make smoothie bowls without a high speed blender?

Yes, you can still make smoothies with a regular blender. It might take more patience depending on the recipe, but it can work. Turn off the blender to scrape down the sides of the container, and secure the lid before continuing to blend. Repeat as needed. Alternatively you can add a small amount of additional liquid to the recipe, which should help.

How can I increase the protein?

If you wish for your smoothie bowl to have a higher protein content, you can simply add protein powder to the recipe. Vanilla or plain protein powders go nicely in this recipe. Avoid adding more than 2 large scoops of protein powder as the texture may become unpleasant.

Related

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Easy Green Protein Smoothie

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Easy Spinach Banana Smoothie

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