7 Easy Smoothie Bowls You Can Make in 10 Minutes or Less (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up a smoothie without bananas? ›

Add avocados

Fresh and frozen avocados are great for thickening smoothies. You can even freeze cubs of avocado to use up any super ripe avocados. Avocados also go well with chocolate or matcha flavored smoothies. Their rich and buttery texture gives you a velvety consistency.

The one trick that makes a Smoothie Bowl supremely thick and creamy? Using ONLY frozen fruit and veg. It's the magic key to an extra thick, smooth and creamy smoothie bowl with the perfect soft serve ice cream consistency.

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.

In a plastic shaker cup or jar, combine half the milk and all the yogurt. Seal and shake until the yogurt is smooth (about 15 seconds). Add the rest of the milk and other ingredients, and shake for an additional 30 seconds or so. Let sit for 5 minutes before drinking.

But there's plenty of room for an additional protein boost (I've added a few suggestions in the recipe notes down below!). Frozen bananas: While you can use fresh bananas for this smoothie, it'll be thicker, creamier, and more chilled with frozen sliced bananas.

Step 1: Add the frozen bananas, frozen mango, and frozen oranges, along with coconut milk into a food processor bowl. This can also be done in a high speed blender with a tamper stick, but I find it quicker in a food processor. Step 2: Process until all the fruit is broken down into a soft serve ice cream consistency.

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.

These include Vitamix, Hallde, Blendtec and Hamilton Beach. Our top commercial blender pick for making acai bowls is the Hallde VCB-32.

The foam in your smoothie typically results from blending air into it. This can happen due to high-speed blending, using ingredients with natural foaming properties (like bananas), or overfilling the blender. To reduce foam, blend at lower speeds, avoid overloading the blender, and use ingredients mindfully.

Can I use frozen fruit instead of ice in a smoothie? ›

Typically you would add ice to a smoothie, but if your fruit is pre-frozen, it is unnecessary to use ice. Adding fruit juice is a good option, but remember to be aware of the sugar content of any fruit juice you are adding to your smoothie. 3.

Use the minimum amount of liquid

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.

Smoothies may form part of a balanced diet, but be sure to focus on lower sugar fruits, emphasising fresh or frozen produce. Include one or more sources of protein like yogurt, kefir or milk, as well as healthy fats from nuts, seeds or avocado.

This can be milk, or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, natural or flavoured yogurt, fruit juice, or for a tropical flavoured smoothie, low-fat coconut milk or coconut water. It's important to add the liquid to your blender before adding the fruit, as this will prevent the blade from getting damaged.

Using frozen ingredients is the key to creating a thick, satisfying smoothie. Other options for thickening include using fibrous fruits and veggies, adding chia seeds, spooning in yogurt, using avocados, or scooping in protein powder.

But when I started experimenting, I discovered a handful of easy banana substitutes that lend a similar thick and creamy consistency to your smoothies. To make a smoothie without a banana, you can substitute oatmeal, avocado, chia seeds, frozen fruit, yoghurt or tofu.

- Use water instead of ice when possible. Ice adds thickness while water doesn't! - Add more liquid ingredients such as coconut water or almond milk; this will help thin out your smoothie without affecting the flavor too much. - Don't forget about fruits like berries that are known for being on the thinner side!