Have you heard of the smoothie bowl (sounds like a new football event, doesn’t it?)? I hadn’t until I ran onto this idea while reading the newsletter from one of my favorite websites, Care2. This treat is being promoted as a delicious alternative to ice cream, and that gets my attention.

Making a smoothie bowl is as easy as making a smoothie, but it can be more satisfying. Smoothies are a superb way to get your nutrients when on the go, but when you want to sit down to something more like a meal, smoothie bowls can be the way to go.

Basically, a smoothie bowl is nothing more than a smoothie poured into a bowl then dressed up with fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, coconut or anything else you like to add a little bit of extra nutrition and texture.

For instance, if you’re making a cherry and mango smoothie, set aside some extra cherries and mango pieces, and pile them on top before serving. Maybe add a handful of roughly chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds for crunch, if you want. Your only limit is what’s in your pantry and your imagination.

The smoothie bowl craze is showing up all over the Internet and foodie shows now. But don’t let the over-done glitz and glamour of the idea overwhelm you. In spite of what you’ll read or hear, you don’t need fancy-pants ingredients to make a good smoothie bowl. In other words, creating a healthy and scrumptious smoothie bowl can absolutely be accomplished without specialty ingredients like maca powder or cacao nibs. Finding these ingredients can be tricky, and they are expensive.

So with that encouraging news, take a look at all the smoothie bowl ideas Care2 contributor, Becky Striepe, came up with. Nothing’s set in stone here, so add to or delete as your taste and pantry contents dictate:

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Bowl. It doesn’t get simpler than combining strawberries and bananas. Besides the strawberries and bananas, the photo shows a garnish of blueberries, pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas), and hemp seed. The pumpkin seeds are an easy find, but maybe not the hemp seeds. So just omit these. The base smoothie is up to you. I blended frozen bananas and strawberries with some Greek yogurt (and I always add a green leaf or two).

Chia Mango Smoothie Bowl. This treat is part smoothie, part chia pudding, and totally delicious.

1 ripe mango (medium sized)

1 to 1 1/4 water cups (or plant-based milk)

1 ripe banana

2 heaping teaspoons of tahini (or favorite nut butter)

3 tablespoons chia seeds

Optional super-foods

Peel and scoop out the mango and place into a blending container. Add the water (or plant-milk). Add the banana. Add the tahini. Add any optional superfoods (maca powder, hempseeds or hempseed protein powder, etc). Blend until smooth. Mix in chia seeds.

Over the next 20 minutes, stir in a couple of times again. Re-stirring in this period, prevents the seeds sticking together. Pop in the fridge overnight (or for at least an hour or two). Serve the next morning (or later) after you give it a stir. Add toppings of your choice like fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, granola etc.

Cucumber Smoothie Bowl. Yes, cucumbers are the base for this super healthy and delicious alternative to ice cream. The refreshing and neutral-flavored cucumber pairs up beautifully with cherries, mangoes, and lemon in this breakfast treat.

For one large, or two small bowls, combine in a blender ½ cups of raw cashews, peeled cucumber chunks, fresh or frozen mango pieces, fresh or frozen strawberries, water. To all this add ½ avocado, 2 fresh lemons (juiced), 3 ice cubes, and extra mango and cherries for garnish.

Coconut Pineapple Smoothie Bowl. You’ll get one large or two small servings with this combination. All you need is 2 cups or so of either fresh or frozen pineapple chunks, canned coconut milk (1/3 cup is good), 2 tablespoons chia seed (divided, if you want to garnish the top with some), water (1/4 cup), and ice cubes (4 is perfect). Garnish with extra pineapple chunks and some unsweetened shredded coconut. This is one of our favorite smoothie bowls!

The secret to a smoothie bowl successfully substituting for ice cream is in using frozen fruits. So even if you go the fresh fruit route, do freeze the pieces—they’ll give you that thick, ice-creamy texture you want. You can see how easy these are to make, so let your imagination and available ingredients be your guide, and enjoy this very legitimate and delicious alternative to ice cream! (And much thanks goes to Becky Striepe!)

Add Recipe to Cook'n