I have been perfecting my smoothie bowl skills for some time now and have learnt what works best and discovered some good variations. Here are my top tips for making your next smoothie bowl the best you have ever had!
1. Quality of your fruit. Try steer away from having too much store bought frozen product, they tend to lack flavour and can be tart. Also be aware of what country the fruits come from as there are many countries that have very low standards and regulations around harmful pesticides.
2. Freeze your fruit. Once your fruit is very ripe, cut it up into small chunks, bag it and freeze it. This will ensure you have a beautiful sweet flavour and you won't waste any fruit that goes off before you eat it. Freezing it makes the fruit have all the same consistency so that you won't have chunks and pulp in your smoothie, and it is what makes it thick without using and ice cream, ice or thickener.
3. Make sure your fruit is cut and bagged before freezing. Once your fruit is frozen it's near impossible to cut in any way, so make sure the skin is off and in small enough chunks so you can use the amount you want. Put them in a zip lock bag not a container, a container makes the chunks glue together when frozen and it can be very hard to break apart. In a bag you can easily separate the pieces because you can get your hands around it and for some reason it stays drier so doesn't stick as bad.
4. Don't add too much liquid. It can be easy to add to much liquid and then it's too runny for a smoothie bowl. Start with a small amount and if your blender gets stuck too easily then add a bit more. You can use so many different types of liquid, such as water, cows milk, almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water, fresh fruit juice, yogurt, etc.
5. Use banana for a creamy smoothie bowl. If you are not making an icy type one and you don't mind the taste of banana then always add a little bit of banana, under half a banana if you want to keep the flavours more about the other fruits. Frozen Bananas make smoothies unbelievably silky smooth and creamy, like an ice cream. The ripper your banana is before freezing the creamier it will be.
6. Add crunch. After you have bended and spooned your smoothie into a bowl it's time to add the toppings. Since you are eating a substantial amount of liquid it's good to balance it out with some crunch for texture and to make it more filling making it worthy as a meal. Adding your favourite muesli or granola is always a good option. To have something with less flavour bunkinis are really great, they give little taste so that it's all about your smoothie, they have a good crunch that doesn't get soggy and they are very good for you too. You could also just add nuts or chia seeds.
7. Add soft toppings. While having crunch is essential it's also good to have other things you can bite into and find in your bowl as you are eating. I tend to use whichever fresh fruit I have available, my favourites would have to be adding banana and berries such as blueberries and strawberries as they are easy to eat with a spoon and tend to go with most flavours that you have. Passion fruit is also really nice on top as blending passion fruit makes the seeds all churned up and feel gritty in your mouth. Coconut shavings and are also a good option.
After you have got the basics of making smoothie bowls, get creative with flavours! As blending frozen fruits gives an even consistency, you can blend fruits that you may normally not like the texture of such as pineapple, watermelon, Apple, lychees etc. Here are some of my favourite combos as pictured above:
Acai bowl
1 frozen acai purée pouche, 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup coconut milk. Or for a less creamy texture try 1 frozen acai purée pouche, 1/2 cup of stawberries and 1/4 cup of water. Good toppings are banana, granola, buckinis and strawberries.
Summer bowl
1/4 cup mango, 1/4 cup pineapple, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup yogurt blended. Good toppings are mixed berries, kiwi, stone fruit, passion fruit, coconut and granola.
Berry bowl
1/4 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup strawberries, 1/4 banana, 1/4 cup milk blended. Good toppings are blueberries, buckinis, strawberries, banana and chia seeds
Frappe bowl
1/2 cup watermelon, 1/4 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup pineapple, 1/4 cup water blended. Good toppings are blueberries, strawberries, stone fruit
Dragon bowl
1/2 cup dragon fruit, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup milk blended. Good toppings are mango, strawberries, kiwi fruit, granola and coconut