Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.For a quick and refreshing breakfast, I make this strawberry smoothie bowl. All I need is frozen strawberries, almond milk, and a banana, and in just 5 minutes, I have the base for my breakfast. It is thick, naturally sweet, and has a creamy consistency that lends itself to a wide range of toppings.
This strawberry smoothie bowl is a simple way to enjoy blended fruit in a more satisfying way than just the traditional drink. Some mornings, you need something just a bit more filling and interesting than a smoothie. My vegan smoothie bowl was my favorite breakfast option until my husband begged me to make one that focuses on strawberries.
My kids and husband took to this strawberry smoothie bowl so well that I had to rotate it with my banana smoothie bowl to balance things out. Ha! When my one friend overheard my kids talking about their breakfast, she asked how I had enough time to make it on a school morning. I will let you in on the same secret I told her, just because it plates up prettily does not mean it takes a lot of work. Next time you make a morning smoothie, throw it in a bowl and add some toppings. It really is that easy.
👩🏽🍳 Why I Love This Recipe
This strawberry smoothie bowl is a great way to get my kids to eat fruit first thing in the morning, and it is also how I get through all the frozen fruit in my freezer. As a nutritionist, I love that the strawberries bring a natural sweetness and a good dose of vitamin C, while the bananas create a creamy base, and the addition of chia seeds provides protein, fiber, and a thicker consistency.
The key to a good smoothie bowl is getting the consistency exactly right. I use frozen fruit and just enough liquid to help everything blend while remaining thick and scoopable. Blending slowly and scraping down the sides as I go, ensure my base is smooth and free from icy chunks.
This smoothie bowl was my default breakfast while I was traveling for work. I shared an accommodation with my colleague, who is a self-proclaimed no-breakfast person. About 3 days into our trip, we had one particularly early start, and I could hear her tummy grumbling as she stood making coffee. I convinced her to have a smoothie bowl, and for someone who does not eat breakfast, she finished before I did. Ha! If you are in a grey area when it comes to breakfast, try a strawberry smoothie bowl; it just might be exactly what you need.
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🥘 Ingredients
This strawberry smoothie bowl is made of just a few simple ingredients that come together quickly. This is what I use:
Frozen strawberries: I use frozen strawberries to create a thick and refreshing base.
Banana: A fresh ripe banana adds natural sweetness and a creamy texture.
Chia seeds: I include chia seeds for their nutritional value and thickening properties.
Almond milk: A small amount of almond milk helps loosen up the mixture slightly and blend everything without thinning it out too much.
🔪 How To Make
This is how I create this strawberry smoothie bowl using a blender and a few quick steps:
Prep ingredients and add to blender: I slice up my banana and add it to my high-speed blender along with the rest of the ingredients.
Blend until smooth: Then I blend the mixture slowly, stopping to scrape down the sides, until everything is blended into a smooth, thick mixture.
Transfer to bowl: I transfer the smoothie into a bowl, add my favorite toppings, and enjoy immediately.
💭 Expert Tips
My #1 Secret Tip for this strawberry smoothie bowl recipe is to use as little liquid as possible when blending. This helps it stay thick enough to hold toppings. If it seems too thick, I add 1 or 2 fresh strawberries instead of more milk.
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Use frozen strawberries: I always rely on frozen strawberries to create a sturdy smoothie base.
- Have your toppings ready: This is best eaten immediately, so I make sure my toppings are ready to add on, giving the smoothie no time to melt.
- Avoid ice: I do not use ice in this recipe as it waters down the taste and could speed up melting.
- Use a ripe banana: I use a firm but ripe banana for a sweet taste and good texture. Avoid overly soft bananas.
- Add liquid first: Always add the liquid to the blender before all the other ingredients. This gives your smoothie enough liquid to blend the other ingredients. I recommend starting with the milk, bananas, chia seeds, and then the strawberries.
📖 Variations
There are a few variations I have made when my leftover ingredients sparked inspiration:
Mango blend: I add 1/2 cup of frozen mango for a more tropical flavor. If I want this bowl to be extra creamy and decadent, I replace the milk with coconut cream and serve it with a few pieces of toasted coconut. My sister says this tastes like a breakfast cocktail. Ha!
Protein boost: I blend in 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder or 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt instead of the milk. This is a great breakfast before an intense workout.
Go green: If I want some extra iron and nutrients, I blend in 1 cup of fresh baby spinach. It only changes the color, but the strawberry flavor still shines through.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
If you are building your own strawberry smoothie bowl and want to try something other than the standard seed and nut mix as a topping, you should add a few pieces of my air fryer banana chips for a crispy contrast that complements the strawberry flavor. And if you want to up your protein intake, consider swapping out the almond milk for my healthy strawberry yogurt instead.
A few weeks ago, I had just gotten my kids and husband fed and out the door when I realized I had not yet had breakfast. I was working from home, but had a busy day and needed something quick and delicious to get me going. I made myself a strawberry smoothie bowl, and in addition to some pumpkin and sunflower seeds, I drizzled over a swirl of thinned-out strawberry chia seed jam and sprinkled it with strawberry crunch topping. It was so delicious, I made myself the same thing for lunch.
🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating
Refrigeration: I store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 day, but this smoothie is best served fresh, and the mixture will melt, and the topping will lose its crunch.
Freezing: I freeze the blended mixture in ice cube trays and blend before serving. Never freeze the smoothie mixture with toppings.
Reheating: This smoothie bowl is best served cold and eaten immediately. There is no need for reheating.
❓Recipe FAQs
How can I thicken up my smoothie if it seems too thin?
When this happens, it is usually the result of too much liquid or the moisture in the fresh fruit. To fix this, I add more frozen fruit, like a few more frozen strawberries or bananas if I have them, and blend slowly until the smoothie thickens. Any other frozen fruit will work if you do not mind the subtle flavor change. Never add ice; this may seem to work at first, but it will melt quickly.
What do the chia seeds do in the smoothie bowl, and do I need them?
The chia seeds are optional in this recipe, but I love adding them for their nutritional benefits. They add a small but meaningful amount of plant-based protein and fiber, which makes the bowl more filling and helps me maintain steady energy levels. Chia seeds also have natural gelling properties, which activate as soon as they come in contact with moisture. This gives my mixture a slightly thicker and denser finish.
Why has my smoothie turned brown?
This mixture can become dull or even slightly brown if oxidation has occurred, or if the ratio of banana to strawberry was too high. To avoid this, I do not leave my fruits exposed to the air for too long before blending, especially the bananas. And I keep the measurements and ratios in check, as too much banana can drown out the vibrant color of the strawberries. And the color is a huge part of the appeal.
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🎥 Watch How to Make It
Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
For a quick and refreshing breakfast, I make this strawberry smoothie bowl. All I need is frozen strawberries, almond milk, and a banana, and in just 5 minutes, I have the base for my breakfast. It is thick, naturally sweet, and has a creamy consistency that lends itself to a wide range of toppings.
Servings: 2 serving
Calories: 101kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ cup frozen strawberries
- ½ cup frozen banana
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
Equipment
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a high-speed food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- The strawberry smoothie will be thick and easy to scoop out into a bowl. Top with your favorite smoothie bowl ingredients such as: puffed quinoa, berries, toasted coconut, nut butter, chia seeds or sliced banana.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this strawberry smoothie bowl recipe is to use as little liquid as possible when blending. This helps it stay thick enough to hold toppings. If it seems too thick, I add 1 or 2 fresh strawberries instead of more milk.
- Use frozen strawberries: I always rely on frozen strawberries to create a sturdy smoothie base.
- Have your toppings ready: This is best eaten immediately, so I make sure my toppings are ready to add on, giving the smoothie no time to melt.
- Avoid ice: I do not use ice in this recipe as it waters down the taste and could speed up melting.
- Use a ripe banana: I use a firm but ripe banana for a sweet taste and good texture. Avoid overly soft bananas.
- Add liquid first: Always add the liquid to the blender before all the other ingredients. This gives your smoothie enough liquid to blend the other ingredients. I recommend starting with the milk, bananas, chia seeds, and then the strawberries.
Nutrition
Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g
Wow, that is one loaded smoothie! Totally agree on how the store bought ones are sugary! I love a good smoothie, love mine with chia seeds!! great breakfast/snack anytime!
Thanks so much Priya!!
This smoothie was delicious, my 4 yo totally loved it!
Awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that Brianna!
I love using chia seeds in smoothies and this recipe sounds good. Pear is a great choice!! So tasty and yet not as common for smoothies. Yum, can’t wait to try it, cheers!
Thanks Adrianne! I’m sure you will love this recipe!
Love this recipe! I replaced almond milk with soy milk and it was still delicious. Perfect for rushed mornings too 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Nart!
Such a simple and delicious smoothie. Perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Thanks so much Andrea! Enjoy!
It looks good. How many carbs does it contain per serving?
Hi Michelle! It has about 43 grams of carbs per serving!
I love that a “Husband’s” recipe showed up when I was googling ideas for a morning smoothie. I have ‘gurds’ so I have to limit my acid intake and also an aversion to pineapple, lol. So I added a wedge of mango and that added the sweetness it needed and turned out great. And I also used unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk. Mixed in my morning fiber/prebiotics powder and can’t even tell it’s in there. I love our new ninja blender, we are going after the foodi next.
That is so great to hear!! Love the modifications you made to have this recipe work for you! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Hi Anjali. I was absolutely delighted to find this wonderful recipe. I’m taking maca root powder for a couple of years now, and adding it to your smoothie will be perfect. Thank you
Hi Sara! No problem at all! I think maca will work great in this smoothie 🙂 You will love it!
Hi again, Anjali. What can I say, the smoothie was a hit. Even my small daughters loved it, and they don’t like too many things (:
Thanks again
Aw yay!! That’s so awesome! Thanks for letting me know Sarah! 🙂
Delcious, love a nice strawberry milkshake, thanks for sharing recipe.
Simon
No problem! Enjoy!
Wow! Nice blog for healthy recipes – Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!!
Hi!
Found your blog through Pinterest. I have a couple questions. I’m a super picky eater plus I have gut issues that make it hard to eat in the morning. I’ve thought about smoothies, like maybe the green smoothie because I dislike pretty much every vegetable. I’ve read, however if you get a good blender you can use spinach and you’ll never know. So my questions are-Is the Ninja good enough to turn spinach unnoticable and what else can I use for protein. Someone told me that’s what I need to help get going in the morning, but I can’t do eggs and most bread type foods make me sick for the rest of the day. Thanks!!
Hi Susan!! Thanks so much for reaching out to me! Sorry to hear about your gut issues – I had stomach issues for a few years and smoothies worked great for me in the mornings (they were easy to digest and I got tons of fruits/veggies from it). So yes – the Ninja should be strong enough to pulverize spinach or kale so you won’t even notice it’s in your smoothie. If you want an even stronger blender, get a Vitamix – they are absolutely amazing. For protein, try unsweetened all natural organic (non gmo) soy milk, or almond butter. Both will work well and will taste great in the smoothie. Let me know how that works for you – and good luck! 🙂
Thank you for sharing the tasty post on “The Husband’s Strawberry Smoothie Recipe” It is awesome, such healthy, nutritious food!
Thank you so much!
Yum! I love that combination of strawberries, pear, and pineapple, sweet without the sugar. i too usually use flax seed, and have never tried chia seeds. sounds like an interesting addition. Will have to try it. I’d probably add almond milk for the “milkshake” feel, as we try to stay dairy free. Definitely going to try this combination. thanks!
Thanks so much Shannon! Totally agree – it’s so awesome that you don’t need added sugar in this smoothie – I often feel that with most fruit smoothies, the sugar in the fruit is enough! Let me know how you like the chia seeds in it! And almond milk is a great alternative if you’re going dairy free – just make sure it’s the unsweetened kind 🙂 Enjoy!!
My fiance has recently turned into a healthy eating fiend, and I love it! He tries out all these new recipes and gets so excited when they turn out well. I’m so glad because it will make our transition into married life that much easier!
And your husband should be proud of himself…that smoothie looks so refreshing!
That is so great! And yes, I think my husband is proud of himself – I’m proud of him too! 🙂 Definitely let me know if there are any recipes that your fiance loves – I’d love to try them out for my hubby.
Smoothies are my favorite. I was contemplating getting a ninja soon… I love your slight additions to his recipe. I usually add flax to my smoothies and I have been meaning to pick up some chia seeds. I’ve had a hard time finding them in stores though… might have to order online!
I’ve been really impressed with the ninja so far – especially how easy to clean and versatile it is! Adding flax to smoothies is an awesome choice – I’ve added flax oil to my smoothies in the past as well. You should be able to find Chia Seeds in the bulk section at most Whole Foods, but it might be even cheaper online!
Variations on this delicious and pretty smoothie is my usual breakfast in June and July. Love the variations – I will add flax seeds. It’s nice when some calories are actually good for you!
Completely agree – flax and chia seeds are the best!