Recipe: Tropical Smoothie Bowl

Add some sunshine to your morning by whipping up this tropical smoothie bowl recipe made with mango, pineapple, and banana. This easy recipe gets a boost of filling protein from a scoop of our favorite protein powder.

Nothing beats a delicious, thirst-quenching smoothie in the middle of summer—especially when it’s a creamy smoothie bowl with lots of toppings! Or on the flip side, this tropical smoothie bowl can transport you to a tropical paradise in the dead of winter. 

Unfortunately, most smoothies sold in markets or fast-food chains are made with fruit juices, which can load them down with extra sugar. With our tropical smoothie recipe, there’s no need to ignore that smoothie craving because its nutrient-packed, healthy ingredients will satisfy it!

To make a smoothie into a “bowl,” the key is thickness. So before you add extra almond milk, give it a chance to blend up! I love pouring it into a bowl because it feels like I’m eating something hearty.

Check out my entire list of healthy smoothie recipes to kickstart your health today!

What is a Smoothie Bowl?

A smoothie bowl is essentially a regular smoothie that is extra thick and served in a bowl rather than a glass. Make it extra thick by using frozen ingredients and less liquid for a thick smoothie with a spoonable, creamy texture. 
When serving up your smoothie in a bowl, you have more room to add toppings like granola, nuts, coconut, nut butters, cereal, and more. Want to try more smoothie bowls? We rounded up our favorite 12 drool worthy thick smoothie bowl recipes.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Frozen Fruit (Mango, Pineapple, Banana): frozen fruit is key to a thick, spoonable smoothie bowl. We love this combo of tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and banana. 
• Almond Milk: we like to use almond milk in smoothies, but you can use your milk of choice. For more tropical vibes, you could try it with coconut milk.
• Protein Powder: add filling protein to your smoothie bowl with a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Here is the protein powder we recommend. If you want to make a vegan version of this recipe, use a plant-based protein. 
• Lime: balance out the sweetness of this bowl with a little bit of lime juice. We really like how lime pairs with the mango and pineapple, but you can use lemon juice.

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How to Make a Mango Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

Add all of your smoothie ingredients to a high-powered blender and puree until smooth and creamy. The mixture will be quite thick, so you may need to use the blender tamper to push the ingredients down onto the blade or pause blending to push everything down with a spatula. Transfer to a bowl and add your favorite toppings. 

For best results, avoid adding too much almond milk when blending or else your smoothie may thin out. For smoothie bowls, you are looking for the same consistency of frozen yogurt or soft serve.

Tools for This Recipe

• High speed blender
• Blender tamper
• Shallow bowl

Are Smoothie Bowls Healthy?

Yes! Smoothie bowls can be a healthy breakfast option. They are a delicious way to fit in a couple servings of fruit in the morning. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to make a healthier smoothie bowl:

• Use milk not juice: rather than using fruit juice to thin out your smoothie – opt for milk since it will have less sugar and can add some protein (depending on which milk you use).
• Add veggies: score a serving of veggies in the morning by adding a handful of spinach or kale to your smoothie bowl before blending. We could all be eating more veggies and smoothies are a low effort way to add more into your diet. 
• Add protein: one of the reasons that smoothies and smoothie bowls aren’t very filling is that many people overlook protein. We like to add a scoop of protein powder to our smoothie bowls before blending. However, you can bump up the protein content with other add-ins like cottage cheese or greek yogurt.

Our Favorite Smoothie Bowl Toppings

Now that you’ve made your smoothie bowl, not sure what to top it with? Add texture and satisfying crunch to your healthy smoothie bowl with these toppings: coconut chips, hemp hearts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, granola, cereal, fresh fruit (fresh mango chunks or fresh strawberries are great additions to this recipe), nuts, or nut butter.

What Fruit Goes with Mango in a Smoothie?

We like to add pineapple and lime to our mango smoothie bowl recipe. However, mango also pairs well with strawberry, papaya, passion fruits, acai, and dragon fruit.

Other Smoothie Bowls to Enjoy

• Purple Power Protein Smoothie Bowl
• Gorgeous Green Smoothie Bowl