How to Make a Smoothie Bowl: Your Foolproof Guide to Smoothie Bowl Perfection

Smoothie bowls are kind of like ice cream: They’re cool and refreshing, with deliciously sweet flavors in every spoonful.

But the best thing about these bowls of goodness is that when they’re prepared with healthy ingredients, you can enjoy them as Flex meals while staying on track toward your weight loss goal. With so many flavor possibilities, you can customize your smoothie bowl to match your tastes each time you whip one up.

You’ll find lots of smoothie bowl recipes online and in magazines, often with ingredients that are high in calories and low in nutrients. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Smoothie bowls can be packed with nutrition without sacrificing on flavor.

Not sure how to make a smoothie bowl… the healthy way? We’ve got you covered! Keep reading for our simple guide on how to make a smoothie bowl below.

Step 1: Start With Frozen Fruit

The first step to making a smoothie bowl is to add frozen banana to a food processor. This will help give your bowl a cool and creamy base.

Helpful Hint: Make sure to peel the bananas prior to placing them in the freezer. Once bananas freeze, it is nearly impossible to get the peel off cleanly. You may also want to break the banana in pieces so it blends more easily in the processor

If you want to flavor your bowl with another fruity flavor, just use half the banana and a half cup of frozen blueberries, cherries, mango, pineapple… whatever! That will keep your SmartCarb count to one. If you have more SmartCarbs to spare, feel free to increase the amount of either the banana or the fruit… or both!

Step 2: Add Protein Powder

The next step is to add a serving of protein powder like the Nutrisystem Shake Mix, which will flood your bowl with lots of powerful nutrients and the rich flavors of chocolate or vanilla.

Step 3: Pour in Some Liquid

Then we’ll add a splash of liquid. You could use juice or water, but milk or non-dairy milk substitutes will lend even more creaminess and flavor to your bowl. We typically use unsweetened almond milk, but you can replace this with low-fat dairy milk—just bear in mind that one cup counts as one PowerFuel on the Nutrisystem plan.

Step 4: Toss in Some Greens

Finally, we like to add a cup of fresh greens to our smoothie bowls. As with smoothies you drink, including nutritious veggies in your bowl is a great way to get your recommended servings. And, for those who hate the taste of veggies, smoothie bowls make it quite easy way to bury their flavor, thanks to all the fruit and protein powder.

Helpful Hint: Spinach and lettuce blends seamlessly, whereas thicker greens like kale and chard will leave little green specks throughout your concoction.

Step 5: Blend!

Once you’ve added all of your ingredients to the food processor (or high power blender), whip them on high until they’re thoroughly mixed into a smooth base. Pour into a bowl, add toppings, grab a spoon and dive in.

Custom Creations

This is our basic formula, but keep in mind that smoothie bowls are completely customizable. If you prefer a thinner, more liquid-y consistency, use one full cup (total) of your favorite frozen fruit and skip the banana. Or you can add a bit more liquid to your blend.

Fat-free Greek yogurt in place of the banana makes for a different flavor profile and changes up the texture a tad. To bump up the flavor, healthy fats and protein, you can mix in peanut butter, too. Just be sure to consult the Nutrisystem Grocery Guide to determine just how much to add so you stay within the recommended portions.

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3 Healthy Smoothie Bowl Recipes

1. Basic Bowl

In your food processor or high power blender, puree:

• 1 medium frozen banana
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (Almond, coconut, soy or low-fat dairy)
• 1 cup greens such as spinach or kale
• 1 serving Vanilla Nutrisystem Shake Mix

*Pour the puree into your bowl.

Counts as: 1 SmartCarb, 1 PowerFuel and 1 Vegetable

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2. Chocolate Cherry Protein Bowl

In you blender, puree:

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1/3 cup unsweetened of vanilla almond milk
• 1 serving Chocolate Nutrisystem Shake Mix
• 1 cup of baby spinach

*Pour the puree into your bowl and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of peanuts on top.

Counts as: 1 SmartCarb, 2 PowerFuels and 1 Vegetable

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3. Blueberry Vanilla Almond Bowl

In your blender, puree:

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 serving Vanilla Nutrisystem Shake Mix
• 1 cup kale

*Pour puree into bowl and top with 1 teaspoon of chia seeds and 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds.

Counts as: 1 SmartCarb, 2 PowerFuels, 1 Vegetable and 1 Extra