Make a healthy Green Smoothie Bowl with fruits, plant based milk, spinach, puffed quinoa, pistachios and spirulina. In about 10 minutes with frozen peach slices, banana, kiwi and almond milk, you can have a beautiful bowl that eats like a meal.
If you haven’t seen it lately, I have become a little smoothie obsessed. I don’t like to cook a big meal just for myself, and I am a clean as you go type gal. So if it’s quick, tastes good, and I don’t have to do a lot of scrubbing, then I have found the pot of gold. It’s actually the pot of green, I guess. Green smoothies, that is.
Make sure you try my Blue Spirulina Bowl and all my best smoothie recipes in one place.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: none, the blender does the work
- ⏳ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 bowls
- ⚡ Calories: 242kcal per bowl
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet peach and banana over fresh spinach, with crunch from puffed quinoa and pistachios
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, the only skill is not adding ice
Quick Answer
Place the frozen peach slices, banana, spinach, spirulina and almond milk in a blender and blend about 1 minute, until you have a smooth texture like ice cream. You may need to add a little more milk. Pour the smoothie into a bowl and garnish with raspberries, puffed quinoa, sliced kiwi and crushed pistachios. Do not add ice; frozen fruit is what keeps a smoothie bowl thick enough to hold its toppings.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Frozen fruit is the thickener, not ice. Ice waters a bowl down as it melts; frozen peach freezes the blend into a soft serve texture that holds toppings on top instead of sinking them.
- The peach does double duty. It sweetens the spinach and sets the consistency, so no sweetener is needed.
- Spinach disappears, kiwi does not. Blending the spinach into the base keeps the green color while the kiwi stays on top where its tartness reads as a topping, not the whole bowl.
- A teaspoon of spirulina deepens the green and packs in protein and amino acids without changing the flavor at that amount.
- Half a cup of milk is deliberate. A bowl uses far less liquid than a drinkable smoothie; add more a splash at a time only if the blender stalls.
- The toppings are the fiber and the crunch. Puffed quinoa and pistachios are what turn a smoothie into a meal that keeps you satisfied longer.
- Contrast is the presentation. Red raspberries on a green base is why the bowl looks as good as it tastes; a beautiful red or purple on top makes all the difference.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ten minutes, one blender. Quick, tastes good, and there is not a lot of scrubbing afterward.
- It eats like a meal. The bowl has extra fiber and crunch in every bite, which keeps you full in a way a drinkable smoothie does not.
- A feast for the eyes. The contrasting colors make it so mouth watering you can’t help but love it.
- Plant based as written. Almond milk keeps it dairy free, and you can use dairy if you wish.
- Endlessly changeable. Swap fruits, toppings and greens; the method never changes.
- A gateway bowl. Once this one hooks you, the blue spirulina bowl and the rest of my smoothie recipes are waiting.
Key Ingredients
Fruit, greens, milk and two superfood toppings. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Frozen Peach Slices. Not only will the frozen peach add sweetness, it thickens the smoothie bowl to give you the right consistency.
- Banana. Fresh or frozen, it adds sweetness and body.
- Kiwi. Loaded with vitamin C, one peeled for the blend and one sliced on top.
- Spinach. Rich in nutrients, it is a great way to add extra vitamins to your morning.
- Spirulina. A type of blue green algae that may be one of the most nutrient dense foods on earth, with protein, nutrients and amino acids.
- Puffed Quinoa. High in fiber, vegan and gluten free, with a texture similar to a rice crispy. It brings the crunch.
- Raspberries. My favorite topping; fresh or frozen will work, and the red against the green makes the bowl.
- Almond Milk. Keeps the bowl plant based; use dairy if you wish.
- Pistachios. Optional, but the crushed nuts add texture, nutrients and flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Mango instead of peach. Frozen mango works as a straight swap and keeps the tropical sweetness.
- All frozen fruit gives you the thickest, most scoopable bowl.
- Kale for spinach. Kale is a great alternative and still carries plenty of vitamins and nutrients.
- Granola for quinoa. If you want a different crunch topping, granola is a great alternative.
- Almonds instead of pistachios, or any nut you have on hand.
- Any green powder works. Chlorella can stand in for spirulina one for one.
- Get creative with toppings: different fruits, nuts, cereals or coconut flakes. If you love packing smoothies with superfoods, my smoothie and superfood benefits ebook has a whole collection.
How to Make a Green Smoothie Bowl
- In a blender, place the peach, banana, spinach, spirulina and milk. Blend until you have a smooth texture like ice cream, about 1 minute. You may need to add a little more milk.
- Pour the smoothie into a bowl. Garnish with raspberries, puffed quinoa, kiwi and pistachios, arranging the toppings in rows so the colors contrast.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t add ice. While you may ordinarily do this for smoothies, ice waters down a smoothie bowl. You want a thicker consistency.
- For extra thickness, always use frozen fruit.
- Thin it a splash at a time. If the blender stalls, add milk a tablespoon at a time so you don’t tip past soft serve into drinkable.
- Top it right after blending. The frozen base softens as it sits, and toppings sink into a warm bowl.
- Dress the top on purpose. If you are freestyling without a recipe, add some beautiful reds or purples on top of the green smoothie. It will make all the difference.
- Eat it with a spoon, immediately. A smoothie bowl does not hold in the fridge; make it, top it, eat it.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This is breakfast or a light lunch on its own, and it plays well next to a savory bite like a slice of my crustless spinach and feta quiche or a short stack of lemon ricotta pancakes for a brunch table, and it is the fresh counterpoint to a slow cooker French toast casserole on a holiday morning. For a lighter pairing, pour a glass of blueberry mint iced tea or hibiscus green tea.
If green drinks are your lane, keep going with my mango detox smoothie, the chai smoothie with protein, an oat milk matcha latte, iced matcha lattes, the iced blueberry matcha latte, a color changing butterfly pea latte, or the Trader Joe’s matcha latte.
Green Smoothie Bowl FAQs
Generally granola, puffed quinoa, nuts, fresh fruits, seeds or coconut flakes. Aim for one crunchy topping, one fruit and one accent so every spoonful gets texture.
Use frozen fruit to make the smoothie thicker. You can also add protein powder or collagen, and use almond milk or orange juice for the liquid. Do not add ice like you might in a regular smoothie drink.
A smoothie is smooth, creamy and drinkable. The smoothie bowl is more of a meal with more fiber, made thicker and finished with textured toppings. It will usually keep you satisfied longer during the day.
At one teaspoon, you mostly will not taste it. The peach and banana carry the flavor while the spirulina deepens the green color and adds protein, nutrients and amino acids.
Puffed quinoa is quinoa that has been popped, with a texture similar to a rice crispy. It is high in fiber, vegan and gluten free. Buy it ready made, or toast rinsed, dried quinoa in a dry pan until it pops.
The base is best fresh, since it softens and separates in the fridge. What you can do ahead is portion the fruit and spinach into freezer bags, so breakfast is one dump, a blend and the toppings.
Green Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups Peach Slices Frozen
- 1 Banana Sliced
- 1 Kiwi Peeled
- 2 cups Spinach Fresh
- 1 teaspoon Spirulina Powder
- 1/2 cup almond milk unsweetened
Garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Puffed Quinoa
- 8 Raspberries
- 1 Tablespoon pistachios crushed
- 1 Kiwi Sliced
Instructions
- In a Blender, place the peach, banana, spinach, spirulina, and milk. Blend until you have a smooth texture like ice cream.
- Pour the smoothie into a bowl. Garnish with raspberries, quinoa, kiwi, and pistchios.
