Rainbow Protein Smoothie Bowl - Easy High Energy Protein Smoothie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What should I put in my protein shake? ›

Even the biggest smoothie aficionados need a little crunch sometimes, and making a smoothie bowl is the perfect way to beef up your favorite recipe. Add a low-sugar, high-protein granola and some nuts, nut butter or seeds along with your fruit toppings to help keep you full for hours on end.

Compared to the traditional way of serving smoothies, smoothie bowls are usually thicker because of their added frozen fruits or vegetables, healthy fats, protein powders, and ice.

Bottom Line: There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. While smoothie bowls can be inherently healthy, be careful not to overdo it with large portions and high-calorie ingredients.

Smoothie bowls are generally more nutrient dense compared to smoothies, and are thick enough to eat with a spoon rather than consumed through a straw. Smoothie bowls often incorporate frozen fruits, veggies, juices or milk, ice and even butters like peanut butter or almond butter for added protein.

"Smoothie bowls are essentially more nutrient-dense smoothies, thick enough to eat with a spoon and often topped with fruits, nuts, seeds, muesli or granola," explains McKel Hill, MS, RD, and creator of the plant-based, whole foods blog Nutrition Stripped.

Make the smoothies and then freeze them in ziplock bags. Let the smoothies defrost in the fridge the night before and then add to your bowl with your favorite toppings.

Standard ice cubes are great for adding thickness to smoothies but bear in mind you will need a powerful enough blender to crush the ice (more on this later). For the cleanest flavor also try and avoid adding tap water ice cubes if possible. Opt for cubes made from purified, filtered water instead.

Why is my smoothie bowl so thin? ›

The trick to thicker smoothie bowls is less liquid. In my Pitaya bowl recipe, I use 3 frozen packs Pitaya and 1 1/2 frozen bananas and add less than a cup of my homemade almond milk to blend. I use the Vitamix tamper to work the frozen fruit to the consistency I like. Play around with it and you will get it!

Just make sure to use frozen fruit instead of fresh (or add ice) so that you get that nice thick texture.

You can create vibrant and delicious smoothie bowls with almost any blender, however, it may be easier to use a powerful blender on low speed with a tamper that you can use to push frozen produce down toward the blade to help ensure a silky smooth consistency.

Smoothie bowls have a tendency to get watery in the fridge, which is why they need to go in the freezer. Eat your smoothie bowl within 1 day for the best flavor and texture.

Using frozen ingredients is the key to creating a thick, satisfying smoothie. Other options for thickening include using fibrous fruits and veggies, adding chia seeds, spooning in yogurt, using avocados, or scooping in protein powder.

A high-calorie smoothie can give you anywhere from 500–1,000 calories per serving. That's 4x as many calories as you'd get from a protein shake, bringing it up into the realm of mass gainer shakes. What makes smoothies even better than mass gainers, though, is that you can make them from nutritious whole foods.

Add more ingredients: If your smoothie isn't filling up all the way, try adding more ingredients. Adding more fruits, vegetables, and protein sources such as nuts, seeds, or protein powder can increase the volume of your smoothie. Use ice: Adding ice to your smoothie can also help fill it up.