Vanilla Banana Smoothie Bowl

This quick and easy vanilla smoothie bowl is so delicious and tastes like ice cream! It makes for such an amazing healthy breakfast or snacking recipe that's filling and very satisfying, thanks to the addition of rolled oats and hemp seeds. Fully vegan, dairy-free and naturally gluten-free.

This thick vanilla banana smoothie bowl is SO amazing and pretty much everything you want for breakfast: a bowl of creamy goodness that has a texture almost identical to ice cream with bold vanilla flavors. And that's garnished with all your favorite things, such as fruits and crunchy granola.

Doesn’t this sound like a morning dream?

I did say breakfast, but there is no reason at all not to make it for dessert, it is so delicious and full of sweet flavors.

We actually make smoothie bowls on a regular basis since I discovered how easy they are to prepare at home. We even make them during the winter, we are so obsessed! I particularly enjoy how turning frozen fruits into a smoothie bowl can help you eat more healthy fruit in such an easy and tasty way!

Our favorite smoothie bowls are this strawberry banana smoothie bowl and this watermelon smoothie bowl, but making a vanilla-banana based smoothie bowl is great if you want to top it off with various ingredients that have already a lot of flavor, like the peanut butter chocolate granola seen in the picture.

As a side note, the main ingredient to create an ice cream-like texture is frozen banana. I also added a few ice cubes to frost the mixture a little more without overpowering the flavor. But, if you prefer, you can swap the ice cubes for more frozen bananas to give you an extra sweet version or also try adding unsweetened frozen coconut puree (easy to find, more on this later). 

Plus, this banana smoothie bowl includes rolled oats and hemp seeds to make it more filling and nourishing. These boosters add more fiber, healthy omega-3 fats and plant-based protein as well. That way, you don't get hungry for a while!

I hope you give it a try! ❤️

Highlights of this recipe

• Easy, quick and very refreshing breakfast recipe
• Healthy and rich in vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates. Such a great way to start the day!
• Ridiculously creamy and thick texture, it feels like eating ice cream!
• Beautiful and appetizing recipe
• Filled with fruits and hydrating ingredients
• Versatile and fun to garnish
• Filling and super satisfying, thanks to the addition of rolled oats and hemp seeds
• 100% vegan (plant-based), dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free (if using oat milk and coconut yogurt).

Ingredients you will need and other adds-on

• Frozen bananas: you will need to first slice and freeze bananas to make it, ideally the day before. I recommend getting more bananas than you need when grocery shopping so you can let them ripen on the counter and then freeze for later.
• Rolled oats: used to make the bowl more filling, but also to give the smoothie a thicker consistency. You can use both quick-cooking oats or thick rolled oats (old-fashioned), although I recommend thick oats for more nutrition.
• Hemp seeds: chia seeds should work too. It helps thicken the texture, but also boosts the nutrient content of the recipe.
• Vegan yogurt: simply use your favorite kind! I used the coconut yogurt from the brand Forager, but you could definitely use a vanilla-flavored yogurt as well.
• Plant milk: used to soak the oats and soften the grain before blending.
• Vanilla extract: responsible for the vanilla flavor. I used 1 teaspoon, but feel-free to include more for an even stronger vanilla taste. Using vanilla-flavored yogurt or milk would also boost the vanilla flavor!
• Ice cubes: or more frozen bananas, although this would give you a smoothie bowl with a stronger sweet flavor. I like to sometimes use frozen coconut puree instead of ice cubes to add more tropical flavor. The coconut also pairs so well with the vanilla flavor. You can find frozen coconut puree in the frozen fruit section in most grocery stores (right beside the frozen açai puree). You can also make cubes of frozen coconut milk yourself by pouring a can of coconut milk into an ice cube tray.

You can include more ingredients to the smoothie base, such as maca powder, beet powder (check out my pink latte for more info), other frozen fruits (try strawberries or blueberries), matcha powder, vanilla protein powder, raw leafy greens such as spinach or kale, frozen dragon fruit pack, acai powder, etc.

How to make vanilla banana smoothie bowl

This smoothie bowl is done within 15 minutes including the short grain soaking time, so easy!

Quick soak

In a blender, combine the oats, hemp seeds, plant milk, yogurt and vanilla extract. 

Let the mixture soak for about 10 minutes: this will slightly soften the rolled oats and make it easier to blend to a super smooth mixture.

Blend

Once the soaking is done, then add the frozen bananas and the ice cubes (or more bananas or frozen coconut puree). 

Blend on high until smooth. The smoothie mixture is thick, so you will have to help it get smooth by bringing it back down to the blades (it tends to stick to the walls).

If you have a Vitamix, then use your tamper and if you don't have a Vitamix, then take a few breaks to scrape the walls of the blender with a spatula. You can also use a food processor, although it might keep a little more texture.

Once the mixture is smooth, then taste (add more vanilla if you want) and check to make sure there are no more chunks of frozen fruit or ice left.

Helpful tips

• Ripe bananas filled with black dots are best to make a smoothie bowl that's naturally super sweet. Buy more bananas than you need and let them ripen before slicing and freezing them!
• Don't try to make this smoothie bowl with fresh bananas. The amazing frozen ice cream consistency is due to blending frozen bananas, not fresh bananas.
• Even if the smoothie mixture looks too thick and hard to blend at first, avoid adding more milk or liquid as it can make your smoothie bowl too liquidy at the end. Instead, take multiple breaks to mix and blend again and use a spatula to scrape the walls of the blender. Be patient!
• Using a high speed blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec or Ninja will definitely make it easier to prepare a thick smoothie bowl. 

Vanilla smoothie bowl favorite toppings

The whole point of smoothie bowls is to garnish them with all the toppings, right?! And a vanilla-flavored frozen base is perfect as it pairs well with so many flavors.

As seen in the pictures, I garnished my bowl with peanut butter and dark chocolate granola, fresh blueberries, cacao nibs and more hemp seeds, but here are more favorite topping ideas:

• Shredded coconut or coconut flakes
• Chia seeds
• Vanilla almond granola, superfood turmeric granola, matcha granola or any other granola you like
• Drizzle of nut butter, such as peanut butter, almond butter or tahini caramel
• Berries, such as raspberries or strawberries
• More fresh fruits, especially banana, kiwi, mango, peach and pineapple.
• Vegan chocolate chips
• Nuts, such as chopped almonds, walnuts and pecans.

Storage tips

For obvious reasons, frozen smoothie bowls need to be enjoyed right away once prepared. Make the smoothie base mixture and top it only when you are ready to eat to ensure the best frozen consistency and keep the toppings from becoming soggy.

But, if you have extra smoothie mixture, then you can freeze it using an ice cube tray. Once frozen, then transfer the cubes to a freezing storage bag. Add the extra frozen cubes to your smoothies!

FAQ's

More smoothie and smoothie bowls you might like

• Peach pineapple smoothie
• Beet kale smoothie
• Avocado peanut butter smoothie
• Peach smoothie bowl
• Chocolate, strawberry and banana smoothie
• Banana carrot smoothie
• Blueberry pineapple smoothie
• Watermelon smoothie bowl
• Cucumber strawberry smoothie
• Strawberry and banana smoothie bowl
• Watermelon banana smoothie
• Oat milk smoothie
• Banana and vanilla chai smoothie
• Blackberry, strawberry and banana smoothie

I hope you like this vanilla smoothie bowl recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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