Smoothie Bowl Recipe (Vegan Mocha)
Today we are making a smoothie bowl recipe that is also vegan, gluten-free and soy-free Basically adheres to almost every diet, super versatile and an easy vegan breakfast recipe! When it comes to smoothie recipes, my secret ingredient is using frozen bananas as a base. This is a great way to get a thicker smoothie than using regular bananas! This recipe is like a thick-smoothie-that’s-not-quite-a-frappuccino type vibe, and 10 minute recipes are the real deal. I know the weather’s getting warmer, and this is one of my favorite recipes to make during the summer months. For now, throw those ripened bananas in your freezer and get to work!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Natural Sugar: The more ripe a banana is, the more natural sugar it has inside. I try to freeze my bananas when they’re getting spotty, but not yet fully darkened. This ensures they don’t taste spoiled, but have maximum sweet flavor! Because of the sweetness of the bananas, I didn’t even need to add any sugar to balance out the bitter cacao. If you do want to add more sweetener, try some 100% pure maple syrup!
Chocolate Dessert: When I have a chocolate craving, this is one of my go-to recipes. It hits the spot with the rich chocolate flavour, I get a bit of caffeine with the instant coffee powder, I get in servings of fruit AND it only takes me ten minutes to make. I feel way better after eating it versus feeling tired and sleepy after eating a heavier dessert. I also love to use it as a pre-workout snack!
Substitutions
Oat Milk: I chose oat milk here, but feel free to try another unsweetened non-dairy milk. I prefer oat milk due to its slightly nutty but sweet flavour. There are many different plant-based milks available at the grocery store now, from hemp milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk and so on. My top milks for this recipe would be oat milk, cashew milk, almond milk and soy milk.
Frozen Banana: Frozen banana makes this a super thick smoothie bowl, almost like soft-serve ice cream. By adding your milk of choice, the extra liquid thins it out and makes it into a smoothie bowl rather than straight up ice cream! Other frozen fruits and vegetables, such as frozen avocado and frozen cauliflower, can make thick smoothie bases. However, they may lend weird aftertastes. Frozen coconut milk ice cubes can make a rich smoothie bowl as well. However, bananas work the best here and it just would not be the same without them!
Almond Butter: If you have a specific type of nut allergy, feel free to use any other nut butter. The best would be cashew butter, but peanut butter will work too, albeit giving the smoothie a peanut taste. Seed butters can work if you want to avoid all nuts, such as sunflower seed butter!
Cacao Powder: I used raw cacao powder from Organic Traditions. Feel free to use cocoa powder as well. Cacao is a less-processed form of cacao and is healthier overall, but either works for flavour.
Vegan Smoothie Bowl Recipe Notes
- Top your smoothie bowl with banana slices, goji berries, frozen fruit, fresh berries or healthy fats such as unsweetened coconut flakes, peanut butter, chia seeds or hemp seeds to get added health benefits!
- I blended cacao nibs into my smoothie to get a “chocolate chips” feel in there. This keeps the recipe free of added sugar as well. Feel free to use regular chocolate chips in here for more chocolate goodness!
- To get the most natural sweetness in this recipe, only freeze ripe bananas. When they are getting ripe and forming some brown spots, that’s the perfect time to chop them up and put them in the freezer for this recipe. The more brown spots, the more sugar the banana has!
- Make this a protein bowl by adding in a little liquid (even some coconut water) and your favorite protein powder! If you’re up for hiding some greens in your chocolate, throw a bit of leafy greens in there (as long as it’s not detectable, right)?
More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
Chocolate Pecan Granola: This dairy free, soy free and gluten free granola recipe is filled with healthy fats and baked in the oven with minimal added sugar. It reminds me of German Chocolate Cake flavours with the chocolate and coconut!
If you make this Vegan Smoothie Bowl Recipe, leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Smoothie Bowl Recipe (Vegan Mocha)
Equipment
- High Speed Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 frozen medium bananas chopped
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp cacao powder sub cocoa powder
- 1 tsp instant coffe granules
- ¼ cup oat milk frozen into ice cubes
- nut butters, cocoa nibs, pecans optional toppings
Instructions
- Peel two ripe bananas and put them in a Ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container. Add them to the freezer for 6-8 hours, until fully frozen.
- Pour the quarter cup of oat milk into an ice cube tray. It will only fill enough for a few ice cubes. Take this tray and place it in the freezer for 6-8 hours, until fully frozen. This will make the oat milk ice cubes!
- Once the oat milk ice cubes and the bananas are frozen, remove from the freezer. Now blend these together with the cacao, instant coffee and almond butter until smooth.
- Once the mixture becomes a thick smoothie-like consistency, pour into a bowl and add on the toppings!
