Best Smoothie Bowl Toppings to Make Your Recipes Delicious
If there was ever a more photogenic recipe than a smoothie bowl, I’ve no idea what it could be. The gorgeous colours, adorned with favourite toppings, bright coloured thick smoothie below. But how do people work out what the best smoothie bowl toppings are to make your recipes gorgeous but also delicious and packed with nutrients? Let’s take a look.
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Why use smoothie bowl toppings?
It is true you can completely make a tasty smoothie bowl without having toppings. Just like with regular smoothie recipes, you can have a bowl of goodness and just tuck in. but there are two reasons to consider adding those delicious toppings.
First up, there’s the fact that it looks nice and adds to the flavours of the recipe. They can even be a great way to mask some of the flavours in the smoothie that you might not love. Say you make a green smoothie bow – then you can use fruit toppings to drown out some of those green ingredients.
The other reason is to boost the nutritional value of the recipe. The best thing about smoothies is the amount of goodness you can cram into every glass or bowl. And adding the best toppings to them just notches that up even further. Frozen fruit works fine in the recipe but use fresh fruit for the top.
Ready to get some top topping ideas?
Fruit
Topping the list of colourful, tasty and nutritious toppings for your smoothie bowl is fresh fruit. Lots of fruit works well if you slice it very thinly but remember, if it is too thick, it could end up like a sinking ship and vanish from sight!
When you are thinking about what fruit to use, you can always think about the flavour or the colour – or both. For example, if you are making an acai berry bowl recipe that usually ends up with a rich dark pink shade, think about white, blue or green toppings. Or green smoothies look brilliant with yellow such as banana slices or dark seeds on top.
Shredded coconut & coconut flakes
There are two forms of coconut that are popular on the top of the smoothie bowl, along with using coconut water in the ingredients. Shredded coconut tends to be smaller and thinner while coconut flakes are a little larger. However, both will work well as a topping because they are light enough to stay on top of the ingredients.
Coconut is perfect to sweeten a recipe and also helps with that tropical vibe, just like almond milk can. It is rich in fibre but does come with some calories and saturated fats so a sprinkling on top is a perfect solution. You can also get unsweetened coconut flakes.
Goji berries
Goji berries are small red berries that usually come in dried form and this makes them perfect to add to a smoothie bowl recipe. They will sit on the top and add that bright shot of colour.
Plus they are good on the health benefits side – like most berries, they are good for boosting the immune system.
Blueberries
Blueberries are known as a superfood because there’s so much goodness in them. Plus with them being relatively small in size, it is easy enough to add them as a topping and have them stay in place.
You can add them where the smoothie already has blueberries in it for a double hit or to give their benefits to a recipe that doesn’t include them.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are easy to work with as toppings because they are lightweight. While they might not be my favourite things to eat, they are packed with nutrients so well worth trying to add.
Chia seeds
Chia seeds are the smoothie fans’ secret ingredient – well, not so secret now everyone knows how good they are. They are packaged with fibre, each tablespoon giving 5g of fibre plus potassium, calcium and more. Just keep them in the fridge and they will keep for a long time.
Flax seeds
Flax seeds are loaded with nutrients including Omega 3 fats, and dietary fibre and can help with things like lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol. But some people can find eating too much makes them a bit bloated so it is an ideal candidate for a topping.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and unsaturated fats which includes those fatty Omega 6 acids that are the good ones. There’s also iron, calcium and beta-carotene that the body makes into vitamin A.
Sliced almonds
Sliced almonds add a great bit of crunch to the smoothie bowl and by getting the ones that are thinly sliced, they’ll stay on the top. Add a sprinkle to boost protein and fibre as well as healthy fats. Then any leftovers, store in a sealed bag or box in the cupboard.
Hemp seeds
Hemp hearts are the centre of hemp seeds and usually are the version used on smoothie bowls instead of in the drink. Each tablespoon contains 3 grams of protein so you don’t need to use it in bowls with protein powder in it.
Other toppings
There are also loads of other ingredients that work well as toppings for your smoothies. Time to get creative!
Granola
Granola can be store-bought or you can make your own from a mixture of different nuts, seeds and something to bind it, usually honey or maple syrup. As a topping, it is often best to leave out the binding ingredient as you want to sprinkle it across the top rather than have it sink into the mixture.
Raw cacao nibs
Cacao nibs are a way to get that chocolate flavour on your smoothie bowl without resorting to full chocolate. They have a nice crunchiness and a little sweetness, like good dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate shavings
Of course, you can just go with the real thing too – dark chocolate shavings or chips are perfect. Dark chocolate is better for you than milk because it contains less fat and usually less sugar.
Rolled oats
Oat is often said to be the most healthy grain on earth because they are gluten-free, full of vitamins and minerals and also antioxidants. They come in different forms and one of the best for topping smoothie bowls is rolled oats. Plus if you have some left, you can use them to make different overnight oats recipes with some of the fruit.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter (and other nut butter like almond butter) don’t seem like instant topping ingredients because they are thick. But if you can either find a runny version or mix it with something to make it runnier, they are ideal to be swirled across or around on the top of the bowl.
Peanut butter contains oleic acid which can help with good cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and blood sugar. Like lots of things that seem ‘bad’ for you, small amounts can have surprising benefits.
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is on the list because it can be ideal to help mask some of the flavours that you aren’t as keen on. Sure it isn’t a healthy option but a little drizzled across your toppings on a bowl won’t hurt and can help satisfy the sugar urge while still ensuring you get the rest of the ingredients and their goodness.
Honey
Honey is a great source of antioxidants as well as having antibacterial and antifungal properties. Raw honey has historically been used to heal wounds and stop infections as well as to help with digestive issues. All of this means it is a good way to sweeten a smoothie bowl!
Cinnamon or nutmeg
Spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg won’t work with all smoothie ingredients but if you like their flavour, then the powdered form could be perfect. In fact, any powered spice that coordinates with the ingredients in the smoothie can add something different. And all of them bring tons of health benefits with them.
Enjoying the best smoothie bowl toppings
It is easy to enjoy the best smoothie bowl toppings alongside the delicious homemade smoothie bowls themselves. And it’s fun! Choosing which oppings to use alongside which main ingredients, finding new combinations that work in unexpected ways or masking a flavour such as leafy greens you aren’t keen on, toppings have loads of uses.
What’s your favourite smoothie bowl topping and what ingredients do you love to use it with? Tell us in the comments!
More From The Smoothie Bird:
5 of the Best Superfood Smoothies Recipes to Detox
What are the Best Smoothies to Make with Winter Fruits and Vegetables?
