Why You’ll Love This Smoothie Bowl with Spirulina

• It’s a true energy booster. The combination of natural fruit sugars, healthy fats, and the nutrient-dense power of spirulina provides a slow-release energy that keeps you going all morning, without the crash you might get from coffee alone.
• The color is absolutely magical. That beautiful blue-green hue is all natural, thanks to the spirulina. It’s a feast for the eyes that makes breakfast feel like a special occasion.
• It’s incredibly versatile. Once you master the base, the topping possibilities are endless. You can raid your pantry for different nuts, seeds, and fruits every time, so you’ll never get bored.
• It comes together in minutes. Seriously, if you can operate a blender, you can make this bowl. It’s the perfect solution for busy mornings when you still want something wholesome and delicious.

Ingredients & Tools

• 2 large ripe bananas, previously peeled, sliced, and frozen
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 tablespoon almond butter or cashew butter
• 1 teaspoon spirulina powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of sea salt

For the Toppings (choose your favorites!):

• A handful of fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds or hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons granola
• 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
• A few sliced almonds or pecans

Tools: A high-speed blender, a rubber spatula, and your favorite bowl.

The frozen fruit is non-negotiable here—it’s the secret to that thick, scoopable texture that makes a bowl different from a drink. And don’t skip the pinch of salt! It might seem tiny, but it works wonders to balance the sweetness and enhance all the other flavors.

Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes

Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes

• Freeze your bananas correctly. This is the most important step! Peel ripe (spotty) bananas, slice them into chunks, and freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet for at least 2 hours before transferring to a bag. This prevents one big, unblendable banana lump.
• Choosing your spirulina. Look for a high-quality, pure spirulina powder. It should be a deep blue-green and smell faintly of the sea, but not unpleasantly fishy. A fishy odor can indicate lower quality or that it’s gone rancid.
• The power of frozen fruit. Using frozen fruit means we don’t need ice, which would just water everything down. The thickness you get is perfect for piling on toppings without everything sinking to the bottom.
• Start with less liquid. You can always add more almond milk to get the blender moving, but you can’t take it out. Begin with the 1/2 cup and add an extra tablespoon at a time only if absolutely necessary.

How to Make Smoothie Bowl with Spirulina

Serving Suggestions

Complementary Dishes

• A side of scrambled eggs or tofu — While the smoothie bowl is fantastic on its own, if you need a more substantial protein hit to power through a long morning, a small side of savory eggs or seasoned tofu scramble creates a perfectly balanced meal.
• Avocado toast on sourdough — For a weekend brunch vibe, pair your vibrant bowl with a slice of creamy avocado toast. The rich, savory notes of the avocado are a wonderful contrast to the sweet, creamy bowl.
• A simple green side salad — Sounds unusual for breakfast, I know! But a small handful of peppery arugula with a squeeze of lemon can be a surprisingly refreshing palate cleanser alongside the sweet bowl.

Drinks

• Hot green tea — The clean, slightly grassy notes of a good sencha or matcha green tea complement the earthiness of the spirulina without overpowering it. It’s a calming, caffeine-friendly pairing.
• Iced ginger tea — A zingy, homemade iced tea with fresh ginger adds a spicy kick that wakes up the senses and aids digestion, making a great team with the creamy bowl.
• Sparkling water with lime — Sometimes you just need the bubbles. The crisp, clean effervescence cuts through the richness of the bowl and leaves your palate feeling refreshed.

Something Sweet

• A square of dark chocolate — Honestly, a little piece of high-quality dark chocolate (70% or higher) enjoyed after your bowl feels like a decadent finish. The bitterness plays wonderfully against the lingering sweetness.
• A medjool date stuffed with almond butter — If you have a serious sweet tooth, this is the way to go. It’s like a natural, healthy candy that continues the nutty, creamy theme of the bowl.
• A small oatmeal cookie — A homemade, not-too-sweet oatmeal raisin cookie is a lovely, comforting treat to have with your tea after you’ve finished the bowl. It adds a warm, spiced note.

Top Mistakes to Avoid

• Mistake: Using fresh, unfrozen fruit. This is the number one reason smoothie bowls turn out soupy. Without frozen fruit, you’ll just have a thin smoothie that you can’t eat with a spoon. The texture is everything here.
• Mistake: Adding too much liquid too quickly. Impatience with the blender is the enemy. If the blades are stuck, resist the urge to pour in more milk. Instead, stop the blender, use a spatula to stir and break up the blockage, and then try blending again on low.
• Mistake: Over-blending. You want to blend just until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Letting the blender run for a minute or more can actually start to warm up the mixture from the friction, melting it slightly and affecting the perfect thick texture.
• Mistake: Using old or low-quality spirulina. Spirulina is sensitive to light and air. If your powder has been sitting in a cupboard for a year, it may have lost its potency and developed a stronger, less pleasant flavor. Fresh, quality spirulina makes all the difference.

Expert Tips

• Tip: Pre-portion your smoothie bowl ingredients. For the ultimate busy-morning hack, place the frozen bananas, mango, and all the other base ingredients (except the liquid) into a zip-top bag and keep it in the freezer. In the morning, just dump the bag into the blender, add the milk, and blend!
• Tip: Add a texture booster. For an even thicker, more spoonable consistency that mimics nice cream, try adding a quarter of a frozen avocado to the blend. It makes it incredibly creamy and adds healthy fats without a strong flavor.
• Tip: Layer your toppings for texture. Put crunchier items like granola and nuts directly on the smoothie base, but add softer items like fresh berry slices and coconut flakes on top. This creates distinct layers of texture in every spoonful.
• Tip: Warm your nut butter. If your almond butter is too thick to scoop easily, warm the jar in a bowl of hot water for a minute or microwave the tablespoon for 10 seconds. It will drizzle into the blender much more easily and incorporate better.

FAQs

Can I make this smoothie bowl ahead of time?
Honestly, I don’t recommend it for the best texture. The magic of a smoothie bowl is its thick, freshly-blended consistency. If you make it ahead, it will become watery as it thaws and separate in the fridge. If you’re truly desperate for a make-ahead option, you could freeze the blended base in an airtight container. Let it thaw in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before eating, but expect a slightly different, softer texture. It’s really best enjoyed immediately.

What can I use instead of spirulina if I don’t have any?
No problem! The base recipe is delicious on its own. If you want a similar vibrant color and a nutrient boost, you could try a handful of fresh spinach (the flavor is very mild) or a teaspoon of matcha powder for a green tea flavor and caffeine kick. If it’s just the color you’re after, a tiny drop of blue butterfly pea flower powder would give a blue hue, but it won’t have the same nutritional profile.

My smoothie bowl is too thin! How can I fix it?
Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. The quickest fix is to add more frozen fruit. Toss in a few more frozen banana slices or mango chunks and blend again. If you don’t have more fruit, you can try adding a handful of ice, but this might water it down a little. For future batches, just remember: when in doubt, use less liquid to start!

Is there a way to make this less sweet?
Absolutely. The primary sweetness comes from the bananas and mango. For a less sweet version, you could try using half a frozen banana and replacing the other half with frozen cauliflower rice (it’s surprisingly neutral in flavor!) or using less mango and adding more frozen avocado for creaminess. You could also use plain, unsweetened yogurt instead of some of the milk.

Can I use a different nut butter?
Of course! Cashew butter is wonderfully mild and creamy. Peanut butter would work, but its stronger flavor will be more prominent. Sunflower seed butter is a great nut-free alternative. Just be aware that using a dark-colored nut butter like peanut butter will change the final color, mixing with the green spirulina to create a more brownish-green hue.