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This is your ultimate guide for how to build the best Paleo Smoothie Bowl with an added bonus of how to make a smoothie bowl without banana.

Also, today when I teach you the best way to create your own, I’ll also help navigate if you need a low-FODMAP modification.

I once developed an article for Nutiva called, “How to Build the Best Smoothie Bowl.” 

And after I created it, I thought, “But what about my friends who want to build one but need to do it 100% Paleo and/or within a low-FODMAP guideline and/or don’t want bananas?  

Here is the original graphic for How to Build the Best Smoothie Bowl. There are no modifications to this one.

Now here’s how to do it with the appropriate modifications. 

[Note: Next to each ingredient below, if it’s “Paleo-approved” there will be a (P). If it’s FODMAP-friendly (meaning low FODMAPs and/or FODMAP-free)) there will be an (F).]

Building a Delicious Smoothie Bowl

Base Ingredients

The perfect smoothie bowl requires that you get your base ingredients right. One thing I always make sure of is that whatever I want as the base ingredient is frozen, not fresh, when I’m ready to create.​

Using frozen fruit (or veggies) will ensure that you get a thick smoothie bowl recipe vs. drinkable smoothies. You don’t want soup; you want the creamy consistency of “nice cream!”

As long as the following ingredients are frozen when you’re ready to blend, you’ll be making perfect thick smoothie bowls.

1. Banana (P, F)
2. Apple (P)
3. Orange (P, F)
4. Mango (P)
5. Peach (P)
6. Pear (P, F – only if it’s a Prickly Pear)
7. Kiwi (P, F)
8. Avocado (P)
9. Cherry (P)
10. Pineapple (P, F)
11. Strawberries (P, F)
12. Wild Blueberries (P, F)
13. Raspberries (P, F)
14. Blackberries (P)

Green Add-Ins

You don’t have to add in greens, but I always do because it’s super simple and is a great way to get in extra nutrients.

1. Kale (P, F)
2. Spinach (P, F)
3. Chard (P, F)

Liquid 

Here are some options for liquids.

If you want the truth, I almost always make mine with a variety of Elmhurst 1925 plant milk – their unsweetened varieties have only 2 ingredients; nut + water.

They also contain healthy fats with a lower carb content.

1. Coconut Water (P, F – sometimes)
2. 100% Fruit Juice (Depends)
3. Dairy Milk (Neither)
4. Non-Dairy Milk of choice (coconut, almond, rice, cashew, soy, hemp, etc.) (P, F – coconut, P – almond, F – rice, P – cashew, F – hemp) (Learn how to make Homemade Hemp Hemp Milk and Homemade Vanilla Mint Almond Milk.) I never use soy milk.

Protein

1. Protein Powder (Depends, but HERE are some favorite protein powder options for IBS)
2. Collagen powder (I always put collagen into my shakes, smoothies, and smoothie bowls for the added thickness, protein, and nutrients.)
3. Greek Yogurt (Neither)
4. Coconut Milk Yogurt (P, F)
5. Tofu (F – but only if it’s plain or firm not silken)

Other Additions for Added Nutrients, Color, Texture & Flavor

This is where you can get super creative, depending on personal preference, natural sweetness levels you’re going for, and anything else you might be needing for an extra boost.

1. Chia Seeds (F)
2. Hemp seeds (F)
3. Flax seeds (F)
4. Almonds (P)
5. Coconut Manna (P, F – caution with too much of it, though)
6. Coconut Oil (P, F)
7. Honey (P)
8. Coconut Sugar (P, F)
9. Cinnamon (P, F)
10. Turmeric (P, F) (Bonus: doubles as yellow natural food coloring for your smoothie bowl.)
11. Ginger (P, F)
12. Maca (P, F)
13. Peanut Butter (F)
14. Maple syrup (P, F)
15. Matcha Powder (P, F)
16. Vanilla (P, F)
17. Spirulina (P, F) (Bonus: doubles as blue-green natural food coloring for your smoothie bowl. Use code ‘GUTSY10’ at checkout to save an automatic 10%.)

Crunchy Toppings

1. Chia Seeds (F)
2. Hempseeds (F)
3. Sunflower seeds (P, F)
4. Pumpkin seeds (P, F)
5. Granola (Depends, but most Granola would not fall under the F category. For a Paleo and Keto granola check out THIS one.)
6. Walnuts (P, F)
7. Almonds (P)
8. Pomegranate seeds (P)
9. Goji berries (P)
10. Cacao nibs and/or chocolate chips (Depends, all around, but choosing 100% cacao will give you P + F. Choose the nibs or powder)

Other Toppings

Some of my favorite toppings from both a taste + visual aspect include:

1. Banana (P, F)
2. Mango (P)
3. Peach (P)
4. Pear (P)
5. Kiwi (P, F)
6. Pineapple (P, F)
7. Fresh Strawberries (P, F)
8. Blueberries (P, F)
9. Raspberries (P, F)
10. Blackberries (P)
11. Dragon Fruit (P, F)
12. Shredded coconut flakes (P, caution for F)
13. Dried fruit (P, caution for F)
14. Coconut whip cream (P, F) (Learn how to make Coconut Whip Cream.)
15. Bee Pollen (P, F)

How to Make a Smoothie Bowl Without Banana

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Now that you understand the basics of making your bowl, it’s going to be so easy to do this without a banana because yes, even without Mr. Banana you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a smoothie bowl.

Step 1:

Choose your favorite fruit – that’s obviously not the banana – from the base ingredients I provided from above. 

Step 2:

Add in your liquid. Yes, you do what to add in some liquid, but don’t add too much liquid or it will become more like soup. I always add my base to a blender and start with just 1/4 cup liquid. See what that does for you. If it doesn’t reach any liquid state, then add 1/4 cup more. Keep doing that until it looks good to you. Remember: you can always add, but you cannot take away.

Step 3:

Finish it out.

It’s not hard at all to make banana-free smoothie bowls when you consider all the base ingredients I’ve provided.

Note: If you’re looking to make a low sugar smoothie bowl, then opt to use frozen cauliflower florets for the base (vs a fruit base) mixed with a handful of berries. 

The best part about making smoothie bowls is that you can always mix-and-match and never get bored! They can become a breakfast bowl or dessert like ice cream.

And when you make them right for you, you won’t feel bloated and miserable.

Enjoy!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. Green Smoothies
2. Top 13 Gut Healing Boosts for Smoothies
3. 5-Ingredient Strawberry Pina Colada Smoothie Recipe

 
Xox,
SKH