If you’re looking to kick off 2025 with a nutritious, energising, and easy-to-make breakfast, this High Protein Green Smoothie Bowl is exactly what you need.
Packed with amazing ingredients that provide essential vitamins, minerals, and protein, this smoothie bowl is a fantastic way to support your nutrition goals.
Whether you’re looking to boost your protein intake, increase your vegetable and fruit intake, or simply enjoy a delicious breakfast, this smoothie bowl has it all.
How much protein do we actually need?
If you have come to this smoothie bowl recipe because you are looking to up your protein levels, you might be wondering how much protein you actually need.
This is a question I get asked a lot, and yes it can be confusing!
To make it easier I’ve put a Nutritionist’s Guide to Plant Protein, which will hopefully help you understand where to get your protein from, why you need it and how much you actually need to eat.
Why this Smoothie Bowl is great for your new year nutrition goals
Whether it is right or wrong, the start of a new year is often when we reflect on our health and set nutrition goals. Some of you might even be starting Veganuary and looking for new breakfast options.
If you are looking to make more plant-based choices and/or looking to increase your protein intake, this High Protein Green Smoothie Bowl is a great place to start. It’s easy to make, looks fantastic and is full of good nutrition.
How to make a smoothie bowl
One of the best things about this smoothie bowl is how easy it is to make, particularly if you are short on time in the mornings. With just a handful of ingredients, you can make a nutritious and energising breakfast in minutes. You just need to remember to freeze your bananas the night before!
It’s loaded with fruits, greens, and plant-based protein and offers a nutrient-dense breakfast option that will keep you full until lunch.
You can prepare it quickly in just a few minutes by adding the fruit, veg, protein powder and a little bit of milk to a blender. Blend it slowly, scraping down the sides a few times until fully blended. Try not to add too much more milk as it will become too runny. Just be patient and keep scraping down the sides.
Once blended, add to a bowl and enjoy with any toppings you like.
The recipe makes one large serving, however, if this is too much, you can always divide into two portions.
What ingredients do you need for a high protein green smoothie bowl?
- Frozen banana
- Frozen pineapple
- Spinach
- Almond milk
- Pea protein powder
- Matcha powder
Frozen banana
Bananas are the perfect base for any smoothie bowl, giving a natural sweetness and creamy texture. When they are frozen, they give the smoothie bowl such a creamy, thick texture. They are rich in potassium, and they provide a good dose of vitamin C and B6. Their fibre content also helps to balance the natural sugars in the bananas too.
Frozen pineapple
Pineapple adds a nice bit of sweetness to the flavour of the smoothie. I always like to have pineapple in the freezer for smoothies. It’s a great source of vitamin C, which is important for your immunity as well helping your body uptake the iron from the spinach. Pineapple also contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion so is a great addition to this smoothie bowl.
Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy greens packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s an excellent source of iron, vitamin K, magnesium and folate and is a powerful antioxidant. It also adds fibre to this bowl, supporting healthy digestion and helping you stay full. I use fresh, but you can also use frozen spinach in the recipe. It has quite a mild flavour, so gives you all the benefits of greens without being too overpowering.
Almond milk
You don’t need a lot of liquid in this smoothie bowl; just enough to get it blended but you want the mixture to be quite thick. You can use any milk really, but I like the flavour of almond here.
Protein powder
I always use an unflavoured, organic protein powder. Usually pea but sometimes a combination of pea, hemp and brown rice. For this recipe I’ve use pea. I find pea protein to be a great protein source that’s really easily digestible and has a really mild taste. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
Matcha
Matcha is a great source of antioxidants. It contains a small amount of caffeine but when combined with the amino acid L-theanine, it provides a calmer energy boost without the jitters you can get from caffeine. It adds to the green colour of the bowl, but you will get that from the spinach anyway, so the matcha is optional.
Storage and Shelf Life
The best way to enjoy this smoothie bowl is to eat immediately. The texture is better if you eat straightway and the nutrients are at their peak then too.
Recipe Tips
Milk: You can swap any other milk for the almond milk
Use frozen fruit for creaminess: Frozen bananas and pineapple create a thick, ice cream-like texture that’s perfect for a smoothie bowl.
Adding more veg: If you would prefer more vegetables, you can replace the pineapple with frozen cauliflower.
Adjust the consistency: If you prefer a thicker smoothie bowl, add less almond milk, or use a bit more frozen fruit. For a thinner consistency, gradually add more almond milk until you reach your preferred thickness.
Add your favourite toppings: This is where you can have some fun with your smoothie bowl. Add toppings like granola, more fruit, or nuts/seeds. These not only add texture but also boost the nutritional value.
Use a high-speed blender: A high-powered blender ensures a smooth, lump-free consistency.
Customise your greens: If you’re not a fan of spinach, feel free to swap it out for other leafy greens like Swiss chard or kale. You can also vary the amount based on your taste preference—start with a handful and adjust as needed. Just be aware that stronger-tasting greens may slightly alter the flavour.
High Protein Green Smoothie Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
Base ingredients:
- 2 medium bananas frozen
- ½ cup frozen pineapple (75g)
- Large handful of fresh spinach leaves
- 5-6 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup pea protein powder (30g)
- 1 tsp matcha optional
Toppings:
- Fruit, seeds, granola
Instructions
- Add all the base ingredients to a blender and blend on low until the fruit breaks down. You may need to stop and start a few times to scrape down the sides of the blender.
- Keep blending on low again, scraping down sides as needed, until the mixture reaches a soft ice-cream like consistency.
- Serve with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- You can swap any other milk for the almond milk.
- The spinach can also be swapped for kale or chard.
- The nutritional information is based on one serving with no toppings. Depending on appetites, this could serve 2.
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