“Smoothie bowls”: how, where and why

They are healthy, nutritious and very, very beautiful. The «smoothie bowls», the bowl smoothies with assorted toppings have everything to become the new trendy breakfast.

In Summum we explain why you will no longer be able to do without them and, incidentally, we give you some clues about where to eat them and how to make them at home.

To get started: What is a “smoothie bowl”?

Nutritious and velvety, “smoothies” have starred at least one of each of gastronomic trends.

Now these fruit and vegetable super-smoothies have been reinvented, thickening their texture (they are not drunk, but eaten with a spoon) and showing attractive toppings of fresh fruit, cereals, nuts, and granola. Under this new guise, the ‘smoothie bowls’ have been launched to conquer the passionate of the healthy food.

And, of course, on Instagram, where they have become a true phenomenon that has thousands of followers.

The açaí bowl, the beginning of everything

Account Carissa Bonham in the book «Delicious Smoothie bowls» that the origin of the phenomenon of the bowl shakes is the Brazilian açaí bowls, a traditional amazon dish that little by little became popular in the large cities of the country in the sixties.

And from there to the whole world: the «açaí bowl» is a trend within the trend of the ‘smoothie bowls’. The açaí is a small and powerful blueberry-like berry Originally from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest: it is rich in vitamins A and E, omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, it contains a good amount of fiber and is low in sugars. That is why it is considered a superfood.

Of course, in that leap to fame, the original recipe for the açaí bowl underwent some changes: salty ingredients like fish and prawns made room for ingredients confectionery and a fruit and granola topping.

Why are the ‘smoothie bowls’ successful?

Because they are highly nutritious, healthy and very attractive. Whites, pinks, reds, greens, blues, purple.

Color is one of the strengths of bowl shakes.

And it’s not just about aesthetics: color of each food the food group is related to a number of beneficial health properties.

Fruit, whole or sliced, cereals, nuts, granola (homemade or already prepared). The coverage it is another determining element for a simple smoothie to become a visually irresistible dish. Good and pretty.

How to make the perfect smoothie bowl: the texture

El «smoothie bowl» It consists of two parts. A shake and a topping. The thicker texture of the shake is the differential element between a normal «smoothie» y un «smoothie bowl»: Fruits, cereals and toppings must not sink to the bottom of the bowl.

To achieve this texture there are several tricks. For example, use frozen fruit or chop it, if it is large fruit, and freeze it at home. Bananas and avocados are great for thickening the smoothie and adding some creaminess.

Another trick is to add ice, a tablespoon of nut butter like peanuts or cashews or powdered oatmeal. Finally, you can also throw dates, which also give a naturally sweet touch to the mixture. These are some of the tips gathered in the book ‘Smoothie bowls’ by Fern Green, which compiles nothing less than 69 versions of healthy bowls and some other advice on how to introduce them in our day to day.

The TOP ingredients for a TOP shake

Vegetables, fruits, vegetable proteins, superfoods, vegetable or dairy drinks and natural sweeteners. The only limit to making the perfect bowl is your imagination.

Still, we want to give you some tips on how to turn your smoothie bowl into the best – and most exclusive – version of itself.

Among the vegetables, the castle It is a must: a super-vegetable rich in iron, crunchy and very fashionable. Among the fruits, the most valued is the pitaya or dragon fruit: a tropical beauty whose price is around the 6 euros a piece.

Red fruits are also a very TOP choice. Matcha tea, kombucha and plant drinks, such as oat and almond milk, are other ingredients that cannot be missing in a healthy and luxurious shopping basket.

For toppings, the colors

Granola is the queen of smoothie bowls toppings. Classic, chocolate, coconut, buckwheat, quinoa and black sesame. There are no limits to how crisp it is.

Plant proteins chapter: nuts are one of the best (and expensive) sources. If this seems like an overly obvious choice, the best option is chia seeds, a tiny superfood with thickening properties similar to those of an egg.

And to sweeten? No refined sugar, Yes No Yesnatural clothes(from agave or maple), dates and honey. Honey from Manuka (the tea tree native to New Zealand) is the most valued in the world: it is said to have a high antioxidant and antibacterial power. 125 gr of this ingredient can reach up to 70 euros.

RawCoco: special and seasonal

With headquarters in Gijón and Madrid, Rawcoco It is a green bar that focuses its offer on fresh, healthy and seasonal products.

Smoothie bowls are also served here, such as açaí bowls, with banana, strawberries, blueberries, almond milk and grated coconut. There is also a seasonal bowl that varies its ingredients depending on what the market offers. For another week, the letter from last spring will continue: that of pitaya with fresh fruit and organic chocolate granola.

Flax&Kale: the end of the rainbow

Located in Barcelona, ​​Flax & Kale is a restaurant with healthy flexitarian cuisine that combines plant foods (80% of its offer) with blue fish (20%).

In your breakfast menu, we find a whole section dedicated to healthy bowls. Among them, the acai bowl, with açaí, banana, goji berries, cashew drink and Brazil chestnut crumble among other ingredients and the Pink Pitaya Bowl with red pitaya, almond drink, buckwheat granola and chia seeds.

El Rainbow Coconut Milk Parfait is one of the most attractive and “instagrammable” novelties: it is made with coconut milk, spirulina algae (which gives the mixture a beautiful blue color), fruit salad and gluten-free crumble.

Green and in a bowl: Honest Greens

Aimed at vegetarian, vegan, celiac, lactose intolerant clients or simply those who love healthy food, the healthy fast food restaurants Honest Greens, with locations in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​are also in line with the super-bowl trend.

Apart from the classic oatmeal porridge and chia pudding, with fresh fruit, seeds and vegetable drinks, we also find a version of the açaí bowl with banana, fresh berries, hemp seeds and homemade paleo crumble.

At the bar or at home: the açaí bowl of Beauty

Beleeza is a Hispanic-Brazilian company whose mission is to announce the benefits (in every way!) of the acai in Spain.

Aside from distributing and selling organic açaí, Beleeza also owns two açaí bars in Madrid, one in the Velázquez street and another on Fernando VI street. Here the açaí bowl is versioned in a thousand different ways: with yogurt or other fruits, with fresh fruit, granola and chocolate granola, grated coconut, honey and a host of other toppings. You can choose from various combinations on the menu or you can also “sew to measure” your own exclusive bowl. And the best of all is that they deliver it to your home. What more could you want?