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A smoothie bowl is basically a smoothie with extra personality—it’s thicker, spoonable, and loaded with toppings you can actually chew. By cutting back on the liquid, focusing on protein and limiting carbs, you create a Thick Keto Smoothie Bowl that’s closer to soft-serve than a drink, making it feel more like a treat than a health food (even though it’s packed with nutrients).
Now, I’m not a keto person, but I know a lot of you are—and I love creating recipes that can work for both lifestyles. This thick keto smoothie bowl is the perfect middle ground: it’s a plant-based bowl for all the energy, glow, and anti-inflammatory benefits that come with eating more plants, but it’s also low in carbs and high in healthy fats and protein to fit into a keto plan.
How to Make a Thick Keto Smoothie
The key to a thick, satisfying smoothie bowl is all in the ratio. While a regular smoothie uses about 1 cup of liquid per serving, a smoothie bowl uses only about ¾ cup—or even less. Less liquid means more texture and thickness.
Here’s the formula I use for the perfect plant-based keto smoothie bowl:
- Blend ¾ cup dairy-free milk (like almond or coconut milk) with 1 cup leafy greens.
- Add 1 1/2 cups frozen fruit and/or low-carb veggies (think avocado, cauliflower, or zucchini for creaminess without added sugar).
- If your blender struggles, use a tamper to push the ingredients toward the blades.
- Pour into a bowl and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
- Add your favorite keto-friendly toppings and dig in.
By keeping it plant-based, you’ll get easy-to-digest fuel, more antioxidants, and less bloating—without sacrificing the satisfying richness keto lovers crave.
Why Add Cauliflower to a Smoothie Bowl?
I know—cauliflower in a smoothie sounds weird. But trust me, frozen cauliflower is one of the best keto-friendly hacks. It adds creaminess, fiber, vitamin C, and folate—without changing the flavor. In this recipe, it blends seamlessly with almond milk, leafy greens, and naturally sweet fruits. You get all the nutrition benefits, plus that thick, dreamy texture—without the carbs sneaking in.
Keto-Friendly Smoothie Bowl Toppings
One of the best parts about a smoothie bowl is that it’s a blank canvas for toppings. With keto, you want to focus on nutrient-dense, low-carb, high-fat options that add texture and flavor without spiking your carbs. Here’s some ideas:
- Keto granola (grain-free, nut- and seed-based)
- Fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries)
- Nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp hearts)
- Superfoods (cacao nibs, unsweetened coconut flakes)
Sticking with whole, unprocessed toppings keeps your bowl clean, nutrient-rich, and satisfying enough to keep you full for hours.
Thick Keto Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach fresh
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 cup cauliflower florets frozen
- ½ banana frozen
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 serving collagen
Toppings
- pinch ground cinnamon ground
- ½ green apple chopped
- ½ tbsp pure maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach and coconut milk. Puree until smooth.
- Add cauliflower, sliced frozen banana, and almond butter. Blend until smooth. Add in collagen and blend on low until mixed in.
- Serve by pouring blended mixture into a bowl. Top with green apple, ground cinnamon and scoop of collagen.
Notes
- To lower the natural sugar in this smoothie, omit the maple syrup or swap banana with more frozen cauliflower.
- Swap the green apple with the apple of your choice.
- To make this recipe nut free, swap in oat, rice or soy milk for the almond milk and the almond butter with 1 tbsp of hemp hearts or chia seeds.
Nutrition
More Smoothie Bowl Recipes
Smoothie bowls are a great way to enjoy smoothies, as well as a super fun way to help others discover + enjoy smoothies too! Here are some of my fav smoothie bowl combos (besides this thick smoothie bowl):
Absolutely Delicious! Rich, thick and creamy!
Using frozen cauliflower that I assume has been blanched before being frozen must be the key. All I had was raw cauliflower, and I didn’t feel like cooking it, and it definitely left a bitter cauliflower aftertaste. The smoothie was pretty good initially even though I could taste the cauliflower a little bit, but if you leave it sit at all the cauliflower becomes more pronounced the longer it sits. I will go with cooked cauliflower if I ever try this again!
I used frozen cauliflower in mine and didn’t taste it a bit, so maybe that is the key. Mine didn’t last long enough for me to see if the cauliflower taste got stronger the longer it sat 🙂
Yes FROZEN is the key! Frozen cauliflower you hardly taste at all.
Even though I’ve done the Plant-Based Cleanse several times now, I only just made this smoothie bowl a few days ago and Oh. My. Goodness. It’s one of my new favorites! I feel like I could eat this every day. I was a little skeptical about the cauliflower but trusted others who said you really couldn’t taste it – it was true! All I tasted was deliciousness and I think using coconut milk (I didn’t have almond milk) made it even smoother and creamier. 10 stars for this one!
Hey Holly,
I am so glad that you decided to give this recipe a try this time on our Plant-Based Cleanse!! It really is so delicious and I am so glad that you enjoyed it 🙂