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Summer mornings call for something cool, quick, and packed with fresh flavor. This tropical smoothie bowl hits all the right notes—sweet, refreshing, and loaded with feel-good ingredients. With mango, strawberries, and orange blended into a thick, creamy base, it’s the perfect way to start a hot day. Top it with your favorite fruits, a sprinkle of coconut, and some crunchy granola for a breakfast that feels like a mini getaway.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Smoothie bowls are a fun way to change up the daily smoothie routine. They are thicker so you can use a spoon, and you have the freedom to go wild with toppings. This bowl is super simple to make with only three base ingredients:
- Fresh Orange: This serves as a liquid AND a fruit… win-win!
- Frozen Strawberries: Frozen produce helps make a smoothie bowl thick and creamy. You can freeze fresh strawberries or grab some already frozen ones.
- Frozen Mango: I sometimes snack on frozen mango chunks; they’re just so good! They also add extra creaminess + sweetness in a mildly flavorful way.
I often add in a handful of leafy greens or a homemade protein powder to add in extra fiber, nutrients, protein and healthy fats.
Tropical Smoothie Bowl Toppings
Here’s where the fun starts. Once you’ve poured the thick smoothie into a bowl, it’s time to start the topping party. Here’s some ideas to help you create something that’s tasty and pretty:
- Blueberries
- Kiwi
- Raspberries
- Pineapple
- Coconut flakes
- Granola
- Strawberries
- Mango
Where to Buy Coconut Bowls
Most days, I use a cereal bowl, yet I really do love using coconut bowls to complete the beachy vibes. Coconut bowls are easy to fill and deep enough to hold a thick smoothie and pile high the toppings.
How to Make Tropical Smoothie Bowl
- Pick a Base: You can use any smoothie recipe as your base, yet the key is making sure it’s thick enough. I like to use 1/2 cup liquid (either coconut water or blending a whole orange will give you this). Then I’ll add 1 cup frozen fruit. Peaches, mango, pineapple are staples in my house. You’ll need to use your blenders’ “tamper” to push the ingredients into the blade. When making a thick smoothie, it takes more work on your end (but it’s so worth it!).
- Pick your Toppings: I’m all about variety when it comes to flavors and textures. So I like to use a mixture of kiwi, mango, granola, coconut flakes and berries. Yet there’s no right or wrong way to do this— just pick whole food ingredients that you enjoy.
- Balanced Bowls: To make sure you’re getting a balanced nutrition, try to include one healthy fat + 1 kind of plant-based protein. This can be added to your base or as a topping. Seeds, avocado, plant-based protein power, coconut flakes, etc are all options.
More Smoothie Bowl Recipes
While I may not be able to make a smoothie bowl on the daily, I do love a good treat every now and again. Here are my go-to bowls to enjoy:
- Fruit Smoothie Bowl: Don’t let the color fool you, this is a rainbow bowl of flavor.
- Chocolate Smoothie Bowl: I love this for a quick dessert night; it’s incredibly delicious and creamy.
- Acai Smoothie Bowl: My go-to Summer breakfast; super refreshing and the perfect bowl to top with freshly picked berries.
- Pineapple Smoothie Bowl: My kids love this bowl as an afternoon snack.
- Berry Smoothie Bowl: A super easy recipe to make and enjoy with the berries of your choice!
Don’t forget to rate and review this tropical smoothie bowl recipe once you’ve tried it. I love hearing all your feedback!
Tropical Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 orange peeled
- 1 ½ cups strawberries frozen
- ½ cup mango frozen
- ¼ cup water if needed
Topping Suggestions
- blueberries
- raspberries
- pineapple
- raw coconut flakes
- strawberries
- kiwi
- granola
Instructions
- Place orange in blender followed by the frozen strawberries and mango.
- Blend, stopping to scrape down sides, until smooth. Feel free to add water to help it blend, yet you want it to be thick. The texture should be similar to soft serve ice cream.
- Transfer to a bowl and top with desired toppings.
Equipment
Notes
- Nutrition information does not include fruit and other toppings, only the smoothie bowl itself.
- If you want to lower the natural sugar from fruits in this bowl, add leafy greens or plant-based protein powder to up the fiber, protein and healthy fats.
- The toppings listed above are suggestions, feel free to top how you want. I love using fresh fruit, edible flowers, granola, nuts and seeds and more.
Nutrition
Common Questions
Yes, you can use fresh fruit in this smoothie bowl, but frozen strawberries and mango help give it that thick, creamy texture. If using fresh fruit, toss in a few ice cubes or freeze the fruit beforehand for the best consistency.
For a thick and creamy smoothie bowl, a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Nama C2 Blender is ideal. Since smoothie bowls use less liquid, you may need to use a tamper or add a splash more water to help it blend smoothly.
To turn your smoothie bowl into a more satisfying meal, try blending in a scoop of plant-based protein powder, a spoonful of almond butter, chia seeds, or a handful of oats. These additions will keep you fuller, longer.
While a smoothie bowl is always best enjoyed fresh, you can prep the frozen fruit portions in advance and store them in the freezer. When you’re ready, just blend and add your toppings for a quick and easy breakfast.
This tropical smoothie bowl pairs perfectly with fresh fruit like pineapple, kiwi, and berries. Add some crunch with granola or raw coconut flakes, and a drizzle of nut butter or a sprinkle of hemp seeds for extra nutrition.
The Tropical Smoothie is one of my favorites with all the fruit toppings and coconut. It doesn’t just taste delicious but also looks fantastic!
Delicious. I added some chard, just because I wanted to. 🙂
I thought this was good, I liked it more with fruit on top (enhanced all the flavors more and balanced out the strawberry sweetness). Was looking forward to this one
An afternoon treat. Great substitute for the desire for something sweet at the end of the day.
I think this is the recipe I was most looking forward to in the Summer Smoothie Challenge, and it didn’t disappoint! Even with a high-speed blender it requires a lot of patience to get the ingredients blended, but the result is worth the effort!
Great! Had it for breakfast. Think it would be great on a hot evening for dessert. I used raspberries as my topping
Refreshing and filling! Next time I make this I will add granola on top!
Truly amazing and refreshing. The possibilities are endless.
So good!
What type of mangoes you use?
Here in the USA, we usually have a choice of only 1, sometimes 2, types of mangos. However, there are hundreds of varieties in other parts of the world. Here’s a website with different varieties:
I’m pretty sure any type of mango will work. I make a lot of smoothies, and usually buy them frozen (organic, if possible).
Hi Kartik, whenever I’m blending smoothies, I opt for frozen, unsweetened fruits whenever they’re available. I love my smoothies to be super cold and on the thicker side. So, in the Tropical Smoothie Bowl, I blend in frozen mango chunks. However, fresh mango is totally perfect too! It’s totally based on your preference. 🙂
I love the orange base which makes this bowl so light and refreshing especially with the mango addition! Perfect recipe for summer!
I had never made a smoothie bowl before and this was so much fun! I will definitely be added this recipe and looking for more to make for breakfasts.
So yummy! I had forgotten how much I love the orange mango combo
The bowl is very sweet though…
Yummy smoothie! I did add a bit of almond milk to mine. Fruity, energizing, and loved the strawberry, orange, and mango flavors together. I’ll make this again for sure! Next time I’ll make the bowl with ALL the toppings but today was headed to work so I drank mine!
I couldn’t wait to try this smoothie bowl when I first saw it in the challenge booklet. So, so refreshing and yummy! You can enjoy it as a bowl with toppings or as a smoothie! My husband preferred to drink it, I loved it both ways.
Delicious! I added lots of blueberries and some granola to mine. Perfect start to a Sunday morning, but I’ll stick to regular smooties during the work week.
Nice flavor and balance. After tasting decided I was more in the mood for a smoothie than a bowl–blended with almond milk, cinnamon, and ginger root.