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    Home » Gluten-Free

    Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl (Vegan & Gluten-free)

    July 18, 2021 by Agnieszka 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl is like decadent creamy vanilla ice-cream that’s entirely plant-based and only takes 4 simple ingredients to make. Using real vanilla beans gives it a wonderful flavor and visual effect. Try it as dessert, snack or even breakfast.

    coconut shell bowl filled with coconut vanilla smoothie, chocolate chips, and toasted coconut alongside a wooden spoon.

    Ice-cream for breakfast? Um, yes, please! This smoothie bowl truly is like ice-cream in every way. It’s thick, it’s creamy and it’s flavorful. Made with frozen bananas and real vanilla beans, it is naturally sweetened and speckled with beautiful black dots of vanilla. Its exquisite creaminess comes from full fat coconut milk that’s frozen as ice-cubes. I recently learned this wonderful smoothie bowl hack and it's a true game changer!

    While this bowl is not a low-calorie food, personally, I feel really good about eating it because it’s made with simple, natural ingredients, sweetened naturally with bananas AND it’s gluten and dairy-free. Serve it in a natural coconut bowl for a truly decadent and guilt-free dessert or snack.

    WHAT YOU WILL NEED

    labeled ingredients of almond milk, vanilla bean, coconut milk and banana.

    Frozen Bananas: freeze the bananas when they’re ripe. Slice them or cut into chunks – it will make blending easier.

    Canned Coconut Milk, Frozen: the best way to freeze coconut milk is to use full fat coconut milk, make sure it’s at room temperature and shake the can well. Open the can and pour into an ice-cube tray (a silicone ice-cube tray works best). Freeze overnight.

    Unsweetened Almond Milk: you can also use any other unsweetened plant milk, such as coconut, soy or oat milk. Plant milk is used to help the frozen ingredients blend and to add extra creaminess.

    Vanilla Pod: fresh vanilla beans will give you the best flavor and visual results but if you don’t have any, use vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract.

    HOW TO MAKE VANILLA COCONUT SMOOTHIE BOWL

    STEP 1: Freeze bananas and coconut milk. It’s best to do this the night before or for at least 5 hours.

    STEP 2: Get all ingredients ready. If you’re using a vanilla pod, scrape the beans out before taking the bananas and coconut milk out of the freezer. You want to make sure they are frozen solid before blending.

    prepared ingredients in bowls of coconut, banana, almond milk, and vanilla beans.

    STEP 3: Blend, blend, blend. See my tips below on how to make a perfect smoothie bowl.

    side by side view of prepared ingredients in a blender before and after blending

    STEP 4: Add toppings and serve! Scoop the contents of your blender into a bowl (I love this coconut shell bowl) and top with your favorite fixings (I like toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips).

    vanilla coconut smoothie in a coconut shell bowl

    vanilla coconut smoothie with chocolate chips and toasted coconut in a coconut shell bowl

    TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST SMOOTHIE BOWL

    Making a good smoothie bowl that’s thick and creamy can be a little tricky but there are a couple simple rules that will make it perfect every single time.

    • Use a powerful blender. A good blender is essential for making your smoothie bowl thick and ice-cream like. Vitamix is my favorite for heavy duty blending but Ninja has a really nice blender with a smoothie bowl maker that works very well, too.
    • Freeze the ingredients. This is key! If you freeze the fruit, vegetables and sometimes even liquids (like in this recipe), your smoothie bowl will stay perfectly thick and will not turn into a thin, watery smoothie.
    • Start with a small amount of liquid and add more later, if needed. A little liquid goes a long way! You want just enough plant or dairy milk to help the blender process all the frozen ingredients. Even if it looks like the mixture is way too thick at the beginning, as you keep blending, it may turn out you actually had enough. I usually start with ⅓ plant milk and keep working until most of my ingredients are blended through. If it still looks crumbly and too thick, I will add a bit more milk.
    • Place softer ingredients on the bottom of the blender jar.
    • Be patient! Don't assume you need more liquid if the mixture looks super thick at first. Just keep blending using a tamper and if needed, turn off your blender and stir the mixture to get anything that got caught under the blade. It will eventually become smooth and creamy. 

    CAN I MAKE THIS SMOOTHIE BOWL WITHOUT BANANA

    Yes! You can’t really taste bananas in this smoothie bowl (coconut and vanilla dominate the flavor) but if you don’t want to use bananas, simply replace them with an additional can of coconut milk frozen in ice cubes. You will need to add some sweetener because most of the sweetness comes from bananas. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and only use ¼ cup of plant milk to start with. Since maple syrup is liquid, you want to make sure the smoothie bowl doesn’t get too thin.

    HOW TO SERVE VANILLA COCONUT SMOOTHIE BOWL

    This Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl can be enjoyed in its own (especially when served in a super cute coconut shell) but let’s be honest: It’s all about the toppings! The possibilities are endless: try it with fresh fruit, nuts or chocolate.

    Toppings that would go well with this smoothie bowl:

    • Your favorite granola (great for breakfast!)
    • Dark or milk chocolate chips (I like mini chocolate chips)
    • Nuts (halved or chopped peanuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or sliced almonds)
    • Shredded dried coconut, raw or toasted
    • Fresh or dried fruit (sliced bananas, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, cherries or mangoes)
    • Dark chocolate shell (melted dark chocolate with a bit of coconut oil)
    • Seeds (hemp seeds or chia seeds)

    spoon scooping contents of vanilla coconut smoothie with chocolate chips and toasted coconut from a coconut shell bowl

    No time to make it now? Pin it for later!

    MORE GLUTEN AND DAIRY-FREE BREAKFAST IDEAS

    • Nutella Smoothie Bowl
    • Snickers Smoothie Bowl
    • Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Smoothie Bowl
    • Blue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl
    • Flaxseed Pudding
    • Snickers Smoothie Bowl
    • Blue Chia Pudding

    This post contains affiliate links. 

    Print
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    Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl (Vegan & Gluten-free)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 14 reviews

    • Author: Agnieszka
    • Total Time: 10 minutes
    • Yield: 2 servings 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl is like decadent creamy vanilla ice-cream that’s entirely plant-based and only takes 4 simple ingredients to make.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
    1 can of full fat coconut milk, frozen in ice-cube tray (see note)
    ⅓-½ unsweetened almond or oat milk
    1 vanilla bean pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean pasta or pure vanilla extract)


    Instructions

    1. The day before making the smoothie bowl (or earlier), freeze the bananas and coconut milk. Peel and slice the bananas, lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour. Shake the can with coconut milk really well, open and pour into an ice cube tray. Place in the freezer overnight or until completely frozen.
    2. If using a vanilla bean pod, lay the pod on a cutting board and flatten with your finger. Make a slit in the middle of the pod lengthwise not cutting all the way through. Open the pod carefully and scrape the vanilla beans out with the back of the knife.
    3. Pour ⅓ cup almond or oat milk in a bowl of a high speed blender.
    4. Add bananas first, then coconut milk cubes and scraped out vanilla beans (paste or extract).
    5. Blend the mixture using the tamper to move the solids around. If needed, turn the blender off, stir and blend until smooth and ice-cream consistency, adding more plant milk, if needed.
    6. Serve immediately on its own or topped with toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips.

    Notes

    The best way to freeze coconut milk is to use full fat coconut milk, make sure it’s at room temperature and shake the can well. Open the can and pour into an ice-cube tray. Silicone ice-cube tray works best because it’s super easy to pop the coconut milk cube out when you’re ready to use them.

    Vanilla beans from a fresh pod will give you the best results but if you don’t have one, use vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract. 1 vanilla bean pod = 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or extract.

    Go easy on the liquid! Start by adding ⅓ cup almond milk (or other plant milk) to the blender and blend with the frozen bananas and coconut milk cubes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time. If you add too much liquid right away, you’ll end up with a smoothie that’s not as thick as a smoothie bowl.

    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Category: breakfast, dessert
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: how to make a vanilla coconut smoothie bowl, vanilla smoothie bowl, vanilla coconut smoothie bowl, dairy free smoothie bowl

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me on Instagram @whollytasteful — I can't wait to see what you've made!

     

     

     

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Freya

      August 04, 2021 at 4:36 am

      I loved the idea of this coconut smoothie bowl and just had to try it! I find the usual fruit smoothies a bit boring but this was more like a delicious healthy ice cream!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Nora

      August 04, 2021 at 1:56 pm

      What a unique smoothie bowl idea. I've got a special someone at home, who is going to love this! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Kristina

      August 04, 2021 at 2:54 pm

      My daughter's really enjoyed this! One of them cannot have dairy, so I use coconut milk and almond milk all of the time- so this was another creative way to make her fun recipes since she can never have all of the traditional summer treats.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Amanda Dixon

      August 04, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      This was the perfect way to start the day! It kept me satisfied, and I just love the tropical flavor.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Brianna May

      August 10, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      This flavor combo is delicious! Will be making this recipe again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Jerika

      September 02, 2021 at 3:37 am

      Wow! I love this recipe it's one of my on-the-go breakfasts already, so yummy and creamy!:) Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Alexandra

      September 02, 2021 at 3:51 am

      Such a delicious way to start the day - we love this smoothie bowl!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Natalie

      September 02, 2021 at 9:44 am

      Oh, I love this. It's so simple, with only a few ingredients! Perfect breakfast. I'm going to give this a try. Btw, freezing coconut milk, it's a brilliant idea!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. amanda

      September 02, 2021 at 10:34 am

      I love coconut so much and I love how the flavor comes through in this smoothie bowl. So refreshing and delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Priya Maha

      September 02, 2021 at 11:54 am

      I love this recipe and love the idea of freezing the coconut milk in ice cube trays!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    11. Luca

      September 02, 2021 at 4:19 pm

      Coconut and vanilla are among my favorite flavors. This smoothie bowl is so delicious.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    12. Megan Ellam

      September 02, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      This looks so good and I just got a delivery of coconut bowl. Its a sign haha!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Katie Deacon

      September 04, 2021 at 3:59 am

      This was perfect, like a smoothy ice cream almost. Absolutely amazing way to start my day!

      Katie xoxo

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    14. Julia

      April 01, 2022 at 8:44 am

      A very tasty dish!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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