Smoothie Bowl Breakfast Bar

Brunch doesn't have to be complicated. A smoothie bowl breakfast bar is the perfect way to feed a crowd with plenty of options for customizations based on dietary needs and preferences! We've included two of our favorite vegan smoothie bowl recipes here, along with some tips and tricks for making perfect smoothie bowls.

This post is sponsored by Cascadian Farm and The FeedFeed. All opinions are our own.

Our family is notorious for planning big brunches, then waking up way later than planned and not getting any food on the table until far past noon.

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with sleeping in, we’re all a bit too hungry for our overly-ambitious plans (which typically involve cinnamon rolls, waffles, quiche, etc.).

Lately, we've been trying to simplify that by taking a family favorite (smoothie bowls) and letting everyone customize their toppings! Easy, but perfect for a big group. And, a great way to get the whole family involved!

A smoothie bowl breakfast bar is especially perfect for families (like ours) with various dietary requirements/preferences.

Family members that don't eat dairy, gluten or nuts? Easy - simply make sure there are plenty of allergy-friendly options for everyone to enjoy. Luckily, it's easy to keep things pretty simple when it comes to fruit-based smoothies. Go crazy - or keep it super simple - when it comes to toppings. The possibilities are endless!

We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with Cascadian Farm and The Feedfeed this fall to bring you these vegan smoothie bowl recipes!

This journey of Crowded Kitchen has been full of surprises and has given us so many incredible opportunities to create content for brands we love. It’s especially fulfilling to work with brand like Cascadian Farm, which we have personally used in our home for years.

Cascadian Farm + Organic

We love that Cascadian Farm was organic before it was cool to be organic. Their founder was inspired to “go back to the land and farm in a way that would not harm the natural beauty of the earth or her inhabitants”.

They launched their organic farm in the Cascade Mountains of Washington (hence the origin of the name!). Since then, they’ve been growing and producing all organic products.

We're so grateful to have had the chance to visit THE Cascadian Farm with The Feedfeed team! You can find a recap of our trip here. It was incredibly beautiful (already ready to make a trip back to Seattle area!) and we learned SO much about organic farming.

More recently, we also had a chance to go to Organic Week in Washington D.C. where we witnessed first hand what it's like to lobby for organic policies. It was such an incredible experience and made us even more grateful to work with brands like Cascadian Farm.

Head here to read a full recap of that experience, as well as a comprehensive guide on everything about the organic food industry.

Questions about organic? While we're no experts, we've learned quite a lot in the last few years and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. It's so important for the food industry - and especially the organic food industry - to stay transparent.

After all, we're nourishing our bodies with this food. We deserve to know what goes into it!

What you need for the perfect smoothie bowl bar!

We used a few of our favorite Cascadian Farm products for these smoothie bowls. The Organic Cherry Berry Frozen Fruit Blend, and the Organic Mango Strawberry Frozen Fruit Blend make for a perfect smoothie! We also love these three granola flavors: Fruit & Nut, Dark Chocolate Almond, and French Vanilla Almond.

We love that the frozen fruit blends made it even easier to make large batches of these smoothies. There's no need to open six different frozen fruit bags!

I (Lexi), personally, can’t eat a smoothie bowl without granola. There’s just something so satisfying about the textural difference, and it really makes it feel like a full meal. My favorite flavor is the Dark Chocolate Almond - who doesn’t love a little chocolate for breakfast?!

Best smoothie bowl toppings

Let’s talk about toppings. In addition to granola, we always set out a bunch of fresh berries and other sliced fruits. Today’s choice includes blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, figs and kiwi.

We also always add a variety of nuts, seeds, and healthy fats, including pepitas, hemp seeds, chia seeds, nut butter, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, etc. My ultimate combo: dark chocolate almond granola, blueberries, raspberries, coconut and peanut or almond butter!

What's your favorite smoothie bowl topping? Let us know in the comment section!

How to get the perfect smoothie bowl texture:

• Use mostly frozen fruit, and let it thaw for a few minutes (5-10) before blending. If it’s rock hard, you’ll have to keep adding liquid to make it blend. That could leave you with a watery smoothie.
• We never use ice in smoothies or smoothie bowls. That is, unless the ice cubes are made out of juice, nut milk, or something other than water. Ice really dampens the flavor and you’ll never be able to get that perfectly smooth texture you see on Instagram!

• Don’t use too much liquid. Again, you don’t want the end result to be too watery. Otherwise, the toppings will sink and it will be difficult to eat.
• Bananas are a smoothie bowl’s best friend! Whether frozen or fresh, ripe bananas really help with that smooth, creamy texture you’re looking for.
• You may have to go through more than one blend cycle to make sure all of the frozen fruit is fully blended. It’s better to spend a bit more time blending than to end up with chunks of frozen strawberry!
• Last but not least, if your blender doesn’t have a tamper to help you push everything down, you can always try blending it in a food processor.

Read a few more of our best smoothie bowl making tips in this post. You can also find 3 of our favorite summer smoothie bowl recipes + our blender recommendations.

Now that you're equipped with all of the tools to make the perfect smoothie bowl, start planning your smoothie bowl breakfast bar! It's the perfect healthy idea for the holidays, or any time you're feeding a big group for a quick breakfast.

Looking for more smoothie bowl recipes? Here are a few of our favorites - all perfect for adding the toppings of your choice:

• Strawberries and Cream Smoothie Bowl (Vegan)
• Carrot Mango Peach Turmeric Smoothie Bowl
• Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl via The Almond Eater
• PB & J Smoothie Bowl by Thefeedfeed - YUM

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