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.
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 in the form of 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.
If you have frozen bananas in your freezer you may also like this epic list of 27 Best Recipes Using Frozen Bananas.
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Ingredient notes
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Frozen Bananas: freeze the bananas when they’re ripe. Slice them or cut into chunks – it will make blending easier.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Looking for another delicious smoothie bowl? Try this Smoothie Bowl Without Banana (made with mangoes and berries), Strawberry Smoothie Bowl and Healthy Nutella Smoothie Bowl. Or, check out this fun Boba Smoothie tutorial instead
How to make coconut vanilla smoothie bowl
- Freeze bananas and coconut milk. It’s best to do this the night before or for at least 5 hours.
- 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.
- Blend, blend, blend. See my tips below on how to make a perfect smoothie bowl.
- 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).
Tips for making thick and creamy smoothie bowls
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.
Learn more tips in the article on How to Make a Thick Smoothie Bowl.
Can I make a thick 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.
Not a banana fan? Try my No Banana Smoothie Bowl recipe.
How to serve it
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)
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Recipe
Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl (Vegan and Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas sliced and frozen
- 1 can 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Pour ⅓ cup almond or oat milk in a bowl of a high speed blender.
- Add bananas first, then coconut milk cubes and scraped out vanilla beans (paste or extract).
- 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.
- Serve immediately on its own or topped with toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Freya says
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!
Nora says
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!
Kristina says
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.
Amanda Dixon says
This was the perfect way to start the day! It kept me satisfied, and I just love the tropical flavor.
Brianna May says
This flavor combo is delicious! Will be making this recipe again.
Jerika says
Wow! I love this recipe it's one of my on-the-go breakfasts already, so yummy and creamy!:) Thanks!
Alexandra says
Such a delicious way to start the day - we love this smoothie bowl!
Natalie says
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!
amanda says
I love coconut so much and I love how the flavor comes through in this smoothie bowl. So refreshing and delicious!
Priya Maha says
I love this recipe and love the idea of freezing the coconut milk in ice cube trays!
Luca says
Coconut and vanilla are among my favorite flavors. This smoothie bowl is so delicious.
Megan Ellam says
This looks so good and I just got a delivery of coconut bowl. Its a sign haha!
Katie Deacon says
This was perfect, like a smoothy ice cream almost. Absolutely amazing way to start my day!
Katie xoxo
Julia says
A very tasty dish!
BOB says
Yo dude This was delicious!!!!!!!!!
Jan says
Ok