Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl

breakfast recipe

Apr 20

Freshen up your breakfast with these dragon fruit smoothie bowls! It’s not only one of the prettiest fruits you’ll ever find, dragon fruit provides a bowl full of health benefits.

Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, phenolic acid, and betacyanin, it's naturally fat-free and high in fiber, and it contains prebiotics, which feed the healthy bacteria called probiotics in your gut.

What a weird season we are in! It’s definitely taken a couple weeks to adjust but I think we finally have a good routine going over here. I’m doing my best to every day be intentional with choosing joy and soaking in the extra undistracted time with my family. Don’t get me wrong, it’s HARD but it’s also really GOOD.

We’ve been experimenting more in the kitchen and that’s been super fun. Some recipes have been so good we’ve made them immediately the next day others...not so much! But that’s the fun.

I’ve been getting a little bored with my breakfast and wanted to spice things up a bit. It used to be my least favorite meal of the day but now it’s quickly becoming my favorite meal of the day!

I’ve been playing around with different breakfast options like my Berry Breakfast Crisp and these Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowls and I’m officially in love with breakfast again.

One of my favorite breakfasts after a workout is a smoothie bowl. In fact, most mornings I plan my workouts in just so I can have a smoothie bowl right after. Perfect motivation! Run then EAT! They are so refreshing.

I’ve learned there is a bit of an art to making the perfect smoothie bowl. You don’t want it too liquidy or it won’t hold the toppings and just isn’t fun to eat. I’m sharing my best tips to make the perfect smoothie bowl and sharing the health benefits of dragon fruit: the star of this smoothie bowl!

How to Make a Thick Smoothie Bowl

There’s nothing worse than making a smoothie bowl only for it to be super soupy. I mean, it’s still good but then I would have just made a smoothie if I wanted to drink it. You want your smoothie to be thick and creamy and there are two key things you need to do to achieve a thick smoothie.

Use frozen fruit

This is key for a thick smoothie. Your base should be something that’s going to add bulk and bananas are perfect for this. Plus, they are super cheap too. I simply peel the bananas and add them to a freezer plastic bag. They are easy to break into chunks when it’s smoothie time. Then I add in other frozen fruit to add the flavor. In today’s smoothie that’s dragon fruit! And it adds that gorgeous pink flavor.

Use less liquid

This is really important. It’s going to be tempting to add a lot of liquid like you do for a smoothie but for your smoothie bowl, less is better. I typically only add ¼ cup (if even that) of almond milk when I’m first starting off making the smoothie. Then if I need more, I add a little bit at a time (think 1-2 tbsp). If you do add too much liquid, just add some more fruit until you get that thick, creamy consistency.

Keep in mind that when you’re using less liquid, you’re going to have to stop and scrape the sides with a spatula a handful of times to push the fruit back down and get rid of the air pockets. This is normal. Just be patient. It’s worth the tiny bit of effort to get that super thick smoothie. If you need to add a little liquid do so but remember only a little bit at a time.

All About The Toppings

My girls think the smoothie bowls taste like ice cream as is and you really don’t need or have to add toppings but toppings are so fun and add some bulk to your breakfast.

The toppings can be whatever you have on hand and this is a really fun way to get the kids involved! Sometimes I set up a smoothie bowl bar and the girls add their own toppings. They think it’s so fun. Here are some of our favorite toppings:

Granola

Raspberries

Banana slices

Blueberries

Strawberries

Almond butter

Peanut butter

Coconut flakes, unsweetened

Hemp seeds

Cacao nibs

Chia seeds

Breakfast crisp

Almond slices

Goji berries

Dragon Fruit

I’m new to dragon fruit, so if you are too, you’re in for a real treat! It’s not only beautiful but tastes really yummy too. It has a tropical flavor that’s a cross between a kiwi and watermelon. I buy it frozen for convenience but you could totally buy it fresh and then freeze.

I love adding variety to our diets and trying different fruits and vegetables is a great way to get in a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients. Dragon fruit has a lot of amazing health benefits. Here are just some of the health benefits:

Essential compounds

Dragon fruit has essential plant compounds like polyphenols, carotenoids and betacyanins.

Fiber

You all know I’m obsessed with fiber and try to get in as much as I can every day. Dragon fruit is packed with fiber. Dragon fruit has 7 grams per cup, so you are well on your way to getting the minimum of 25 grams of fiber you need each day. Fiber is great for digestion but also for weight loss! You can read all about fiber here.

Prebiotics

Our health starts in our gut and is often forgotten. We all have bacteria in our gut and we want the good bacteria to stay around so feeding that is super important. Dragon fruit has prebiotics that promotes the growth of good bacteria to help fight illnesses and disease.

Magnesium

Dragon fruit has more magnesium than most fruit per 1 cup serving. Magnesium helps to calm nerves and anxiety, relieves muscle aches and spasms, prevents migraine headaches, helps with insomnia and promotes sleep, and helps with digestion but sadly, most people are deficient. Dragon fruit is a delicious way to add in more magnesium to your diet.