Cotton Candy Smoothie Bowl

Cotton Candy Smoothie Bowl. This cotton candy smoothie bowl was inspired by beautiful and colorful fluffy cotton candy. While I love a trip to the amusement park, and maybe a couple bites of cotton candy .. 🙂 it is not something I eat very often. My cotton candy smoothie bowl is super sweet and super healthy for you!

It is naturally colored with butterfly pea powder and strawberries so you can enjoy sweet delicious cotton candy, the healthy way!

My Cotton Candy Smoothie Bowl Recipe is:

• Healthy
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free
• Easy to make
• Super thick & fluffy!
• Excellent fun and healthy dessert for kids!

ASK THE DIETITIAN:

ARE SMOOTHIE BOWLS ACTUALLY HEALTHY?

Smoothie bowls have a lot of the same healthy benefits that regular smoothies have. Most smoothies and smoothie bowls are healthy just from the fact that they contain antioxidant and nutrient rich fruits.

If you want to eat a smoothie bowl as your meal, or have blood sugar problems, add a scoop of protein powder or collagen powder to your blended ingredients and top your bowl with nuts, seeds, and nut butters.

COTTON CANDY SMOOTHIE BOWL HEALTH BENEFITS

• Banana. High in potassium, fiber, and B6. Fiber feeds your good gut bugs. Happy gut= improved mood.

• Pineapple. Very high in antioxidants and vitamin C. Can help lower inflammation.

• Strawberries. Also high in antioxidants. Red color is from an antioxidant called lycopene.

• Butterfly pea powder. High in antioxidants.

• Blueberries. A super fruit known for its fiber content and disease fighting benefits.

• Kiwi. Amazing for digestion. Good gut health= better mental health.

• Hemp seeds. Rich in healthy fats. Health fats are essential for brain health.

HOW TO COLOR YOUR COTTON SMOOTHIE BOWL NATURALLY

Classic cotton candy colors are pink, purple, and blue. In this cotton candy smoothie bowl, I used butterfly pea powder for purple, and strawberries for pink. If you want to make blue instead of pink or purple, simply use blue spirulina powder for a natural blue color.

PINK- a blend of frozen strawberries, pineapple, and banana. You can also use beetroot powder or pink pitaya powder for a natural pink smoothie color.

PURPLE- a blend of frozen banana and butterfly pea powder. If you can't find butterfly pea, you can also use black goji berry powder, blueberries, or raspberries.

BLUE- for a blue cotton candy smoothie bowl color, blend frozen banana, mango, and/or pineapple with blue spirulina powder.

HOW TO MAKE A THICK CREAMY SMOOTHIE BOWL TIPS & TRICKS

Use frozen fruit. Frozen fruit makes THE best base for a smoothie bowl. If you don't have a strong blender, you can let the fruit thaw out in the blender for 5 minutes. Also, you may have to turn your blender off a few times and stir it down (or use your tamper). This is normal! If you use ONLY frozen fruit, it will be well worth it and you will have a delicious and healthy sorbet.

Don't add any liquid. Any liquid that you add, even if it is the liquid from fresh fruit (see the point above) will make your smoothie more watery. So, it will be easier to blend the smoothie, but you will not get a "ice cream" like texture.

Put your bowl in the freezer. I put my bowl in the freezer before I add the smoothie. This helps it stay cold and thick for longer. I also put it back in the freezer after I add the pink smoothie so it stays cold while I make the purple smoothie.

Add a scoop of protein powder. If you are eating this as a breakfast, it is important to get in protein. Hemp seeds do have protein, but they are incomplete protein. Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder or greek yogurt to make this a complete meal. Or, add a nut butter along with the hemp seeds.

FAQ's

Frequently asked questions about my cotton candy smoothie bowl.

What makes a smoothie bowl thick?

They main key to a thick smoothie bowl is frozen fruit! If your blender is not super strong, you can either let your fruit thaw at room temperature for about 5 minutes in the blender, or you can add a splash of milk to get the blender going.

Where can I buy butterfly pea powder?

You may be able to find it at a healthy food store. You know those cute little shops with the creaky wooden floors. I love those. But, if you don't have a health food store near you, you can find it right on amazon!

What does butterfly pea powder taste like?

Okay so I actually like the taste of it. It is very subtle and not bitter at all. It is not sweet either. But, a lot of people don't like to drink it plain and would compare it to a very earthy flavor.

I don't typically drink it plain either. It is delicious made into a milk tea or a latte. And it is also amazing when you mix it into smoothies because the fruit takes over the flavor!

Can I make a thick smoothie bowl without banana?

Yes! If you're not a banana fan, just substitute frozen mango of frozen pineapple for the banana in this recipe.

MORE AESTHETIC SMOOTHIE BOWLS

1. Watermelon Smoothie Bowl
2. Creamsicle Smoothie Bowl
3. Red Smoothie Bowl
4. Pink Mermaid Smoothie Bowl
5. Ocean Smoothie Bowl with Blue Spirulina
6. Mango Pineapple Blue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl
7. Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
8. Pineapple Banana Smoothie Bowl
9. Avocado Chocolate Smoothie Bowl

HOW TO MAKE MY COTTON CANDY SMOOTHIE BOWL

You will be making 2 separate smoothie bowl bases for this smoothie. Start with making the pink fruit smoothie bowl.

How to make the pink fruit smoothie

In your blender, add the 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 cup of frozen pineapple, and ½ frozen banana. Blend until it is smooth and creamy. If your blender isn't very strong, just stop the blender and stir the fruit around a bit to help combine it better.

Scoop your pink smoothie into a bowl and put it in the freezer to keep it thick and cold while you make the rest of your cotton candy smoothie bowl.

How to make the purple fruit smoothie

Don't worry about washing the blender, the butterfly pea powder will mask the pink color. And, the bit of acid from the strawberries will help you get that vibrant purple color!

In your blender, add the frozen banana and 1 teaspoon of butterfly pea powder. Turn your blender back on and blend until the smoothie is smooth!

HOW TO MAKE MY DOUBLE COLOR COTTON CANDY SMOOTHIE BOWL

Take the bowl with the pink fruit smoothie from the freezer. Push the pink smoothie to one side. Add the purple smoothie to the other side of the bowl. Use your spoon to swirl the two colors together to get the effect that you like.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

COTTON CANDY SMOOTHIE BOWL TOPPING IDEAS

Add toppings to complement the sweet flavor of your fruit smoothie bowl. If you are eating this as a breakfast or as one of your meals, I would go for nuts, seeds, and granola to add more protein and different types of fiber. Plus, the nuts are a great source of healthy fats!

• Fresh fruit. I love to use what's in season. Right now in NY, we have strawberries and blueberries in season.

• Nuts & seeds. Hemp seeds are my all time favorite.

• Nut butters

• Granola. Sometimes I add granola for a bit more crunch. Make sure you are buying low sugar granola. Look for <5 grams of added sugar on the label.

Or, have it without any toppings at all! It is up to you!

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Did you make my cotton candy smoothie bowl and loved it? Leave me a rating in the recipe box below and tag your photo #thehintofrosemary !

~Rosemary