4 Ideas for How to Make a Lower Carb Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie bowls are a terrific way to get more nutrients into your diet and have a pretty, filling breakfast you can be proud of. Unfortunately, many low-carb smoothie bowl recipes are loaded with dairy and sugar, which you can’t have if you are on a low-carb or keto diet. These low carb smoothies allow you to have this fruit and vegetable bowl in the morning without adding too much to your carbs for the day.

How Do You Make a Low Carb Smoothie?

Use a blender or food processor and blend fruits with some liquid to create a smoothie. Add some protein powder, coconut milk, or unsweetened almond milk for extra creaminess, along with a little bit of stevia for sweetness. If you are looking for some fat in your low carb smoothie recipes, try adding avocado, flaxseed, or whole nuts.

Low Carb Smoothie Ideas

• Use Almond Milk or Coconut Milk

The first option for your low carb smoothie bowl is to replace the regular milk with almond milk. One cup of low-fat milk has about 12 grams of carbohydrates, while a cup of unsweetened almond milk has 0 net carbs. Just make sure you choose the unsweetened variety, as there will be some carbs in the sweetened version. You can also try using a little bit of unsweetened coconut milk if you prefer the taste of that to almond milk.

• Skip the Yogurt

Another ingredient that smoothie bowls typically have that will be a little too high in carbs is the yogurt. Yogurt is not always added to smoothie bowls, but it frequently is to make it nice and creamy, and to thicken it up a little. If you see yogurt in a recipe and simply want to replace it, you can try a low-sugar yogurt, like the Triple Zero yogurts from Oikos. These do have some carbs, but at 6-8 net carbs each, they are considerably lower than your traditional yogurt.

• Add Low Carb Protein Powder

One of the reasons you have ingredients in a smoothie bowl that are not low carb-friendly, like bananas and yogurt, is because you are struggling to thicken it up. The smoothie bowl needs to be thicker, so that you can pour it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon, rather than a thinner smoothie you eat with a straw. To accomplish the thickness without the banana, which is about 25 net carbs each, you can try some low-carb protein powder instead. There are unflavored and flavored varieties, giving you many options. I personally like Orgain Collagen Protein Powder with MCT Oil. It’s paleo-friendly, dairy free, gluten free, and soy free.

• Go Heavy on the Veggies

While there are many delicious fruits that taste wonderful in smoothies and smoothie bowls, many of them are too high in carbs to make this a worthwhile breakfast for you. The best low-carb fruits to use are berries, like strawberries and raspberries. Most other fruits you should skip. However, you can turn it into a green smoothie with veggies low in carbs like avocado, kale, and spinach. Try replacing any smoothie recipe that contains banana with cauliflower, zucchini, or squash. It will add that creamy factor without extra sugar.

Low Carb Keto Mixed Berry Smoothie Bowl Recipe

This thick and creamy low carb smoothie bowl is made with dragon fruit (pitaya) and topped with super food ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop low carb vegan vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup mix of raspberries and blueberries
• 1/4 cup dragon fruit (pitaya)
• 1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk (unsweetened, full fat).
• Handful of frozen or fresh cauliflower
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

Directions:

1. Combine milk, raspberries, blueberries, dragon fruit, coconut milk, cauliflower, chia seeds, and protein powder in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add a dash of cinnamon on top. If desired, add two ice cubes while blending.
2. Optional: Top with additional berries, dragon fruit cubes and hemp seeds.

How Many Carbs are in Dragon Fruit?

There are about 17 grams of carbohydrates in a single dragon fruit. The good news is that dragon fruit is a low-carb fruit, so you can eat it and enjoy it without worrying about the carbs. If you’re not sure where to buy dragon fruit, you can usually find it in the frozen fruit section of your grocery store, or you can order them online from Amazon.

How Do You Thicken Up a Smoothie Without Bananas?

You can use bananas to thicken up a smoothie, but if you want to avoid excess sugar, there are other options. For example, you can add frozen fruit like dragon fruit, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries. You can also use zucchini, sliced squash, or cauliflower to thicken up low carb smoothies. Try my recipe for my low carb smoothie made with cauliflower and dragon fruit.

Christa Brown

Christa is the creator of Sugar Solution™ for diabetes management and Food Freedom and Flexible Living Academy™ for weight loss. Being one who was able to reverse her pre-diabetes and insulin resistance she utilizes a science based approach with a cognitive therapy and mindful eating approach. She believes that nutrition must be personalized with a holistic view of the person. Learn how to NOT give up the foods you love and yet still get healthier. Work with her here.

www.christabrowndietitian.com