Name: Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/4 cup hazelnuts; 1 frozen banana; 2 Medjool dates, pitted; 1 cup frozen cauliflower; 2 tbsp cacao powder; 1 tbsp flaxseeds; 1/3 cup non-dairy milk; 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; Cocowhip; Chopped Hazelnuts; Chocolate coconut granola; Dark chocolate, melted

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This Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl is rich, creamy, and is a delicious way to start your day. It’s blended with wholesome ingredients, such as a frozen banana, Medjool dates, cauliflower, cacao powder, and hazelnuts. A recipe that is healthy enough to be a breakfast smoothie, but tastes like a dessert. Plus, this easy smoothie bowl recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and comes together in 5 minutes.

White bowl filled a chocolate smoothie, comprised of medjool dates, banana, frozen cauliflower rice, cacao powder, hazelnuts, flaxseeds, and non-dairy milk, blended together. Topped with coconut whip cream, chocolate coconut granola, chopped dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and a drizzle of dark chocolate. Sitting on a white marble counter and has a spoon in it.

This chocolate smoothie bowl recipe is dreamy, creamy, and all around delicious. It tastes like a chocolate frosty in a smoothie bowl form. What more could you ask for?

This smoothie bowl recipe is

Vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
A quick and easy 5 minutes smoothie bowl recipe.
It tastes like a chocolate frosty, in a healthy smoothie bowl form.
Made with wholesome ingredients.
Customizable with several options for toppings.
Best enjoyed as a breakfast smoothie bowl or as a healthy dessert smoothie.

Ingredients for this Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl

Hazelnuts: It wouldn’t be a Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl without any hazelnuts. No soaking is required, if you have a high-speed blender. However, if you don’t have hazelnuts, cashews or walnuts would be yummy too.
Banana: Using a frozen, overripe banana gives this smoothie bowl its thick and creamy consistency.
Medjool dates: Just adding a couple of dates makes this smoothie bowl creamy and sweet. Also, be sure to make sure that your dates are pitted.
Cauliflower: Believe it or not, adding frozen cauliflower is where the thick and frosty texture comes from. What is more, is that you can’t even taste it. I suggest using store bought frozen cauliflower, or even frozen cauliflower rice, because it blends up nicely.
Cacao powder: To make this smoothie bowl chocolatey. If you don’t have cacao powder, you can use cocoa powder or even vegan chocolate protein powder. All three options will give your smoothie the chocolate flavor.
Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are loaded with nutrients, high in omega-3 fats, rich in dietary fiber, and you can’t even taste them. They are completely optional and can be replaced with chia seeds, or completely omitted, so no problem if you don’t have them…yet!
Non-dairy milk: You only need a little liquid to blend, since it’s a smoothie bowl. I used unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk that you enjoy.
Vanilla: Powder would be wonderful, but vanilla extract works great too.

How to make this dessert smoothie bowl

First, combine the non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, flaxseeds (optional), cacao powder, hazelnuts, frozen banana, Medjool dates, and frozen cauliflower, in a high-speed blender.

A blender filled with frozen cauliflower rice, a frozen banana, 2 medjool dates, hazelnuts, cacao powder, flaxseeds, and non-dairy milk, sitting on a white marble counter.

Next, blend the ingredients until smooth, thick, and creamy.

A blender filled with frozen cauliflower rice, a frozen banana, 2 medjool dates, hazelnuts, cacao powder, flaxseeds, and non-dairy milk. All blended up sitting on a white marble counter.

After, transfer the chocolate hazelnut smoothie to a chilled bowl. Add the toppings of your choosing and enjoy!

Best smoothie bowl toppings for this recipe

There are numerous options when it comes to toppings for smoothie bowls. For this specific recipe, you can keep it simple, go all out with a dessert-style bowl, or choose a combination of both. I elected to go all out for my dessert smoothie bowl. Thus, I topped mine with cocowhip, extra hazelnuts, my homemade chocolate coconut granola, and drizzled on some melted dark chocolate chips. No hard feelings if you want to go with a healthier topping route, so I will provide you with some healthy smoothie bowl topping suggestions.

Healthy smoothie bowl toppings

Fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, etc.
Sliced banana
Chopped Medjool dates
Chopped nuts: hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, etc.
Nut butter: hazelnut butter, creamy peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, SunButter, pecan butter, etc.
Granola: use your favorite granola. Try my chocolate coconut granola, almond joy granola, or peanut butter granola.
Coconut yogurt

Dessert style smoothie bowl toppings

Coconut whip cream, cocowhip
Cacao nibs
Chopped or melted dark chocolate/dark chocolate chips
Chocolate hazelnut butter

Tips for making the perfect smoothie bowl

To make the perfect smoothie bowl, make sure to follow these tips!

Use a frozen banana and frozen cauliflower to achieve a thick consistency.
Start off by only adding 1/3 cup of non-dairy milk and only add more if needed.
Use a high-speed blender, with a tamper, to ensure that your smoothie bowl achieves a thick and creamy texture.
Place your serving bowl in the freezer before you begin preparing this recipe and remove it when smoothie is ready. This will ensure that your smoothie bowl stays cold as you enjoy it.

Fresh versus frozen fruit

The key to making smoothie bowls is using frozen fruit. By adding frozen fruits to your smoothies, you will achieve a thicker result, so that you can add toppings, without them sinking. Also, don’t add too much liquid, because it is a smoothie bowl after all. I usually start with a little non-dairy milk and add more, if needed, until I reach the desired thickness.

Smoothie Bowl FAQ

Can I make this smoothie bowl a smoothie?

Absolutely! This smoothie bowl can be as thick or as thin as you desire. Increase the liquid from 1/3 cup to 1 cup, to make it a smoothie.

Can I add protein powder?

Yes! To increase the protein content of this smoothie bowl, add a scoop of your favorite protein powder. I recommend using a chocolate flavor for this smoothie bowl recipe.

What if I don’t have hazelnuts?

No hazelnuts? No problem. Substitute hazelnuts with cashews or walnuts.

Can I make this smoothie bowl banana free?

Certainly, replace the frozen banana with an additional 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower.

Can I make this smoothie bowl in advance?

Unfortunately, no. I do not recommend making this Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl in advance. However, you can definitely prep all the ingredients, the night before, by adding them to a zip lock bag. That way, in the morning, all you need to do is add the ingredients, along with non-dairy milk, to your blender.

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