Get the recipe for this plant-based, nutrient-dense, gluten-free and completely customizable Springtime Mango Smoothie Bowl with Edible Flowers plus fun facts about mango nutrition.
Proudly sponsored by The National Mango Board, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Springtime Mango Smoothie Bowl with Edible Flowers
Ask any New Yorker and they will tell you that March is no doubt the hardest time of year.
Spring is so close, and yet so far away.
After a brutal long winter, it is hard to know that warmer days are on the way while still living with another possible month or two of cold, miserable winter weather.
Luckily, we can bring springtime indoors with this delicious Springtime Mango Smoothie Bowl with Edible Flowers. The bright vibrant color signals springtime and will put you in a happy mood for sunnier days to come.
If you have never had a smoothie bowl before, you’re in for a treat.
Smoothie bowls are slightly thicker than traditional smoothies and then topped with a variety of ingredients to make for a unique eating experience that requires sitting down and eating with a spoon.
This Springtime Mango Smoothie bowl comes together with a perfect blend of fresh mango, coconut cream and anti-inflammatory spices for a bright, vibrant taste and hearty dose of nutrients and antioxidants.
In this blog post we will explore the health benefits of mangos and a few of the other smoothie ingredients, how to use edible flowers to bring some color and joy to your bowl and how to make and enjoy this recipe at home in as little as 10 minutes.
How to Make a Smoothie Bowl
I love smoothie bowls because they take a food that is typically consumed on-the-go, a traditional smoothie, and transform it into a meal that must be enjoyed sitting down.
This allows for more mindfulness at mealtime, giving you the ability to sit and enjoy your food, check in with your hunger and fullness cues and to connect with the eating process.
Pick Your Ingredients
The Base:
Mangos make the perfect base for any smoothie or smoothie bowl due to their ultra-creamy texture. They also serve as an excellent smoothie bowl base because of their vibrant color and nutritional benefits that are outlined below.
The Liquid:
Because you want a smoothie bowl to be slightly thicker than a traditional smoothie, so you can easily enjoy it with a spoon, you will want to use less liquid than you would in a regular smoothie.
For this smoothie bowl recipe, we have combined coconut milk and coconut cream which gives this recipe a thick, silky texture. You could also opt for options like avocado for a thicker option, or another plant-based milk for a thinner liquid option, like hemp seed milk or homemade sunflower seed milk.
The Flavor Enhancers:
Mango itself is one of the sweetest, most delicious fruits available year round, so there really is not much to add in terms of flavor and sweetness, but rather to simply compliment the flavor.
To add an extra pop of flavor and nutrition, we added ginger and turmeric, two spices whose flavors pair nicely with the mango to enhance, not overwhelm, the natural flavors of the fruit.
The Toppings:
Once you get the base made, your smoothie bowl truly is a blank canvas. The toppings of your smoothie bowl are seemingly unlimited.
The key is to pick 2-3 nutritious options than you enjoy the most and add them in reasonable quantities.
Many of the most popular smoothie bowl toppings
- Fresh fruit like diced mango
- Nuts like almonds or walnuts
- Seeds like chia seeds or hemp seeds
- Additional garnishes like edible flowers
Springtime Mango Smoothie Bowl
Mango Nutrition Benefits:
Mangos are no doubt the sunniest fruit in the product aisle. Their sweet flavor and rich health benefits make them the most widely consumed fruit in the entire world.
Of course, mangos aren’t quite as popular here in the US as in other countries, which The National Mango Board wants to change. This amazing organization is committed to increasing consumption of fresh mangos, and help bring the world’s love of mangos to families across the U.S. in easy and delicious ways.
Mango Nutrition Facts:
1 cup of mango provides:
- 100% of Daily Vitamin C
- 100 calories
- 35% of Daily Vitamin A
- No cholesterol, sodium or fat
Surprising Mango Health Benefits:
- Each serving of mango is
fat free , sodium free andcholesterol free . - Mangos contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals, helping to make them a superfood.
- A mango a day contains 12 percent of your daily
fiber requirement . It’s a delicious and fun way to work your way up to that 100 percent daily intake.
If you are not familiar with fresh mangos or have never cut one yourself, visit this page for a video and full tutorial on how to cut a mango, it is simple!
Ginger:
Ginger is a spice that is derived from the rhizome of a flowering Chinese plant that has many health benefits. While fresh ginger is recommended in this recipe, you can use ground ginger as well if that is what you have on hand.
Turmeric:
Known for its bright, vibrant orange color, this spice has an important compound called curcumin. Because, this recipe calls for a tiny dash of black pepper, but don’t worry – you can’t even taste it!
Related: The Health Benefits of Turmeric + How to Use It
How to Garnish a Smoothie Bowl with Edible Flowers
Nothing screams spring like a return of fresh blooms to the garden, a beautiful bouquet from the florist or a beautiful flower sitting atop your smoothie bowl.
What many people may not realize is that some of the most popular flowers we typically buy for visual purposes may actually be edible, and even provide some health benefits.
More than just beauty, edible flowers also offer good nutrition as well.
However, before consuming any flower, do your research and ensure that it is indeed safe to consume, and that it has been grown and properly cared for with the goal of consumption in mind.
Of course, no worries if eating flowers is not your thing. They still make a beautiful garnish for any smoothie or smoothie bowl.
Orchids
Orchids may be the most ornate, beautiful, and visually aesthetic edible flowers commonly available today.
Typically found as a garnish on tropical dishes or in fancy cocktails, orchids can be purchased solely for the use of consumption. Orchids are the dark purple flowers pictured in the smoothie bowls of this post.
Carnations
Carnations, also known as Dianthus, are one of the most common flowers found in bouquets at the grocery store or florist.
Only the sweet, delicate petals of this flower are edible, so be sure to remove the petals from the base before consuming. Carnations are the vibrant, hot pink flowers pictured in the smoothie bowls of this post.
Roses
Roses are a versatile edible flower that can have many different tastes depending on the type of rose used, however it is said that the flavor is more developed in darker colored varieties.
Rose petals can be consumed fresh, but are more commonly dried and used as a garnish.
Related: Edible Rose Petal Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Lilacs
Lilacs, a popular springtime bloom, have the most beautiful scent and can come in a wide range of color from white to pink to deep, deep purple.
Their sweet, floral taste and aroma make them the perfect addition to drinks and desserts. If you want to use this sweet, sweet flower in your smoothie bowl, be sure to get the flowers while you can in the early spring time, as the season for lilacs does not last long.
Related: Peanut Butter Stuffed Sweet Potato Sundae Topped with Edible Lilacs
Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers are making a powerful comeback in mainstream culture today for their reported health benefits and beautiful, deep red color.
Commonly used to make Hibiscus Tea with dried flowers, this beautiful tropical plant can also be consumed raw in salads or as a garnish atop a dish.
Related: Strawberry Watermelon Sparkling Lemonade Made with Hibiscus Tea
Lavender
Perhaps one of the most used culinary flowers we have all come to know and love is lavender. Often used dried or extracted and used as an essential oil, lavender has been associated with feelings of calm and peacefulness for centuries.
Related: Blueberry Lavender Stress Relief Smoothie
Mango Smoothie Bowl with Edible Flowers (Paleo, AIP)
This delicious smoothie bowl is a plant-based, nutrient dense, gluten-free meal that can be completely customized with edible flowers or other nutritious garnishes like nuts, seeds, and fruit.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh mango
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon pure honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper*
- Optional: 2 scoops unflavored collagen peptides
Instructions
- In a high speed blender, combine the mango, coconut milk, coconut cream, honey, ginger, cayenne, black pepper, and collagen (if using).
- Blend on high for 90-seconds, or until silky smooth.
- Garnish with additional mango and edible flowers as desired.
Notes
If you are using this smoothie bowl as a full meal, be sure to add the unflavored collagen peptides. This will add 20 grams of high-quality protein and round out the carbohydrates and fat to create a balanced meal. The peptides are completely tasteless and will not alter the taste or texture of this bowl.
* To make this recipe AIP-Friendly, omit the cayenne pepper and ground black pepper
To make this recipe vegan-friendly, swap the honey for maple syrup and omit the collagen peptides.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Cholesterol: 0mg
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