White Bean Smoothie Bowl

Jan 15

Beans in a smoothie? It might sound crazy, but I’m telling you—bean smoothie bowls are both incredibly satisfying and delicious.

Naturally sweetened and packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants, if you’re a smoothie bowl lover like me, you’re going to love this one.

Smoothie bowls are truly one of the most versatile breakfasts out there. They’re one of the easiest ways to get in a ton of greens, seeds, and fruit in the morning, and the smoothie mixture and topping possibilities are endless. Personally, I find smoothie bowls significantly more satisfying than smoothies (who doesn’t love fun toppings?!)

While I’m all about starting my day with protein, I’m not a huge protein powder fan. Protein powder, I’ve found, typically gives smoothies a chalky consistency and odd flavor, so I generally avoid it and instead choose hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and nut butters.

But one morning while eating my smoothie bowl and thinking about beans (as I do), I started to wonder if it would be possible to boost the protein and fiber of my smoothies with beans. Would that be crazy? Beans and fruit? What would happen? Would the smoothie taste bean-y?

There was only one way to find out.

The next morning, I got to work figuring out what type of bean would create the best smoothie. Chickpeas and kidney beans I knew immediately were out of the running, as they have a strong flavor, thick skin, and dense interior that would create grittiness. I knew from my dessert experiments that black and pinto beans work well with chocolate (Check out Black Bean Chocolate Mousse!), but without chocolate being in the mix, the two can be flavor-forward.

White beans (navy, cannellini, great northern), I remembered, are thin-skinned, incredibly delicate, and flavor-neutral. I knew from my bean dip experiments that they blend into a gorgeous, smooth texture, and their mild flavor allows them to take on any flavors they’re mixed with. White beans would be my best bet for a delicious smoothie bowl.

I reworked my staple smoothie bowl recipe, and blended up my beans with homemade almond milk, frozen wild blueberries, frozen cherries, almond butter, chia seeds, and a little kale (because why not).

And truly….I cannot tell you how magical it turned out.

The texture was perfectly smooth. The flavor was sweet. It had the ideal smoothie bowl thickness. And my mind was blown. If I hadn’t made it myself, I never would have known there were beans in there. And honestly, now, I don’t think I’ll ever stop adding beans to my smoothies.

Creamy white bean smoothie bowl made with blueberries, cherries, kale, and chia seeds, topped with fruit and seeds

Why You’ll Love This White Bean Smoothie Bowl

This smoothie has a gorgeous, creamy consistency with no bean flavor whatsoever. The flavor of the beans completely disappears as all of the other ingredients shine!
This bowl is a great morning protein and fiber booster, with the whole recipe packing in 19g protein. The bean alone add 13g protein — no protein powder required.
It’s incredibly satisfying. The additional protein and fiber from the beans (25g fiber in this recipe) will keep you fuller for much longer than a regular smoothie.
It’s wallet-friendly and accessible. Canned beans are significantly cheaper than most protein powders out there (and less processed!)
There are so many creative opportunities. Because white beans are flavor neutral, you can get creative with your smoothie ingredients without worrying about any bean flavor coming through. Think chocolate-banana, cinnamon-apple, mango-pineapple —endless possibilities.

Toppings are also a big part of why I prefer smoothie bowls over smoothies. I love a crunch and getting creative with my smoothie bowl toppings is half the fun. My homemade buckwheat granola is my go-to granola, though I also love a chickpea-oat granola (chickpeas get a great crunch when baked in the oven!). I’ll add whatever fruit is in season (maybe berries, apples, persimmons), shredded coconut, cacao nibs, pumpkin or sunflower seeds — again, so many possibilities.

And for these reasons, I keep coming back to this recipe over and over. The blueberries and kale are great for their immunity-boosting properties, and the result is simply delicious. Once you start adding beans to your smoothies, you’re going to wonder how you ever went this long without them!