Ah smoothie bowls... we see them everywhere, they were (and still are) one of the biggest food trends of 2017. But an average price of one smoothie bowl is $12.00! What college kid has money like that to spare on breakfast? I know I don't but I always wanted to start my mornings with a good old smoothie.

Personally, I'm all about saving up and utilizing everything that's available to me. Frozen fruits are a great alternative to fresh fruit when you're on a budget. A huge bag of berries is around $3.00, and you can make several bowls with it. If your dining hall provides fresh fruit, then you've got everything you need for free. All that's left is to get some milk and yogurt from your dining hall (you're paying for it anyways, so why not?). And now you have all ingredients for cheep.

These vegan smoothie bowl recipes are only two of the millions of  possible variations you could make. If you're not vegan, feel free to substitute any vegan product with regular milk and yogurt. The possibilities are endless, you just need to turn on your imagination and not be scared to experiment.

Berry Mix Vegan Bowl

  • Prep Time:5 mins
  • Cook Time:0
  • Total Time:5 mins
  • Servings:1
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup frozen berries
  • 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon non-dairy Greek yogurt
  • 1 sprig fresh mint
  • 1-2 pieces frozen mango - optional
Milana Yemelyanova
  • Step 1

    Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and get creative with your toppings!

    Milana Yemelyanova

#SpoonTip: Choose fresh berries as toppings. If you added mango to the smoothie, berries on top will create a sweet and sour combination.

Mango-Pineapple Vegan Bowl

  • Prep Time:5 mins
  • Cook Time:0
  • Total Time:5 mins
  • Servings:1
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon dairy-free Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tablespoon dark chocolate shavings
Milana Yemelyanova
  • Step 1

    Add mangoes, pineapples, coconut almond milk, and Greek yogurt to the blender. Blend until smooth. Top with dark chocolate shavings. This bowl tastes best with berries and coconut shavings on top.

    Milana Yemelyanova

#SpoonTip: If you have a sweet tooth, the add more dark chocolate to the mixture. It will add more spice and color to your bowl.

If you've searched for other smoothie bowl recipes, you know that a lot of them use powders to boost the vitamin count. One of them is spirulina, and while it has a lot of health benefits, it's an expensive product that's not easily accessible for everyone. If you're looking for pretty Instagram pictures, I would use food coloring. It will definitely give you better mermaid or unicorn vibes. But if you're looking for a vitamin boost, add toppings or crush some Vitamin C pills into the mixture.

Toppings are what makes it or breaks it with smoothie bowls. They can get really expensive and can be hard to come by. One of the most popular toppingss is chia seeds. A bag of these little guys can go up to $10.00! Of course, you'll be using it for a while, but is it really worth it? Stick to more traditional toppings and use all of the resources available at your dining hall. Bananas, granola, and coconut flakes are the most common toppings that I'm sure you can find for cheap, if not for free. 

Trends do not necessarily need to be expensive. There is always room for experiments. Just get creative with these vegan smoothie bowl recipes and have fun making your own flavor combinations.