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This super-simple banana pecan smoothie bowl is perfect for breakfast, as a snack or even dessert. Especially when you need a brighter start to your day. Inspired by Ben & Jerry’s chunky monkey ice cream. Featuring bananas, pecans and best of all chocolate!
The inspiration behind this banana pecan smoothie bowl…
I was first introduced to chunky monkey ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s on a trip to Australia years ago. Back when it hadn’t even reached anywhere near New Zealand. It opened the doors to my imagination and not just concerning ice cream. So many different flavour combos and options! That and the idea of brownie bits, cookie chunks and various other baked goods in ice cream was pretty fascinating.
Additionally, smoothies and acai bowls have long been on my list of favourite breakfast foods. They’ve got all the makings of a great time in a single bowl. The thick creamy smoothie combined with fresh fruits and muesli, sometimes even a spoonful of peanut butter. So, I decided it was time to come up with a fun recipe of my own.
Consequently, these concepts transformed into this banana pecan smoothie bowl. A fun reinterpretation that’s fast, easy to make and delicious!
What is Chunky Monkey?
Some of you, who have not had the pleasure of tasting it, may be asking.
Well, as an ice cream flavour, it consists of three main elements. Bananas, pecans and fudge. A perfect start to this smoothie bowl recipe.
Ingredients
To make this recipe a lighter breakfast option, I substituted fudge for dark chocolate and chocolate cereal*. Making it slightly healthier and quick to assemble without having to source or make fudge. Plus, without the cream to mellow out the flavours, the banana smoothie can be pretty sweet on its own.
However, if you want to add fudge or brownie, no one’s stopping you. If I could get around to making it, I’d probably be with you on that one. Instant dessert bowl transformation!
Note:
- *The dark chocolate buttons I used for this recipe were sourced from Goodfor a Wholefoods refillery. However, you are welcome to use any other good-quality dark chocolate
- Use your favourite chocolate cereal as a topping, I used this Goodgor tall, dark and wholesome mix.
- Toasted pecans make this recipe so much better! The toastiness is one of my highlights.
- Use your homemade pecan milk, it gives a subtle background taste and is dairy-free.
- This recipe is customisable for friends with dietary requirements! All of the ingredient suggestions above contain no gluten, dairy or animal products.
Preparations
The great thing about this recipe is that it requires little preparation. Coincidently, I’m wondering if I can even call this a recipe, as opposed to an assembly of ingredients.
As long as you have some bananas in your freezer, you’re all set!
- I like to have a stash of frozen sliced bananas. Not just for this recipe but also for other types of smoothies and banana ice cream. Especially as finishing a whole bunch of bananas before they go bad is sometimes difficult.
The best part is you don’t need to do much for them. All you have to do is blend them up with some milk. It creates such a nice creamy texture, that’s almost like ice cream.
Banana Pecan Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
Banana Smoothie Base
- 2 Medium Ripe Bananas (Sliced and Frozen)
- 100 ml Pecan Milk* (or alternative) – see notes
Toppings
- Dark Chocolate roughly chopped
- Banana Chips roughly chopped
- Toasted pecans roughly chopped
- Chocolate cereal (use your favourite!)
Instructions
Banana Smoothie Base
- Blend frozen banana and milk in a blender until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides during this process to ensure the banana is well blended.
- Pour the banana smoothie into your bowl.
Toppings and finishing
- Now comes the fun part! Layer your toppings (dark chocolate, pecans, banana chips and chocolate cereal) on top of your banana smoothie mix. Feel free to add as much or as little as you like.
- Best eaten straight after assembling, before it melts!
Notes
Give this recipe a go for a tasty breakfast, snack or even dessert.
And then show me your creations, I’d love to see them! Snap a picture, hashtag #theculinaryletter and tag me on Instagram!
More Breakfast Recipes:
Until next time, stay curious,
Laura
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