Vegan Cardamom Pear Smoothie Bowl

For a refreshing twist on warm porridge, try this creamy pear smoothie bowl recipe! A comforting combination of sweet pears and warm winter spices—with a thick, luscious texture from rolled oats and coconut cream. Scrumptious enjoyed cold as a winter smoothie bowl, OR you can heat it up for a warm breakfast porridge! A satisfyingly simple blender breakfast ready in minutes, customized with your favorite tasty toppings.

Try my Pumpkin Chai Smoothie for another winter-inspired breakfast smoothie idea!

What is a winter smoothie bowl?

Instead of the typical breakfast smoothie bowl with tropical, summery fruits, this cardamom pear smoothie bowl embraces all the delicious flavors that winter has to offer. Rather than banana or mango, this recipe starts with one of my favorite winter fruits—a Bartlett pear. Then, there’s comforting seasonal spice from cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Blend those wintery flavors into an extra-thick smoothie with oats and coconut cream, and you’ve got a vegan smoothie bowl made for winter mornings. You can even heat this up like a warm breakfast porridge if you don’t want to eat it cold!

Are pears good for smoothies?

Although it’s not as common to see pears in smoothies, they’re naturally sweet and creamy just like bananas, with a subtle spiced flavor that’s perfect for fall and winter smoothies. They’re even sweet enough to mask the flavor of greens in a pear and spinach smoothie—with no added sugar and no bananas needed! If you’re hungry for breakfast smoothie ideas with no banana, Bartlett or D’Anjou pears can be a great substitute. And, if you’re in the mood for a fall or winter smoothie, pears are a delicious base ingredient to start with!

Spiced Pear Smoothie Bowl Ingredients & Substitutions

• Rolled Oats. For a thick and satisfying winter smoothie bowl, start with rolled oats or quick oats. I love the flavor and texture of a comforting oatmeal smoothie. And adding raw oats to smoothies can make them more filling & nutritious—sort of like a fruit smoothie meets a bowl of oatmeal. If preferred, you can skip the oats and enjoy this like a classic smoothie, instead of an oatmeal smoothie bowl.
• Bartlett Pear. I recommend making this smoothie bowl with Bartlett pears or D’Anjou pears for the sweetest & creamiest flavor, but you can use any variety you like. If you want a substitute for pear in this recipe, try using apple, banana, or even pineapple.
• Coconut Cream. Canned full-fat coconut cream will give your pear smoothie bowl the thickest, richest, most luscious texture. And the healthy fats will make your breakfast bowl more filling! If you need a substitute, full-fat coconut milk is your best option. Or, you can use any milk you want—the texture just won’t be quite as creamy.
• Almond Butter. The neutral flavor of almond butter works well in this smoothie bowl with pears, adding a subtle saltiness and creaminess. Really, you can use any nut butter you prefer, or use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option
• Flavorings & Seasonings. Cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg are just some of the tasty seasonal flavorings you could use. You can also add a dash of allspice, cloves, ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice!
• Optional Sweetener. I think this pear & oat smoothie bowl is perfectly sweet as-is, but feel free to add maple syrup or any sweetener you’d like.

How to Make a Winter Smoothie Bowl Thick & Creamy

The key difference between a classic breakfast smoothie and a smoothie bowl is the texture: instead of silky and sippable, a smoothie bowl needs to be thick enough to eat with a spoon. Typically, my go-to thickening ingredient is frozen banana. But, there are plenty of other ways to thicken up this pear smoothie bowl without banana—and without adding any frozen fruit at all.

Blend Rolled Oats into a Flour First

Rather than adding all of your pear smoothie bowl ingredients at once, start by adding just the raw oats into the blender, then blend them into a fluffy flour. That fluffy oat flour will thicken up as it absorbs the liquid from the other ingredients, making your winter smoothie bowl super thick and creamy! No need to clean out the blender when you’re done—just continue with the rest of your ingredients.

Use Full-Fat Coconut Cream, Not Just Coconut Milk

Coconut cream is thicker, richer, and creamier than coconut milk, making it the perfect liquid base for this cardamom pear smoothie bowl. Pro Tip: Refrigerate canned coconut cream upside down 1-2 hours before opening it, letting the cream separate from the liquid. Then, don’t shake the can before opening it—just flip it over, open the can, and scoop the thick cream that’s on top into your blender.

Winter Smoothie Bowl Toppings

Once your pear smoothie bowl ingredients are all blended together, pour the thick-and-creamy mixture into a bowl to serve! Then, you can heat it up for a warm porridge-like breakfast, or you can enjoy it cold. Either way, don’t forget to layer on some festive winter smoothie bowl toppings before digging in! There are no limits or rules—use as many or as few toppings as you like. These are some of my favorite topping ideas for this winter-inspired recipe, adding fun flavor and texture variety:

• Fresh Fruit like sliced pear, banana, chopped apple, blueberries, or blackberries.
• Dried Fruit like dried cranberries, raisins, or shredded coconut.
• Nuts & Seeds like pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or chia seeds.

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