Mango Oat Smoothie Bowl
- 10 min prep
- 20 min
- Blend
- Serves 2
- 400 kcal
- 14 g protein
A spoon-thick mango and oat blend, set with hung curd and frozen banana, topped with fresh mango, seeds and toasted coconut. Eaten with a spoon, not a straw.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (45 g) rolled oats
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk, for soaking
- 2 cups (300 g) frozen ripe mango chunks (about 2 mangoes)
- 1 small banana (90 g), sliced and frozen
- ½ cup (120 g) thick hung curd or Greek yoghurt
- 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) cold milk, as needed to blend
- 1 cup (150 g) fresh mango, diced, for topping
- 1 tbsp (10 g) pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp (5 g) chia seeds
- 1 tbsp (5 g) desiccated coconut, lightly toasted
Method
- 1Put the rolled oats in the blender jar with ¼ cup milk and leave for 10 minutes to soften. This is what gives the bowl its creamy, non-gritty texture.
- 2Blend the soaked oats for 20 seconds into a rough paste.
- 3Add the frozen mango, frozen banana and hung curd. Blend on low, stopping to push the fruit down with a spatula, then on high, until thick and smooth.
- 4Add cold milk only a spoon at a time if the blender stalls. You want it thick enough that a spoon stands up in it, closer to soft-serve than a drink.
- 5Spoon into two chilled bowls and smooth the tops.
- 6Arrange the diced fresh mango in a row, then scatter over the pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and toasted coconut. Eat straight away.
Notes from the Department
- Frozen fruit is not optional here. Fresh mango gives you a drink, not a bowl.
- Chill the bowls in the freezer for 10 minutes so the blend does not melt as you top it.
- Use the tamper or stop-and-scrape often; adding liquid is the fastest way to lose the thickness.
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbohydrate
- 66 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 8.6 g
- Sugars
- 42 g
How it differs from a smoothie
A smoothie bowl is a meal you eat with a spoon, so the base has to be thick. Three things get it there: fruit that goes in frozen, very little liquid, and soaked oats that blend into a creamy body. Hung curd adds tang and protein and stiffens the blend further. The toppings then do the job a straw cannot: crunch from seeds, chew from fresh mango, a toasty note from coconut.
Soaking the oats for ten minutes in a little milk is the step most recipes skip. Without it, raw oats leave a sandy feel in a thick blend. Soaked, they disappear into the base and you only notice them as a fuller, more filling bowl.
Swaps
Alphonso, Banganapalli or Kesar mangoes all work; freeze cubes in season and you have bowls till October. For a vegan bowl, use thick coconut yoghurt and oat milk. No banana? Use more mango and an extra spoon of oats. Use certified gluten-free oats if anyone at the table avoids gluten. Granola on top is good, but check it for added sugar if that matters to you.
Make-ahead
Soak the oats in milk in the blender jar the night before and keep the jar in the fridge. In the morning, add the frozen fruit and curd and blend. Smoothie bowls do not hold once blended, so blend just before eating. The Department of Mango Season advises freezing more cubes than you think you need.
Questions people ask
- How do I make a smoothie bowl thick?
- Use frozen fruit, keep the liquid to a few spoons, and add thick curd or yoghurt. Blend on low and scrape down often instead of adding more milk.
- Can I put raw oats in a smoothie bowl?
- Yes. Rolled or quick oats are safe to eat raw. Soaking them for 10 minutes first gives a smoother bowl.
- Can I use fresh mango instead of frozen?
- Only for the topping. A base made with fresh mango will be runny. Cut and freeze the mango for at least 4 hours before blending.
- What toppings go on a mango oats smoothie bowl?
- Fresh mango, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chia seeds, toasted coconut, sliced banana or pomegranate. Keep at least one crunchy topping for contrast.
Inspired by Kim's Cravings. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
More from the Department
- Savoury · Continental · 25 min
Oats Vegetable Soup
A garlicky vegetable soup that gets its body from a handful of oats instead of cornflour or cream. Twenty minutes, one pot, and properly filling.
- Savoury · Continental · 45 min
Oats Pizza Base
A no-yeast pizza base made from oat flour and curd, ready to top in ten minutes. Pre-baked so it stays crisp under a quick tomato sauce, vegetables and mozzarella.
- Drinks · Continental · 7 min
Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Thick, dark hot chocolate made with oat milk, cocoa and a square of real dark chocolate. Five minutes on the stove, no dairy, no lumps.
- Savoury · Continental · 30 min
Mushroom Oat Risotto
Rolled oats cooked like risotto with browned mushrooms, garlic, thyme and a little cheese. Creamy in 20 minutes, no arborio and no endless stirring.
- Chia Pudding · Continental · 250 min
Mango Chia Oat Pudding
Layers of set chia-oat pudding and thick mango purée in a glass, made the night before. Wobbly, creamy, sweet from the mango alone.
- Drinks · Continental · 10 min
Homemade Oat Milk
Rolled oats, ice-cold water, a 30-second blend and a cloth. Our method for oat milk that stays creamy, not slimy, and costs a fraction of the carton.