Healthy Nutella Smoothie Bowl

I used to think a Nutella-flavored breakfast meant I was cheating on my healthy eating goals before 9 a.m. Then I started blending frozen bananas with cocoa powder and a spoonful of hazelnut butter, and I realized I’d basically been making dessert-for-breakfast without any of the guilt.

The first version I made was too icy and not sweet enough, so nobody in my house finished their bowl.

The fix was freezing the banana ahead of time and adding a date instead of reaching for more maple syrup. Now it’s thick enough to eat with a spoon, genuinely tastes like a chocolate-hazelnut treat, and I don’t feel like I need a nap an hour later.

This isn’t a fussy recipe. It’s a five-minute one, a blender, frozen banana, and a few pantry staples you probably already have. If you’ve made my Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl or my Peppermint Mocha Smoothie Bowl, the base here will feel familiar, it’s the same thick, spoonable formula, just headed in a completely different flavor direction.

Why You’ll Love This

It tastes like dessert but isn’t one. Cocoa powder and hazelnut butter give you that classic Nutella flavor without the added sugar and palm oil.

It’s ready in 5 minutes. No cooking, no waiting, just blend and top.

Thick, spoonable texture. Freezing the banana ahead of time is what gets you that soft-serve consistency instead of a thin, drinkable smoothie.

Naturally sweetened. A single date does the sweetening work here, so you’re not relying on refined sugar to make it taste like a treat.

Easy to customize. Build your bowl with whatever toppings you have on hand, or turn the same base into a smoothie you can drink on the go.

What Makes This Smoothie Bowl Healthy?

A lot of “healthy” chocolate-hazelnut recipes still lean on refined sugar and oil to get that Nutella flavor.

You don’t need either one here.

The sweetness comes from ripe banana and a single date, while the richness comes from hazelnut butter instead of a spread that’s mostly sugar and palm oil. Cocoa powder gives you the deep chocolate flavor without any added sweetener at all.

That said, toppings like granola and chocolate shavings can add sugar back in, so if you’re watching your intake closely, choose an unsweetened granola and go light on the extras.

A Note About the Banana

I always use very ripe, spotty bananas for this, the riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie, which means you need less date or maple syrup to get it tasting like dessert.

Freezing the banana isn’t optional here. A fresh banana blended with the other ingredients gives you a smoothie you’d sip from a glass, not a bowl. Frozen banana is what turns this into something you actually eat with a spoon.

If your bananas aren’t ripe enough when you’re ready to freeze them, let them sit at room temperature for a day or two first, then slice and freeze once they’ve developed brown spots.

Equipment You’ll Need

A high-speed blender. Frozen banana is thick and can be hard on a weaker blender. A high-speed blender gets you a smooth, creamy texture without a lot of chunks.

A tamper, if your blender has one. This helps push the thick mixture down into the blades without needing to add extra liquid.

A wide, shallow bowl. A wide bowl gives you more surface area for toppings and makes it easier to eat with a spoon, a narrow cup will just leave everything piled in the middle.

Recipe Ingredients

For the smoothie base:

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pitted date
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (plus more as needed)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For topping:

• Sliced banana
• Toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• Cacao nibs or dark chocolate shavings
• Granola
• A drizzle of extra hazelnut butter

If You Need to Substitute

No hazelnut butter? Almond butter or peanut butter both work, you’ll lose a little of the classic Nutella flavor but it’s still a good chocolate smoothie bowl.

No date? A teaspoon of maple syrup gets you similar sweetness, though the texture will be very slightly thinner.

Dairy isn’t an issue for you? Regular milk or oat milk both work fine in place of almond milk.

How to Make It

Step 1: Freeze the Banana

Slice the bananas and freeze them in a single layer for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you’re planning ahead.

This is what gets you that thick, soft-serve texture instead of a watery smoothie, so don’t skip it even if you’re tempted to use a fresh banana straight from the counter.

Step 2: Add Everything to the Blender

Add the frozen banana, hazelnut butter, cocoa powder, date, almond milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a high-speed blender.

Step 3: Blend Until Thick

Blend on low to break everything up, then increase to high speed until the mixture is smooth and thick.

If the blender is struggling to move everything, add a splash more almond milk, one tablespoon at a time, resist the urge to add too much at once or you’ll end up with a thin smoothie instead of a bowl you can eat with a spoon.

Step 4: Taste and Adjust

Taste and add a touch more date or a drizzle of maple syrup if you want it sweeter, or a little more cocoa powder if you want it more chocolatey.

Step 5: Assemble Your Bowl

Pour the smoothie into a bowl and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Arrange the sliced banana, toasted hazelnuts, cacao nibs, and granola over the top, then finish with a drizzle of hazelnut butter. Serve immediately while it’s still thick and cold.

Tips

Freeze the Banana Ahead of Time

A fresh banana will leave you with a thin, drinkable smoothie instead of a spoonable bowl. Slice and freeze bananas whenever they start to overripen so you always have some on hand.

Use a Tamper or Stop and Scrape

Because the mixture is thick, your blender may need some help. Stop and scrape down the sides once or twice, or use a tamper if your blender has one, rather than adding extra liquid just to keep things moving.

Add Toppings Right Before Eating

The smoothie base will start to soften the moment it hits the bowl, so wait to add crunchy toppings like granola and hazelnuts until you’re ready to eat, otherwise they lose their crunch.

My Smoothie Bowl Is Too Thin (or Too Thick)

Too thin? You probably need more frozen fruit. Add another half a frozen banana or a small handful of ice and blend again briefly.

Too thick to blend? Add almond milk one tablespoon at a time, pulsing between additions, rather than pouring in a big splash. It’s much easier to loosen a thick smoothie than to thicken one that’s gone watery.

Blender struggling to move? Stop, scrape down the sides with a spatula, and use a tamper or a short pulse to get things moving again before adding more liquid.

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?

The base itself is best blended fresh, it separates and loses its thick, spoonable texture if it sits in the fridge for more than an hour or two.

What you can do ahead is prep everything else. Slice and freeze your bananas, portion the toppings, and even measure the dry ingredients into small containers, so all that’s left in the morning is dumping everything into the blender.

How I Meal Prep This

Pre-portion frozen banana into bags. I slice and freeze 3 or 4 bags of banana at a time so the base comes together in minutes on busy mornings.

Blend fresh, don’t store the smoothie itself. This one doesn’t hold well in the fridge, it separates and loses its thick texture, so I only blend what I’m eating right away.

Toppings can be prepped ahead. Toast a batch of hazelnuts and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, so all that’s left to do each morning is blend and sprinkle.

Can I Freeze the Smoothie Base?

I don’t recommend freezing the blended smoothie itself, it changes texture when thawed and doesn’t come back to that same creamy consistency.

Instead, freeze the components. Pre-sliced banana keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can even freeze small portions of hazelnut butter and cocoa powder mixed together in an ice cube tray, so you just drop a cube or two straight into the blender.

What to Pair With This

Coffee or espresso. The bitterness of coffee balances out the sweetness of the smoothie bowl nicely.

A side of fruit. Fresh berries or orange segments add a little brightness alongside the rich chocolate-hazelnut flavor.

A soft-boiled egg. If you want more protein alongside your smoothie bowl, this is an easy way to round out the meal.

Chia pudding. For a bigger spread, serve a small side of chia pudding for extra fiber and staying power.

Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To

Using a fresh, unfrozen banana because I didn’t plan ahead. The smoothie turned out thin and drinkable instead of thick enough to eat with a spoon.

Adding too much almond milk at once to help the blender along. A little goes a long way with this recipe, and it’s much easier to loosen a thick smoothie than to thicken a thin one.

Topping the bowl too early and letting it sit on the counter. The granola went soft and the whole thing started melting before I even sat down to eat it.

Serving Suggestions and Variations

Protein-boosted. Blend in a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder, adding a little extra almond milk to keep the texture right.

Peanut butter version. Swap the hazelnut butter for peanut butter for a chocolate-peanut butter bowl instead, in the same spirit as my Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Fat Bombs.

Green smoothie bowl. Add a handful of spinach, you won’t taste it, but it sneaks in extra nutrients without changing the chocolate flavor much.

On-the-go smoothie. Skip the toppings and blend with a little extra almond milk, then pour into a to-go cup for a drinkable version of the same flavors.

More Recipes

• Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
• Raspberry Orange Smoothie Bowl
• Peppermint Mocha Smoothie Bowl
• Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Fat Bombs

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh banana instead of frozen? You can, but the texture will be much thinner. For a true spoonable smoothie bowl, freezing the banana first makes a real difference.

Is this recipe vegan? Yes, as written, it’s dairy-free and plant-based as long as you’re using a plant-based milk and hazelnut butter without added milk solids.

Can I make this nut-free? Swap the hazelnut butter for sunflower seed butter and use oat milk instead of almond milk, and skip the hazelnut topping.

How do I make it thicker? Use less almond milk, or add a few extra ice cubes or another frozen banana to the blender.