Hibiscus Chia Smoothie Bowls
Hi, friends!! I’m writing this from my new temporary home office in Colorado. What a busy two months it’s been! So much has changed since I published my last blog post exactly two months ago.
We had been planning to move out of our apartment in Asbury Park, NJ on May 15th, but we ended up moving our on May 1st instead because our landlord wanted to begin a major construction project on the house (it was frustrating at the time, but we are so relieved that everything worked out!).
We’d been planning to spend the summer with family in Colorado anyway, so we were extremely relieved that we didn’t have to worry about finding somewhere to live for those two weeks. And both Alex and I run our businesses from home, so we were extremely fortunate that we didn’t have to worry about our early move interfering with work.
We put most of our stuff in storage, packed everything we could fit (which was mostly food photography stuff hahaha) into my car, and drove to Colorado in two days--which was incredibly fast! It was a long and exhausting journey, but we are extremely relieved to finally be settling in here after a chaotic couple of weeks.
I’ve been so eager to finally get back to working on my blog, and it’s such an amazing feeling to finally publish this recipe! So without further ado, I’m so excited to share these Hibiscus Chia Smoothie Bowls with you.
These beautiful bowls combine two delicious bases—hibiscus chia pudding and a hibiscus smoothie base—in one vibrant, creamy, refreshing smoothie bowl. You can top them with any fresh fruits, nuts, and seeds you like--I chose crushed pistachios and red currants!
Aside from its wonderful sweet, fruity flavor, hibiscus has so many health benefits—it’s antioxidant-rich, immunity-boosting, and anti-inflammatory. If you don’t have hibiscus powder on hand, you can blend hibiscus tea (dried hibiscus flowers) in a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder until they form a fine powder.
These dreamy Hibiscus Chia Smoothie Bowls are the perfect refreshing breakfast or afternoon snack on warm days. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Hibiscus Chia Smoothie Bowls
Makes 2 bowls
Ingredients:
For the hibiscus chia pudding:
4 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup oat mlk
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp hibiscus power** (see note)
For the smoothie base:
2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen pitaya
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
4 tbsp hibiscus powder* (see note)
Splash of oat milk (plus more as needed)
Toppings:
Crushed pistachios, or any nuts and seeds of your choice
Fresh fruit (red currants, strawberries, and raspberries are my favorites with this recipe)
To make:
Make the hibiscus chia pudding. The night before making your smoothie bowls, combine the chia seeds, oat milk, maple syrup, and hibiscus powder in a jar or bowl. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate overnight to thicken. Note: If you forgot to soak the chia overnight, no worries! Just add all the chia pudding ingredients to a blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes until thick.
Make the smoothie base. Add all smoothie base ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth, adding more oat milk as needed.
Assemble the bowls. Divide the smoothie base into two bowls. Top each bowl with the hibiscus chia pudding. Top with fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds of your choice and serve right away. Enjoy!!
** Note: To make hibiscus powder, just blend hibiscus tea in a blender or food processor until it reaches a powder consistency.