Matcha Smoothie Bowl

This matcha smoothie bowl recipe is about to become your new breakfast staple.

Sure, matcha tea is renowned for its health benefits, particularly for stress-reduction, weight-loss, and antioxidant protection. But if you aren’t craving tea, this recipe offers a great way to get your matcha and eat it, too!

What is Matcha Tea?

Matcha is simply a form of green tea leaves that have been powdered. Unlike regular green tea leaves, which are steeped in hot water and then discarded, with matcha, you consume the whole leaf in the form of the powder.

Traditionally, matcha is consumed as a tea, which is made by whisking the matcha powder into a cup of hot water. But you can use it just about anywhere, including desserts, baked goods, and smoothie bowls, like this one.

Since matcha is a form of green tea, the benefits are the same. However, because you consume the whole leaf, you end up with more antioxidants, as well as stronger stress relieving and metabolism-boosting effects compared to regular green tea.

Matcha Tea Benefits

Stress Reduction: Despite having a small amount of caffeine, matcha tea is calming for the body (versus coffee, which can increase your anxiety and give you the jitters). Studies show matcha tea assists in reducing physiological and psychological stress. (1)

Antioxidant Protection: Antioxidants can protect your body from free radical damage, help reverse the effects of inflammation, and may aid in cancer prevention. Matcha tea is extremely high in antioxidants. One of the most powerful antioxidants unique to green tea is EGCG. Studies show a cup of matcha tea contains 2-3 times the amount of EGCG compared to regular green tea. (2)

Weight Loss: The same powerful antioxidant, EGCG, that may offer disease prevention, also supports a healthy metabolism, which can aid in weight loss. A 2016 study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, showed that participants who drank green tea extract daily dropped almost twice as much weight in 12 weeks as participants who didn’t. (3)

Matcha Smoothie Bowl / / image credit: mariamarlowe.com

Matcha Smoothie Bowl Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Smoothie Bowl:

1/2 cup hemp milk or almond milk

1 cup fresh organic baby spinach

1 large frozen banana

1/2 avocado

juice of 1 lime

2 to 3 ice cubes

1 date (optional, for sweetness)

1/8 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. Matcha green tea powder

Toppings (choose your favorites)

fresh berries

dried coconut

nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, hemp seeds, etc.)

Instructions

Place all smoothie ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings.

For a printable recipe card, see the original recipe here.

And if you love this Matcha Smoothie Bowl, try it with a twist! Mango Matcha Smoothie Bowl is sure to please!

About the Author: Maria Marlowe is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who has helped thousands of people improve their health by optimizing their diet. She has created meal plans and programs to help you lose weight, clear up acne, and spend less time in the kitchen yet still eat healthy.

She has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, NBC, Well + Good, and more. Her first book, The Real Food Grocery Guide, will teach you how to eat healthy without going broke.

Check out her site, www.mariamarlowe.com, or follow her on Instagram @MariaMarlowe and Facebook for more healthy recipes.