7 Healthy Granola Bowl Ideas

These granola bowls are a perfect breakfast you can make relatively quickly. They’re vegetarian, full of variety, nutrition, and great for a quick breakfast.

Granola Bowls not only look so utterly delicious that you just want to dive right in, but they are also so good for you!

If you have some tasty ingredients (even some leftovers will work) and a little imagination, you can create some works of art – a feast for the eyes and a treat for the body!

They can be quick to put together, too – of course, you can spend some time dedicated to the Art of  Granola Bowls, but if you’re super hungry, just tuck in.

Think of a granola bowl as a weight loss smoothie that you eat rather than drink!

Are Granola Bowls Healthy?

Absolutely!

We are encouraged to eat a variety of different foods and a rainbow of colors as both help with our gut health.  Yep, that most underrated organ in your body.

Your gut needs some love and attention, and when you feed it lots of different things, the more diverse your gut bacteria, or your microbiome, will become.

Did you know that the more gut bacteria you have, the healthier you will be?  It helps improve overall health, your immune system, keeping you fighting fit, and can help protect you against chronic conditions like heart disease.

Granola bowls provide the center stage for lots of color, grains, and ingredients, and the more imagination you have, the happier your gut will be.

Toppings for Granola Bowls

So what’s best?

There are no right or wrong combinations here, although maybe stick to fresh, whole foods here and think about variety!

This means consider flavor, taste, texture, smell, and color. Use all of your senses to create the most nutritious bowls that will make your mouth water.

Easy-to-use ingredients are best to use as a base, so think about the store cupboard here.  Grains and nuts are full of vitamins, healthy fats, and fiber that will keep you full and energized.

Fresh fruits, preferably in season for the best nutrition, can be paired together in any flavor combinations that you like or want to experiment with.

Don’t stop at fresh fruit; frozen fruits can be just as good.  Just thawing blueberries, raspberries or cherries are a delight in the warmer months!

Remember, the more variety, the healthier your Granola Bowls will be!

Watch Video: 7 Granola Bowls

1. Chocolate Orange Granola Bowl

What a combo! Choose some dark chocolate, sugar-free chips if you can, as the cocoa hit is far more intense.  You could always use a different orange here, and even top with some clementine or tangerine.

Yogurt

• Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Toppings

• granola
• pumpkin seeds
• chocolate chips
• orange (sliced)

1. Mix all the yogurt ingredients.
2. Top up the yogurt up with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Raspberry Blueberry Granola Bowl

This is berry heaven!  You could use frozen berries here for the base and even add some partly defrosted ones on top and watch how their beautiful color ripples into the base.  Yummy!

Smoothie part

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 banana

Toppings

• granola
• kiwi slices
• strawberries (sliced)
• blackberries
• sunflower seeds

1. Add almond milk, raspberries, blueberries, and banana to a blender.
2. Add some Greek yogurt to the bowl (optional).
3. Pour the smoothie into a bowl and top it up with the rest of the ingredients.

3. Mango Apple Granola Bowl

Sweet, delicious, creamy, and with the faint aroma of maple syrup – it’s possibly not a bowl you have tried before, but do it!  Add a pear instead of the apple for a change.

Ingredients

• Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• a pinch of sea salt

Toppings

• mango slices
• apple slices
• shredded coconut
• sunflower seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• chia seeds

1. In a bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, and sea salt.
2. Top up with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Granola Banana Nut Bowl

Everyone loves a chocolate and banana combination, and if you want to start a reluctant eater on a Granola Bowl, this is the one to try! Top with some dark chocolate chips for an extra treat.

Ingredients

Smoothie part

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings

• granola
• banana slices
• drizzle of Honey

1. Add almond milk, banana, rolled oats, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract to a blender. Blend until one smooth texture.
2. Add some Greek yogurt (optional) to the bowl, pour the smoothie into the bowls and add the rest of the ingredients.

5. Ginger Cinnamon Granola Bowl

This bowl is full of the anti-inflammatory benefits of ginger and cinnamon.  Perfect as a ‘pick me up’ or for when you may be feeling a little delicate.

Yogurt

• Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Toppings

• granola
• almonds (chopped)
• coconut flakes
• sunflower seeds
• hemp seeds

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl for yogurt.
2. Add toppings to the yogurt.

6. Grapefruit Cocoa Granola Bowl

This one is a warming bowl of granola and certainly very filling.  You could use raspberries instead of blackberries if you like, but this one does have a rather autumnal feel!

Porridge

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• a pinch of sea salt

Toppings

• granola
• cocoa nibs
• blackberries
• grapefruit slices

1. Get a saucepan, heat the almond milk, and add in the rolled oats with maple syrup and sea salt. Mix and cook for around 5 minutes or so.
2. Add in the rest of the toppings.

7. Raspberry & Pistachio Granola Bowl

Sometimes simple is best with a Granola Bowl, and this idea is for when you are short of time.  It’s super quick to prepare –  you could even add it all to a clean jam jar and take it for a breakfast on the go!

Ingredients

• Greek yogurt
• granola
• 10 raspberries
• A handful of pistachios (chopped)

1. Place the yogurt in the bottom of the bowl.
2. Add the toppings!

Is Granola Good for Weight Loss?

Granola can be good for weight loss, but – beware.  If you are buying store-bought granola to top your bowl of loveliness with, you should just check the ingredients first. Some brands can be loaded with sugars and artificial sweeteners, which are not suitable for weight loss.

When eating a highly sweetened granola for breakfast, you can find you get a sugar dip mid-morning, which is known to sometimes send us to the biscuit tin, so keep an eye out for this!

One way to avoid this is to make your own granola and store it in a container like this.  This means you know when you are creating your Granola Bowls; you aren’t adding unnecessary sugar to your breakfast, perfect!

Made correctly, your Granola Bowl will fill you up, nourish you and keep your blood sugar levels from crashing.  Phytochemicals in the different colored fruit will keep your body functioning well and energizing you; maybe you can pick up that exercise class now?

Keeping satiated is one issue many people have when trying to lose weight; life still needs to go on, and you still need energy, so finding a breakfast that sets you up for the day will eliminate the need for snacking and creating a sluggish feeling.

Granola Bowls can be topped with so many different ingredients that are rich in fiber, helping with weight loss and gut health, so take a look at the tasty combinations and see how they can make you feel.

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