This easy Papaya Smoothie Bowl recipe made with Vital Proteins Collagen will leave you feeling energized & refreshed all morning! Gluten & dairy free!
Devin & I are HUGE fans of smoothie bowls. I started making them over a year ago. And now I make them every single day. Yes you read that correct. Every day. I could basically make them with my eyes closed. But with the new addition to my kitchen (a.k.a. my Vitamix blender), my smoothie game has been out of this world.
Within the first five minutes of Devin waking up, he says “is it smoothie bowl time”?
Well now, it’s smoothie bowl time on the blog! I have decided to add a new section focusing specifically on recipes.
Don’t worry, I won’t waste your time with stuff that looks good but tastes gross. I will share things that taste amazing & have the potential to look amazing too if you have the time LOL! I personally love putting time into the presentation of my dishes…it just makes me happy when I am able to arrange everything perfectly, place the cut up fruit in a straight line, align the nuts, crush the cashews, you know the deal.
But seriously. Not only will these recipes taste good, but they will be clean. They will use real ingredients…free of all the crap that is in our food industry today. And believe me when I say that’s a lot.
So many brands want us to believe they are healthy & clean because they are vegan, Paleo, sugar free, gluten free, or dairy free. There are so many hidden ingredients in products that claim to be “good for us”, & in reality can cause more harm than good to our bodies. And that’s with brands that are deemed “healthy”! I can’t even begin to break down what is found within conventional, processed products & brands. UGH.
But don’t worry, I’ll tackle it all. Too much for this post though. I’m only here to talk smoothies today.
With that said, I’m really excited to share my recipes with you all!
So remember my post breaking down everything you need to know about collagen? If not you can read it here! Vital Proteins was kind enough to send me their Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides in the travel sticks, which is PERFECT for anyone who is constantly on the go…so everyone basically, LOL.
As I mentioned in the post, I am a consistent user of collagen, due to the gut-healing benefits it provides. I add collagen whenever I get a chance. Adding collagen to a smoothie or smoothie bowl couldn’t be easier, especially because it’s tasteless & odorless, so you can’t even tell it’s there! Although the recipe below uses collagen for this smoothie bowl, you are more than welcome to leave it out, if preferred.
Why Papaya?
I actually had my first papaya while I was living in Sweden & truthfully I didn’t know what to expect. That said, papaya is one of my favorite fruits now. It has a bizarre but amazing texture…if you haven’t tried it before. It’s similar to a melon but firmer…sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet. And the seeds! OMG, if you never cut a papaya in half, be prepared for a lot of little black seeds.
Papaya is such a wonderful fruit because it actually contains a proteolytic enzyme that aids in digestion. Papaya itself doesn’t take much to digest so this fruit is excellent for anyone who is looking for a food to increase their digestive enzymes (ME!).
The best part about adding papaya to a smoothie is the incredible creamy texture it provides. It literally turns out like soft-serve ice cream. But the key is to freeze it prior.
For the base of all of my smoothies, I primarily use frozen fruit. Why? Because I like when my smoothies are cold, thick, & creamy. If you aren’t into that, you are absolutely able to use fresh fruit but I would recommend adding a few ice cubes.
For best results, I cut the papaya in half, scoop out the seeds, cut it similar to watermelon slices, and then take a sharp knife to slice the papaya meat away from the skin. I cut it into small cubed pieces, arrange it on a baking sheet on top of a piece of parchment paper, & pop it into the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Papaya Collagen Smoothie Bowl
Gluten Free. Dairy Free. Vegan modifications shown below.
Ingredients
Papaya Smoothie Bowl Base
- 1 Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Travel Stick
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 3 cups frozen papaya
- 1.5 cup Coconut Water
Smoothie Bowl Toppings
- 1 handful Gluten Free Granola of choice
- Dried Banana Slices
- Almonds
- 1 tsp Chia Seeds
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1 tsp Cocoa Nibs
Instructions
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Add smoothie bowl ingredients to a Vitamix or high-speed blender of choice.
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Blend until smooth.
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Scoop the smoothie into bowls & arrange the toppings as preferred.
Recipe Notes
For best results, freeze all fruit prior to making the smoothie in order to achieve a thicker consistency! This recipe is Gluten free, Dairy free, & can easily become Vegan, by eliminating the use of the Collagen.
If you tried this Papaya Smoothie Bowl, or any other recipe on the blog, let me know if you enjoyed it by leaving a comment or rating below!

Yum. That looks so good!
This looks really good, though I am a bit sceptical about adding supplements to my food…