Updated April 2023! Playa Bowls was founded by two surfers from Jersey Shore with a passion for nourishing eats. Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor traveled to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, California, and Hawaii in pursuit of big waves, but they also discovered many local variations of acai and pitaya bowls. Abby and Rob started blending their own bowls at home, and eventually began selling them at a pop-up stand in front of a pizza shop in Belmar, NJ. From those humble beginnings, they’ve since expanded to an empire of counter-serve restaurants, with a rather lengthy menu.
Playa Bowls Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Vegan Options
You will find ample options at Playa Bowls. Most of their menu is dairy-free, or can be easily modified for dairy-free needs. They even package some protein snacks with dairy-free options. But this is more than just a list. We have details on all of the Playa Bowl Bases, milk beverage options, and more!
Milk Note: Playa Bowls does offer dairy for coffee drinks, but their primary line of “milks” is dairy-free – so there is no surcharge! Their dairy-free “milk” options includ Silk Almond Milk and So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage, plus cashew milk, oat milk, soy milk, and water. Availability could vary by location.
Creamer Note: The “sweet cream creamer” at Playa Bowls is not dairy-free. It does contain milk.
Sweetener Note: All sweeteners used at Playa Bowls are dairy-free. Their options include honey, agave, splenda, sugar, sugar in the raw. Availability could vary by location.
Protein Note: Playa Bowls uses whey protein in some of their smoothies and bowls. You can substitute one of their plant (pea) proteins as noted, but there might be an upcharge for substituting plant protein at some locations.
Shared Blenders: All bases at Playa Bowls are dairy-free, but whey protein is blended into the smoothie bases in the Power Bowls. In other words, dairy is used in their blenders. Be sure to request a clean blender if concerned about potential cross contamination.
Vegan Options: All of the following are vegan if you omit any bee pollen, and omit or substitute the honey with agave nectar. See the Toppings guide below for additional substitution options.
Coffee & Tea Drinks
- Coconut New Orleans Smoothie – banana, coconut base, chicory coffee concentrate, cacao nibs, oat milk
- Dolce Latte Smoothie – banana, peanut butter, chicory coffee concentrate, chocolate protein, coconut milk (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- New Orleans Mocha Mint Cold Brews – New Orleans style chicory coffee concentrate, mocha mint, your milk choice, your sweetener choice (seasonal)
- Playola Cold Brew – New Orleans style chicory coffee concentrate, your milk choice, your sweetener choice
Bowls
They are listed by base category below. We’ve listed the base ingredients for the bowl categories, and the toppings with each menu item.
Acai Bowls (base = organic acai organic sugar, organic erythritol, organic tapioca syrup, stevia, locust bean gum, guar gum, citric acid)
- 8th Ave – granola, banana, honey
- North Pole – blueberry flax granola, banana, raspberry, mint, crushed peppermint (no Nutella) (seasonal)
- Pura Vida – granola, blueberry, strawberry, honey
- Tropical – granola, banana, pineapple, coconut flakes, honey
- Power – granola, banana, peanut butter (omit protein or sub plant protein)
Mango Bowls (base = Alphonso mangos + proprietary blend – confirmed dairy-free)
- Goldie Mango – blueberry flax granola, banana, strawberry (no Nutella)
- Mango Mama – mixed base of mango, pitaya, and chia pudding with blueberry flax granola, mango, banana, coconut flakes, almond butter
Pitaya Bowls (base = red dragon fruit, banana, pineapple, coconut milk)
- Bae Bowl – half pitaya-half stupid cupid base, blueberry flax granola, strawberries, coconut flakes, goji berries (no white chocolate)
- Dragonberry – granola, strawberry, blueberry, honey
- Electric Mermaid – granola, kiwi, pineapple, mango, coconut flakes, honey
- Goji – granola, kiwi, pineapple, mango, coconut flakes, honey
- Pink Flamingo – granola, banana, honey
- Pink Power – granola, banana, honey (omit protein or sub plant protein)
Heads Up! The seasonal Stupid Cupid Base at Playa Bowls (available in February), is made with blended strawberries, bananas, and coconut milk.
Coconut Smoothie Bowls (base = organic young coconut, organic banana, filtered water, organic cane sugar, organic locust bean gum, organic guar gum)
- Avalanche Coconut Bowl – blue spirulina (in base), blueberry flax granola, banana, strawberry, walnuts, coconut flakes, cinnamon (seasonal)
- Coco Craze – granola, banana, pineapple, mango, coconut flakes, honey
- Coco Bowl – granola, banana, honey
- Coco Berry – granola, blueberry, strawberry, honey
- Coconut Power – granola banana, coconut flakes, almond butter (omit protein or sub plant protein)
Green Smoothie Bowls (base = kale, banana, pineapple, coconut milk)
- Green Power – granola, banana, almond butter (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- Hemp – granola, banana, blueberry, hemp seeds, agave
- Lola – granola, pineapple, mango, coconut flakes, honey
- Ocean Ave – banana, granola, honey
- Pacific – granola, strawberry, banana, shaved almonds, chia seeds, honey
Banana Smoothie Bowls (base = banana, honey, almond milk)
- Nica – granola, banana, cacao nibs, walnuts, strawberry, peanut butter
- Olas – granola, banana, blueberry, coconut flakes, chia seeds, almond butter
- Tide – granola, pineapple, mango, kiwi, goji berries, honey, bee pollen
Chia Pudding Bowls (base = chia seeds, coconut milk, agave, and vanilla extract)
- Almond Joy – granola, sliced almonds, banana, coconut flakes, raw cacao, honey
- Omega – granola, banana, blueberry, hemp seeds, agave nectar
- The Jetty – granola, strawberry, blueberry, goji berries, honey
- Trailblazer – granola, banana, raw cacao, peanut butter (omit protein or sub plant protein)
Oatmeal Bowls (base = water, organic oats, and sea salt)
- #2 Blueberry, Strawberry & Almonds
- #3 Power Bowl (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- #4 Maple & Brown Sugar
- #5 Banana, Cinnamon, Figs & Walnuts
- Nutcracker – brown sugar, banana, almonds, walnuts, coconut flakes, gingerbread spice (seasonal)
Bowl Add-Ons or Custom Bowl Ingredients
- Banana
- Blueberry
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Strawberry
- Granola
- GF/Vegan Granola
- Agave
- Almond Butter
- Honey
- Peanut Butter
- Bee Pollen
- Brown Sugar
- Cacao Nibs
- Chia Seeds
- Cinnamon
- Coconut Flakes
- Figs
- Flax Oil
- Goji Berries
- Hemp Seeds
- Maple Syrup
- Matcha
- Mint
- Sliced Almonds
- Spirulina
- Walnuts
- Wheatgrass
- Chocolate Plant Protein (Pea)
- Vanilla Plant Protein (Pea)
- Kale
- Spinach
Heads Up! According to Playa Bowls, the only dairy foods they use are Nutella, White Chocolate, Chocolate Whey Protein, and Vanilla Whey Protein.
Smoothies
- Acai Energy – acai, strawberry, banana, coconut milk
- Aloha – banana, mango, pineapple, coconut milk
- Booster – banana, vanilla protein, flax oil, spirulina, peanut butter, cashew milk (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- Dang – banana, wheat grass powder, peanut butter, cinnamon, almond milk
- Dolce – banana, chocolate protein, peanut butter, coconut milk (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- Gingerbread Smoothie – banana, blueberry flax granola, gingerbread spice, cinnamon, almond milk (omit protein or sub plant protein) (seasonal)
- Green Smoothie – kale, pineapple, banana, coconut milk
- Kowabunga – banana, strawberry, blueberry, coconut milk
- Mango Pina Colada – mango, pineapple, coconut, coconut milk (seasonal)
- Matcha – matcha green tea, banana, pineapple, coconut milk
- Orange Power – orange, vanilla protein, pineapple, coconut milk (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- Pink Pitaya – pitaya, banana, pineapple, coconut milk
- Rise & Shine Smoothie (omit protein or sub plant protein)
- Strawberry Banana – strawberry, banana, coconut milk
- Summerade – strawberry, pineapple, agave, lemon juice, coconut milk (seasonal)
Heads Up! Their plant (pea) protein comes in both vanilla and chocolate, so it’s a seamless swap in their protein smoothies, but as mentioned above, there might be a surcharge.
Juices
Heads Up! All juices at at Playa Bowls are dairy-free and vegan.
Snacks
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites
- Vegan Matcha Protein Bites
Heads Up! Some of the protein bites / balls made at Playa Bowls are made with whey protein (milk). Stick with the vegan options.
Poke Bowls (select locations)
- Basic Beet Bowl (vegan)
- Classic Shoyu Ahi Tuna Bowl
- Rock-n-Roll Shrimp Bowl
- Salmon Avocado Bowl
This Post is for Informational Purposes Only
Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.
There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.
Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.
Where to Find Playa Bowls
They currently have about 100 locations, with a heavy concentration in New Jersey. But Playa Bowls also has shops in 15 other U.S. states and Puerto Rico. See their website below for locations, hours, and online ordering.
Website: www.playabowls.com
Offers perfect meal and side choices
My favorites are the Orange smoothie and Ding repair drink. They are so tasty that my body actually asks for them! (Truth!) The poke and açaí bowls are filling and fresh! My only complaint is that I can’t hit them up on my way to work because they haven’t opened yet!
Blessing
I love the people who make these posts. All your hard work is appreciated and so helpful.
Thank you 😊
Best Ever
Anywhere I go I am always Googling “Playa Bowls near me”. Traded my Starbucks addiction for this healthy and delish treat. I am lactose intolerant so finding a place to accommodate my health was not so easy. But this place offers SO MANY varieties for even the pickiest eater (aka my daughter).
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
