Creating a delicious açaí bowl is easy and customizable. Here are tips on how to make an acai bowl, with simple step-by-step instructions, that can be tailored to your taste.
It’s smoothie week!
You know I love a smoothie in a bowl (and overnight oats as a “doughy” smoothie bowl), and that I have a ton of smoothie recipes on KERF! They are both an easy way to get in a ton of nutrients in and an easy-to-digest meal. Smoothie bowls are a great way to get a head start on your nutrition when they are the first meal of your day.
How To Make An Acai Bowl
I believe açaí bowls were some of the very first smoothie bowls to go mainstream (maybe followed by the popular Green Monster smoothies?!). They have a great thick, frozen texture and are packed with antioxidants from açaí fruit. I’ve seen them more on the west coast when I’ve traveled, like this one from Juice Wave in San Diego. Look at that peanut butter swirl!
As seen above with all the berries and hemp seeds, açaí bowls are also known for their decorative toppings from fresh fruit to granola to seeds to coconut flakes. I took a stab at a decorated Mermaid bowl a few years ago!
If you don’t have access to açaí, you can use any frozen berry you do have. The more purple the better!
Here’s how you can make a customizable, nutritious, and delicious açaí smoothie bowl at home.
What Is An Acai Bowl?
Açaí: The correct pronunciation is ah-sah-EE.
An açaí bowl is a popular and nutritious dish made from the açaí berry, a fruit native to Central and South America, particularly the Amazon rainforest. The açaí berry is known for its dark purple color and health benefits. It is rich in antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, and various vitamins and minerals.
How To Make Acai Bowl At Home
To make an açaí bowl, frozen açaí puree (or powder) is blended with other fruits and liquids to create a thick, smoothie-like base. The mixture is then poured into a bowl and topped with an assortment of toppings, such as granola, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and honey. The result is a visually appealing and delicious bowl that offers a blend of flavors, textures, and nutritional benefits.
Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1/4 cup açaí powder
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Toppings:
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1/4 cup diced mango
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 kiwi, sliced
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
- coconut flakes (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
In a food processor or high speed blender with a plunger (so you can get a thick texture), combine the frozen bananas, açaí powder, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, maple syrup, and Greek yogurt.
Step 2
Blend the ingredients until smooth and well combined.
Step 3
Pour the smoothie into a bowl.
Step 4
Arrange the toppings on the smoothie. Sprinkle chia seeds, sliced banana, diced mango, fresh blueberries, and sliced kiwi on top.
Step 5
Finally, add pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes as desired.
Step 6
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Açaí Bowl Ideas
Look for Açaí packets
Açaí packets can be found in the frozen section at the grocery store, near the frozen fruit. This is the easiest way to get the base for your bowl.
Up the protein
Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to the açaí mixture. My favorite at the moment is Tera’s Whey Bourbon Vanilla. It’s made from grass-fed milk and tastes great.
Add some greens!
I add baby spinach to almost every smoothie. Why not get a little bit more green in your life!? The color might go deeper, but you can’t taste it at all.
Make it dairy free / sub other milks
If you don’t have yogurt on hand, you can use almond milk or your milk of choice.
A little frozen banana…
Goes a long way! I love frozen banana to make smoothie bowls extra fluffy and creamy. Add half of one with your acai for the best texture.
Here are some other delicious recipes!
- Tropical Açaí Bowl – from Cookie & Kate
- Raspberry Açaí Bowl – from Bakerita
- Lime Zinger Açaí Bowl – from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Have you made your own açaí bowl? Do you have any favorite toppings?
You may also enjoy:
Denise says
Looks delicious! How many smoothies would this make?
Kath Younger says
It should serve 1 large or two small : )
Denise says
I thought about seeking out the acai powder but ran the recipe through MFP first. The bowl plus toppings comes out to 850 calories! No way I can swing this for breakfast with so little protein. Are you sure the amounts are correct?
Kath Younger says
Hi Denise,
Yes, with all the toppings included it’s quite the bowl! They are in the recipe to be extra over the top delicious, but of course feel free to modify as you need. For example, I probably wouldn’t use a whole second banana but you might need a few slices to look the prettiest. You can also make the bowl a little smaller to do more with the toppings.
Elisa says
Your recipe looks great! I love açaí bowls. I use the frozen açaí packets from Trader Joe’s. I blend with frozen mango, yogurt, and water. Sometimes coconut water as well.
Monica says
Hello! I’m making a few of these for a party, would they set well over night? Or is this something I should make the day before?
Kath Younger says
I would probably made them the day of to be safe.
Monica says
Thank you!
Hills Cafe says
Thank you! Your recipe looks amazing!