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The ultimate superfood, smoothie bowls are all the rage right now and this easy Acai Bowl Recipe is the real original gangster when it comes to bowls.
This thick, spoonable acai bowl blends frozen acai, banana, and berries into a creamy base in 5 minutes. Start with minimal liquid and add by the tablespoon for a soft-serve texture. Top with crunchy granola and fruit, makes 1-2 servings.
Why You’ll Love This Acai Bowl
- Café quality at home. Thick and creamy – on a budget.
- Super thick – never soupy. Our tablespoon-of-liquid method nails soft-serve texture.
- Ready in 5 minutes. Frozen fruit plus a blender equals the best breakfast, fast.
- Totally customizable. Layer crunchy, creamy, fresh, or chocolatey toppings.
- Easily dairy-free or vegan. Swap in your favorite plant based milk or yogurt.
- Make-ahead friendly. Chill up to 48 hours or freeze and quick-thaw.
- Works with most blenders. Tamper for speed, or pulse-and-scrape without one.
- You control the sugar. Unsweetened açai with smart toppings keep it balanced.
A single smoothie never quite did it for me. I love the portability of as Easy Creamy Açaí Smoothie but I’m always hungry an hour later. Some other form of food is required to go along with a smoothie so why not pile everything into one smoothie bowl to help keep hunger at bay but still providing you with something tasty and nutritious.
Enter the smoothie jar, which was a creation of mine years ago to help conquer the whole “I’m still hungry an hour later but can’t go home to get more food” problem. I piled some snack type things like granola, yogurt and fruit in the bottom of a mason jar then poured my smoothie on top.
Then, the açaí bowl trend began in smoothie shops across the country. And basically, they turned my smoothie jar upside down. Essentially it’s the same thing and so the homemade acai bowl recipe was created just like that.
Ingredients For an Açai Bowl
- Acai – Pure Açai puree can be found in the freezer section of most well stocked grocery stores in the frozen fruit section. It’s usually available as frozen acai packets that you can then add to your smoothie bowl base. You can also use acai powder but I find the puree works much better.
- Banana – Bananas add natural sweetness to the recipe without having to add additional sweetener like sugar or honey. I like to use frozen bananas for a thick smoothie bowl base.
- Fruit – You can use your favorite frozen fruit or fresh fruit like berries, pineapple, kiwi or more. Easily customizable, smoothie bowls are easy to keep everyone satisfied. We love to use frozen strawberries because they compliment the Acai so well.
- Yogurt – We use protein packed greek yogurt for this recipe but your favorite will work, as well. Regular yogurt won’t provide the richness greek yogurt does so your smoothie bowl may be a little looser. If you want to add additional protein, you can swap the greek yogurt for cottage cheese which is higher in protein.
- Acai Bowl Toppings – See recipe card below for topping suggestions and favorites.
Açaí Notes
- Using purée? Freeze in thin slabs or cubes and break into chunks before blending.
- Use unsweetened packets. Gives you full control over sweetness and toppings.
- Let packets sit 1-2 minutes. Slightly soften so they blend smoothly without extra liquid.
- Prefer unsweetened, fair-trade açaí – You’ll find common brands in the freezer aisle. Skip syrup-sweetened purées so you control sugar and keep the flavor clean.
What is Acai?
I’m a big fan of Açaí Bowls, a smoothie bowl made with acai berries and topped with my favorite toppings. It’s easy to find just about anywhere right now but they’re quite pricey. An acai smoothie bowl habit can be quite pricey rivaling the old Starbuck’s habit of past.
Açaí, pronounced ah-sigh-EE, comes from the açai berry grown on the acai palm tree in rainforests in South America. The acai berry is known for it’s superfood powers and is said to provide anti-aging benefits, as well as, weight loss properties. It’s commonly blended into a smoothie or used in a juice. It’s claimed to be even richer in antioxidants than cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries.
It looks a little like a blueberry with 80 percent of the berry being the seed and only 20 percent of the berry contains all the nutritional value. It tastes a little tart like a cross between a pomegranate seed and a raspberry so I like to pair the acai puree with banana to mellow out the tartness. Unlike most berries that are high in sugar and low in fat, the acai berry is a little high in fat and low in sugar.
If you’re not a fan of açaí, you should definitely give this Pitaya smoothie bowl a try!
How To Make Acai Bowl (Step by Step)
Making a Homemade Acai Bowl is as easy as making a smoothie. It’s started with a smoothie base that contains frozen berries, pineapple, acai puree, banana, yogurt and almond milk or other dairy product.
Works best with a high-speed blender and tamper; a food processor works great using the pulse method. You’ll want your acai base to be on the thick side so your toppings don’t sink to the bottom of the bowl. This is one of my favorite smoothie bowl recipes.
- Freeze fruit solid. Keep all fruit fully frozen for best body.
- Start with minimal liquid. Add 2-3 Tbsp liquid to the blender.
- Blend low with a tamper. Blend on low speed, using a tamper to push fruit into the blades.
- Add liquid slowly. If the blades stall, add 1 Tablespoon of liquid at a time and continue blending.
- Stop at soft-serve swirls. You’re done when the blend forms slow, ribbon-like swirls and holds on a spoon without being runny.
No tamper? Pulse in 10-second bursts and scrape down the sides between pulses; only add liquid 1 Tablespoon at a time if absolutely needed.
Kellie’s Tips for Perfect Acai Bowls
- Serve immediately. This easy Acai Bowl recipe is best if enjoyed as soon as you make it. If you want to make it in advance, pour the smoothie base into individual containers and freeze without the toppings. To eat later, allow the smoothie bowl to thaw for 10-15 minutes and give it a stir before adding your toppings.
- Customize your own acai bowl by trying other fruits like mango, apple, papaya and kiwi. Sometimes I like to add a beet to amp up the nutrition factor. Beets provide tremendous energy and lots of antioxidants!
- Make it dairy free. If you can’t have dairy or are looking to make a vegan smoothie bowl, simply substitute your favorite dairy-free yogurt like one made with coconut milk or oat milk.
- Keep the sugar low by skipping the honey. I find if I add a super ripe frozen banana there’s no need to add honey or other sweeteners.
- Too thin? Add frozen berries or a few ice cubes.
- Too thick? 1 Tbsp liquid, pulse 5–6 times.
- No tamper? Pulse in 10-second bursts; scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
Acai Bowl Toppings
You can really top your smoothie bowl with just about anything you want. Here are a few of my favorite toppings:
- Sweet – Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, vanilla chips, Honey
- Crunchy – Coconut Flakes, Homemade Granola, Cacao nibs, Flax Seed or Chia Seeds, macadamia, almonds, walnuts or pine nuts
- Fresh – Fresh berries, Sliced Bananas, Pineapple
- Creamy – Peanut Butter, Tahini, Almond Butter, Pistachio Paste
You’re only limited by your own imagination here, remember, eat the rainbow so look for a variety of colors and shapes to make your Acai Bowl interesting.
How to Store Leftovers
To store leftover Acai Bowls, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
You can freeze your Acai Bowl, as well. Just remove it from the freezer 30 minutes prior to serving for best results.
Are Acai Bowls healthy?
Acai berries are a natural superfood and native to the amazon rainforest. It’s a good source of antioxidants, healthy fats, fiber and some minerals. The fruit can be high in sugar (albeit naturally occurring sugar) you can definitely pull back on the added sugar or skip the banana. Also, I use a low fat yogurt for the acai bowl but you can substitute with fat free if you want to lower the fat content.
Acai is antioxidant-rich like blueberries; overall nutrition depends on toppings and portion size. Overall, the acai bowl is a healthy way to start the day if you don’t over indulge. Everything in moderation. Right?
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More Smoothie Recipes
- Berry Beet Smoothie Recipe
- Easy Pineapple Kiwi Spinach Smoothie
- The BEST Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
- Simple Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Acai Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen acai puree, slightly thawed
- 1 banana
- 1/4 cup pineapple
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries
- 1/4 cup plain low fat greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Fresh Fruit
- granola
- assorted nuts
- shredded coconut
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the acai, banana, pineapple, berries, yogurt, almond milk and honey to the pitcher of a high speed blender.
- Puree until smooth. (Texture Key: Stop blending when ribbons move slowly; if the mixture pours freely, add frozen fruit and pulse until thickened.)
- Divide the mixture among three bowls and top with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Start with 2–3 Tbsp liquid, blend on low, and use a tamper. If it stalls, add liquid 1 Tbsp at a time. Stop when slow, ribbon-like swirls form, soft-serve texture.
Pulse in 10-second bursts, scraping the sides between pulses. Add just 1 Tbsp liquid at a time until the blades catch; keep the fruit as frozen as possible.
Choose unsweetened frozen acai packets (often fair-trade). Let them sit 1–2 minutes before blending so they break up without extra liquid.
Yes, use non-dairy milk (almond, oat, coconut) and plant-based yogurt if using. Check granola and toppings to ensure they’re vegan.
Add a handful of frozen berries or a few ice cubes and blend briefly. Avoid adding more liquid; pulse until it thickens.
Refrigerate the base up to 48 hours; stir before serving. Or freeze pre-topped bowls, thaw 10–15 minutes, then pulse with 1–2 Tbsp liquid to refresh.
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I love these bowls as do my kids but they are pricey! I love this homemade option, it is fairly easy and a perfect afterschool or weekend snack! Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! They are perfect for the kiddos!
I love love love these bowls. They always hit the spot.
thank you! They really do hit the spot!
Acai Bowls are my favorite! Your recipe was a hit in my household!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!