One of the smoothies that I make most often is an acai bowl smoothie. So when I realized I really only had one recipe for an acai bowl here on the blog, from four years ago, I knew I wanted to add one just in time for summer!
My original How-to Make an Acai Bowl recipe post is here. And it contains a ton of great tips and anecdotes on choosing acai packs and blending a bowl. But today, I share my current go-to recipe. I will be making this more than a few times this summer! Hope you love it as much as I do..
Side note, even though I only have one (now two) acai bowls / smoothies here on the blog, I do have a bunch of acai smoothies in my smoothie book 365 Vegan Smoothies. So if you are smoothie-curious, check that out!
So, this smoothie. It is so refreshing for summer!
And it isn't too fancy. "Instagram" perfect it is not. In real life, I don't take too much time adding toppings, fluffing things and making sure only the prettiest berries make it to the bowl. So I didn't really do that for today's photos. Quick and dirty! Simple and so good.
Toppings are pretty casual for me with my daily bowls. Some days I want a lot of texture, and other days I just throw some puffed rice on top and spoon dive in.
The toppings I usually rotate on top of my acai bowls are:
- sliced banana
- fresh berries
- puffed rice
- pumpkin seeds (salted)
- coconut
- granola
- sliced peaches or apricots
- fresh mango, diced
- hemp seeds
- chopped nuts (walnuts, cashews..)
- drizzled nut butters
But some days I just pour my acai "bowl" in a tall smoothie glass and serve it as a smoothie. Depending on the thickness, I use either a spoon or glass straw.
Thickness? I love my acai bowls to be super thick. How do you do that? 1) Use as little liquid as you can get away with, or add more frosty ingredients like frozen fruit or the actual frozen acai (which is also a fruit btw..)
Another trick for keeping your acai thick and frosty and chilled is here... Some people like to warm up there acai packs before adding to the blender, but the colder your acai pack when you blend it, the thicker the blend will be.
And another tip is to use your Vitamix tamper to blend the thick, frosty fruit.
What is acai?
Acai is a berry from the Amazon. It is a small berry harvested from an acai palm tree. The berries are so delicate that they are not really the type of berry you would ship and import and sell fresh. The acai is processed into frozen fruit packs, which is how most Americans buy acai. If you travel to countries or regions where fresh acai is a local treat, you may be able to find fresh acai bowls.
Acai Nutrition:
One 100g serving contains just 60 calories, 3g fiber, 6% RDA iron, 15% RDA vitamin A, 5,800 ORAC units, 4.58mg heart-healthy omega fatty acids, 0g sugar and zero caffeine or gluten. It also contains various minerals, vitamin C and even some calcium.
Tip! I prefer to buy the unsweetened, 100% pure acai packs. Sometimes there is sugar and/or other ingredients added. That only takes away from having more acai goodness in your smoothie.
Acai Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cups non-dairy milk
- 1 frozen acai smoothie pack
- 1 banana, fresh or frozen
- 6 Brazil Nuts, - or sub with 2 tablespoon nut butter
- 1 cup wild blueberries
Toppings
- any toppings you'd like - fresh fruit, nuts..
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl and add toppings to serve!
Equipment
- blender
nutrition estimate | per serving
disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links
