Kitchen-made Acai Bowl from the Pantry

This unfussy to make Kitchen-made Acai Bowl Recipe has simply a few simple ingredients and makes for an unfussy and healthy breakfast! It comes together in simply a few short minutes and requires only a handful of simple and unfussy to find ingredients. PLUS, you’ll save a ton of money compared to buying these out at a smoothie shop!

Why you’ll love this unfussy acai bowl recipe

For the longest time, I’ve gone to a local smoothie place whenever I wanted to treat myself to a nutrient packed Acai bowl. They’re SO flavor-packed and refreshing (especially on a warmer summer day) but they’re also PRICEY! The medium sized acai bowl that I usually get is $15 and $1 if you want any of the extra add-ons (which I typically do). That’s a lot for 1 smoothie bowl.

It used to be that finding frozen acai packets at the store was difficult and fairly expensive. However, lately I have found frozen acai packets and most of my usual grocery stores for a pretty reasonable price. SO I figured it was time to make my own From-scratch Acai Bowl recipe at home.

I have a LOT of satisfying smoothie recipes on my blog but this is easily one of my favorites!

HELLO HANDSOME:

FIRST UP, let’s discuss how to pronounce “acai”: the proper (or at least most common) way to say Acai is AH-SIGH-EE. I pronounced this wrong for longer than I want to admit:)

What is an Acai bowl?

If you’ve never had one, an Acai Smoothie Bowl is a thick, smoothie-like base made from frozen acai berries that are blended together with fruit and a little liquid for a creamy texture, then topped with things such as granola, a drizzle of peanut butter (or almond butter), fresh fruit, and coconut. Think smoothie, but eaten with a spoon instead of a straw! It’s got that dark purple color and a flavor that’s slightly tart and earthy, kind of like a cross between blueberries and dark chocolate, which is part of why it pairs so well with sweeter toppings like banana and a drizzle of honey.

Frozen Acai Packets vs. Acai Powder:

In the past, I used acai powder but genuinely don’t like it as much as the frozen acai packets. The powder simply has a rather bitter taste and I don’t prefer it. Luckily, I’ve been seeing the frozen packets a lot lately at some of the stores that I frequent the most including Trader Joe’s and Publix. The frozen packets also result in a much thicker and creamier smoothie which I prefer.

If using the powder, follow the instructions on the packet for making 1 smoothie serving. They’re all a little different.

I use one packet per smoothie in this method but I’ve seen others that call for simply half of a packet if you want to make them go slower OR if you prefer a slightly lighter acai flavor.

What is in an Acai Bowl

The fresh ingredients for this smoothie are simple and easily customizable:

• 1 frozen acai berry puree packet – these are typically found in the frozen fruit section. They’re easier to find these days and carried at most major grocery stores including most Trader Joe’s and Target.
• ½ cup of liquid- I like almond milk or oat milk here but any milk or even simply water would also work. Coconut milk (or coconut water) adds a nice bit of flavor and creaminess.
• 1 cup of berries- I typically use strawberries or a mixed berry blend. But again, truly anything works well. I’ve tried this with so many different berry combos (including cherries) and it always turns out savory. Frozen or fresh berries work.
• ½ frozen banana– OR ¼ cup of cauliflower florets* Between the acai and the berries, this smoothie already has a lot of fruit. So, I often like to use cauliflower to lower the calories and sugar of this smoothie. I promise, the smoothie still turns out smooth and savory. I usually use frozen but fresh banana also works.
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup– Worth keeping the added bit of sweetness but you can surely leave this out if the sweetness from all of the fruit is enough for you. You can also swap it for agave or honey if you wish.
• Mix ins – a scoop of your regular protein powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, greens such as spinach, and anything else you like in your smoothies.
• Your go-to toppings – such as cacao nibs (or chocolate chips),

How to cook this Acai Bowl Recipe

As most smoothie recipes go, this is a “dump everything in the blend and BLEND” kinda thing. Straightforward and DONE! Be sure to use a high-powered blender for this.

You might need to add in a little bit of extra liquid to get the blender going and the acai block completely blended. I try and refrain from adding too much since we want this extra thick and creamy.