This little Acai Smoothie Bowl is a powerhouse of goodness packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. This colorful bowl is not only gorgeous but is also great for a quick pick-me-up, providing a burst of energy to start your day off right. Top with fresh fruit, granola, and nuts, this acai smoothie bowl is easily customizable, so go ahead and make it your own.
Jump to:
Acai Smoothie Bowl
Get prepared for your new favorite breakfast.
If you have ever been to a beach town, you will know these little pink bowls of deliciousness can be found everywhere, and make for the absolute best breakfast, lunch, or snack bowl at any time of day.
I like to make my acai smoothie bowls up parfait style for breakfast and freeze any leftovers in little pouches in the freezer for on-the-go goodness.
You will need:
- frozen açaí berry smoothie pack: these used to be hard to find, but they are becoming more and more common, so you should be able to find them in the freezer section of most well-stocked grocery stores. Big box stores like Costco tend to have them in bulk as well;
- frozen banana: the frozen banana gives the consistency of ice cream. You can get away with a fresh banana, but you may need to add a handful of ice, or some extra frozen mixed berries to get the right consistency in the smoothie bowl;
- frozen mixed berries: I usually use a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, but most frozen fruit will work. There is a great dragon fruit blend at Costco;
- Chia seeds: you can use black or white;
- almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice: coconut milk works well here, but you will end up with a slight coconut flavor in the background;
- honey/coconut nectar or maple syrup: any other liquid sweetener would work here also;
- granola: just pick your favorite and run with that (I love using this super seedy coconut oil granola as it adds to the tropical feel of the bowl);
- pomegranate arils (optional): I use these because they look pretty, but out of season they can be fairly expensive, so skip them if you need to;
It looks like a long list of ingredients, but the best thing about this Acai Smoothie Bowl is that it is super versatile. Use what you have on hand.
A Note On Ingredients
As mentioned above, other than the açaí itself, most of the other ingredients for this berry bowl can be swapped and changed for what you have on hand.
Açaí
You want frozen açaí which can usually be found in the same freezer section where you find frozen fruit.
As it becomes more popular there are more and more brands available.
Be sure to check the ingredients.
It should include 100% açaí and no added sugar or other ingredients.
Granola
Homemade granola is so easy to make.
Why not try one of these recipes to top off your acai smoothie bowl:
If you are using some store-bought granola be sure to have a quick look at the ingredients for added nasties you might want to avoid.
Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions
Normally I make my acai smoothie bowls all about the fruit, but you can get away with packing in some green power.
You might want to try adding a dash of:
- spirulina
- wheatgrass
- powdered greens superfood blend
- powdered collagen
Just note that some of these powders can be quite strongly flavored, so if you aren't used to including them in your smoothies they may give off a slightly bitter aftertaste.
If the mixture is too thick in the blender, simply add some liquid of choice to loosen things up a bit.
I tend to use almond milk, but you could also use:
- coconut water
- coconut milk
- any other milk of choice
- apple juice
Once your açaí smoothie mix has reached the desired consistency, you should serve it up ASAP with whatever toppings you are using, as it will start melting pretty quickly.
Pro Tip:
If you want to take your acai smoothie bowl to the edge then add a big dollop of peanut butter or Nutella (or a version of) on top before serving!!
Acai Bowl Serving Suggestions
This is the type of smoothie bowl where you just go to town on the toppings!
Use your imagination and build your perfect bowl.
I love to add a combination of the following depending on my mood:
- fresh berries,
- sliced banana,
- hemp seeds,
- coconut flakes,
- cacao nibs,
- peanut butter,
- Nutella,
- cookie dough,
- hemp seeds,
- soy protein crisps.
After you try this açaí smoothie bowl, why not try out this Red Berry Protein Smoothie with the rest of your frozen berries?
Happy Eating
xx
Recipe
Açaí Superfood Parfait (aka breakfast ice cream)
Clicking any equipment link above will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ingredients
For The Acai Smoothie
- 1 3.5 ounce frozen açaí berry smoothie pack found in the frozen section
- ½ frozen banana use a ripe banana if you don' want it to be too ice cream like
- ½ cup frozen mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ⅓ cup almond milk or non dairy milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon coconut nectar can be substituted with honey or maple syrup if thats what you have
Toppings
- ⅓ cup granola
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
- ⅓ cup fresh berries of choice I used blackberries
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- ½ sliced banana
- honey, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, peanut butter, Nutella, biscoff optional to serve
Instructions
- Pop all the ingredients for the acai smoothie into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. If the mixture is sticking and not blending properly, add a little more liquid to loosen it up and blend again until smooth.
- Pour the açaí mixture into bowl. Add your desired toppings and a drizzle of honey (optional)
- Serve and enjoy.
- Alternative: freeze the açaí mix in pouches and use for on the go goodness.
Vicky says
I first heard of the Açai bowl on my vacation in Aruba. I had it for breakfast there every morning and as I walked on the boardwalk with my bowl, people would stop me and comment with things like: "That looks really good!" and "Where did you get that?" and "What is that?" Needless to say, I replicated the recipe at home and my kids have it for breakfast all the time. They absolutely love it and they commented this morning: "This is like ice cream!" Best breakfast ever....
Whole Food Bellies says
Definitely the best breakfast ever Vicky! I had my first bowl on vacation as well - albeit in Seattle...not quite as exotic as Aruba 🙂