Since living in Brazil in my 20’s, I like to say that I loved açaí before it was cool! This Amazonian berry has gained popularity around the globe in recent years not only from its fresh unique flavor, but also because it’s loaded with antioxidants and touted be a superfood with a lot of health benefits (including fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium.) It’s pronounced ah-sigh-EE and because the fresh berries have a pretty short shelf life, it’s usually sold as a frozen puree or powder. While you’ll find it in some fun tropical drinks, the most popular use of açaí is in açaí bowls. This consists of a gorgeous frozen fuchsia mixture, like a thickened smoothie, served in a bowl and topped with a variety of fresh fruit and other healthy toppings. These days it’s pretty easy to find frozen puree in the freezer section of the grocery store so you can make these tropical frozen bowls at home!
Ingredient and Equipment
- Frozen açaí Puree – Look for this in the frozen section of your grocery store (see photo below.) It’s usually found by the frozen fruit. Sambazon and Pitaya are two common brands I see in my stores and it’s a bag with little packets of frozen puree inside. Note that you can generally purchase it sweetened and unsweetened and often you have to look at the ingredient label to verify which one it is. Sugar will be one of the first ingredient on the sweetened version. I usually buy the unsweetened option so I can control the sweetness with add-ins, but feel free to use either.
- Fruit Nector or Juice – You’ll need some liquid to add to your frozen puree. My favorite thing is using a fresh fruit juice. You can buy a can of fruit nector in the latin section of the grocery store, or use any fruit juice you like. You could also use water, or even a dairy or coconut milk- but I like the added tropical flavor from a juice!
- Fresh Fruit– I use frozen blueberries/strawberries/blackberries plus some banana for my açaí mixture, and then you’ll want fresh fruit for topping, which can be anything, like berries, bananas, pineapple, mango, etc.
- Toppings Such as:
- Coconut Chips
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Hearts
- Pepitas (pumpin seeds)
- Granola
- Nuts
- Nut butter
- Blender – A high powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix works wonders for recipes like this, but a standard blender should do the trick just fine as well. You could also make a large batch in a food processor.
Instructions
As with any frozen smoothie type concoctions, you sometimes need to tweak your ingredient amounts due to variations in blenders, how cold your frozen items are, etc. in order to achieve a good, smooth, frozen consistency that is able to blend, but not too liquidy! These measurements work for me in my blender, but feel free to adjust, being careful to not add too much liquid, if you can help it. You’re aiming for a consistency a little softer than soft serve ice cream, so you’re able to eat it with a spoon (not a straw).
- Let your acai packets sit at room temp for about 10 minutes so they’re not rock hard, but they should still be frozen!
- Add two 3.5oz packets of frozen açaí puree to a blender
- Add frozen berries- I like to use either frozen wild blueberries or a frozen red berry mix with frozen raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries.
- Adding banana is optional, but I like the smoothness it adds. It does add banana flavor, so if you’re not a fat of that, you can skip it. You can use frozen or unfrozen banana, though frozen banana helps with the smooth creamy texture.
- Add about 1/4 cup liquid. This can be a can of fruit nectar, or any other fruit juice you like.
- Blend all ingredients at high speed until smooth. The mixture should look like a very thick smoothie, that holds it’s shape somewhat as you can see in the blender photo above.
- Scoop mixture into 2 small bowls and top with desired toppings.
Toppings for Homemade Açaí Bowls
- Fresh Fruit– Choose your favorite fresh fruits. Our favorites are berries, but bananas and other tropical fruits are wonderful too, like mango, pineapple and dragon fruit.
- Granola– Use any granola you like, store bought or homemade!
- Coconut Chips– We love the toasted coconut chips (Dang brand is my favorite), which you can find in the snack food aisle of the grocery store.
- Chia Seeds– small but mighty! These little cuties are packed with fiber, p rotein adn mega-3 fatty acids. I also love the way they look- kind of like healthy sprinkles!
- Hemp Hearts– These have a consistency of a finely ground nut and add just a little bit of texture. They’re a great source of magnesium and fiber, essential amino and fatty acids.
- Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)- Pumpkin seeds are great for adding a little healthy crunch. They’re rich in healthy fat and fiber.
- Nut Butter– Choose a natural nut butter. Aside from being a little healthier, they’re usually the perfect consistency for drizzling, right out of the jar.
Storage and Tips for making Açaí Bowls
- These are best eaten fresh! If you do make a big batch and have leftovers, place frozen açaí mixture in an ice cube tray and use it in place of frozen berries in your next batch.
- When blending, start with smaller amounts of liquid. You can always add more, but it’s harder to catch up when you add too much liquid and then have to add more frozen fruit.
- Before you blend your açaí mixture, have the rest of your ingredients and toppings ready to go, that way your delicious bowls won’t be melting while you’re trying to gather toppings.
Other Recipes You might Love
Acai Bowls
These easy Açaí Bowls are both nourishing and delicious! Load them with any toppings you like for a filling snack, meal, or treat!
Servings Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 100g packets frozen Acai puree I prefer no added sweetener, but either is fine
- ¼ cup fruit nectar or fruit juice plus more as needed
- ¾ cup frozen berries see note below
- ½ medium banana about 2 ounces, frozen or unfrozen, feel free to use the whole banana if you like
- Toppings, as desired See note below. May include chopped fruit, nuts, granola, chia seeds, hemp hearts, nut butters, coconut chips etc.
Instructions
- Let frozen acai packets sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Do not let them thaw all the way or your mixture might be too runny.
- Add fruit juice (or other liquid) to blender.
- Add both frozen fruit and banana.
- Blend the mixture, stopping to stir if necessary, until it reaches the consistency of a thick smoothie, that holds its shape a bit when scooped with a spoon. Add tiny amounts of liquid a little at a time, if needed. *I find when I use frozen banana I need a little more liquid than I do when I use unfrozen banana.
- Divide mixture into 2 bowls (or one large one) and top with desired toppings.
Notes
Fruit Juice: You can really use any liquid you want, including water, or even milk or plant milk. We like to use a fruit juice, and more specifically a fruit “nectar” which tend to be more flavor concentrated than a standard juice. You can find them in the can in the juice or latin section of the grocery store, or any carton of fruit juice will also work just fine.
Frozen Fruit: Experiment with any frozen fruit you like! My favorite is wild blueberries and raspberries. I like that they keep the vibrant color and the flavors blend well with Acai. The measurement doesn’t have to be exact, I’ve found I like about 3/4-1 cup frozen berries.
If your mixture is too runny at the end, feel free to add more frozen fruit to thicken it up. Or drink it as a smoothie!
Cost: 12.00
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