With this recipe, I promise you'll never spend $10+ on an acai bowl again! These homemade acai bowls are creamy, refreshing, and will seriously take your breakfast to the next level. Made with only 6 ingredients, these superfood smoothie bowls are healthy, nutritious, and loaded with fiber & antioxidants.
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The best things about acai bowls are that they're ready in 5 minutes and you can customize them however you want. Go wild with your toppings or keep them super plain jane. The acai base is similar to sorbet, so you could even enjoy these as a light after-dinner treat!
Ingredients
- Frozen acai packet: The star of the show! This will be our 'base' of our acai bowl.
- Frozen banana: to add natural sweetness and creaminess.
- Avocado: for that extra creaminess! Avocado is super neutral in flavor when it's in smoothie bowls, so don't worry, you won't taste it - it'll just make the base extra silky smooth.
- Frozen blueberries: to add some extra flavor! Acai by itself can sometimes be bitter, so adding in some fruits that will counteract that is a must.
- Apple juice: one of the liquids we'll be using to help blend. The apple juice again adds a bit of natural sweetness.
- Non-dairy milk: our second liquid to help blend! You can use any non-dairy milk you prefer! I have used almond milk, soy milk, and barley milk successfully with this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Acai Bowls
The best thing about making acai bowls at home (aside from saving $10-$15), is how simple and easy it is! Seriously, it's only 2 steps:
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into 1-2 bowls.
- Add your favorite toppings (suggestions below) and enjoy!
Topping Ideas
You can truly add whatever toppings you like to these acai bowls but these are my favorites/what I recommend:
- Fresh fruits: I love to add fresh blueberries and/or strawberries! Sliced bananas and kiwis are great options too.
- Coconut flakes
- Cacao nibs
- Granola
- Nuts & Seeds: I love adding hemp or chia seeds!
- Peanut Butter
Recipe Variations
I love this recipe as is, but here are few variations that work wonderfully.
- Make this acai bowl with acai powder instead of the frozen acai packet. Replace the packet with 1-2 tablespoons of acai powder.
- Add protein powder to make this acai bowl more filling and protein-packed. I personally think vegan vanilla protein powder tastes best.
- Add cocoa powder or cacao nibs to make this a chocolate acai bowl!
- Make this acai bowl without banana by using frozen mango instead. This will still provide that natural sweetness and creaminess, just with a slightly more tropical flavor! You could also use a whole avocado instead of half to replace the banana.
Quick Tips
- Use frozen or chilled ingredients. This will ensure that your acai bowl is super thick and creamy!
- Pour the liquid in a bit at a time! You want to use just enough liquid to get your blender going and to make sure everything gets blended super smoothly.
FAQ
You can keep your acai bowl in either the fridge or the freezer! Either way, I would recommend leaving the toppings off, especially fruit, when storing. If you store the acai bowls with the toppings, they'll become super mushy within a few hours, so add them when you're ready to eat the bowls!
Acai bowls will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Again, I recommend storing them without the toppings and only adding them once you're ready to enjoy!
Make sure you're using frozen fruit and chilled liquids. Also, use the bare minimum of liquid needed for your blender to run and create a super smooth base, adding more only as needed. You want the consistency of the acai base to be smooth, thick, and scoop-able.
Yes! Without acai, it's truly just a smoothie bowl. I would recommend using a frozen pitaya (dragonfruit) packet instead. Or, you can use a mixture of frozen blueberries and bananas to get a creamy, flavor, and purple base.
Acai bowls are nutrient-dense and rich in antioxidants! On their own, they are naturally lower in calories. Where the concern may come in is your choice of toppings! Adding a ton of toppings can add a lot of calories and sugar to these bowls. This is why making acai bowls at home is best, as you're able to monitor exactly what goes in and on top of them.
If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram. If you have any questions or feedback at all, send me an e-mail or leave a comment and review below. I hope you love this dish as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Acai Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 frozen acai packet
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ avocado
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup apple juice
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
Topping Suggestions
- Berries or other fruits blueberries, kiwis, bananas, strawberries, etc
- Coconut flakes
- Cacao nibs
- Hemp or chia seeds
- Granola
- Peanut Butter
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.1 frozen acai packet, 1 frozen banana, ½ avocado, ½ cup frozen blueberries, ¼ cup apple juice, ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- Add to a bowl and top with your favorite toppings, such as fruit, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, peanut butter, hemp seeds, granola, etc. Enjoy!
Lauren
I have this weekly! The apple juice is such a fun surprise.