If you’ve ever spotted those beautiful acai bowls on social media and wondered how to make your own, read on. It’s easy to make a berry acai bowl when you know how. This unsweetened banana and berry acai bowl recipe is filling and nutritious.
Healthy Berry Acai Bowl Recipe
With this simple acai recipe, you’ll have a tasty snack that is perfect for a healthy breakfast or lunch. Acai bowls also make a great alternative to smoothies.
There’s something really special about these creamy, semi-frozen fruit bowls. They taste just as good as they look!
What is Acai?
Grown on the acai palm tree, native to South America, acai is a superfood that is extremely popular in Brazil. If you visit Rio de Janeiro, you’ll find acai bars on almost every corner.
This reddish-purple fruit is similar to a grape, as the seeds take up 80% of the fruit. For that reason, we don’t recommend ever biting into a fresh acai berry. It tastes quite bitter!
At any rate, you can’t really get fresh acai berries outside of Central and South America. The fruit goes rancid very quickly and can’t be transported for long distances.
What are the Health Benefits of Acai?
Acai is considered to be one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world. It contains twice as many antioxidants as blueberries or pomegranates.
Rich in essential amino acids, fiber, polyphenols and good fatty acids like Omega 3, making your own acai bowl is a great way to step up your nutrient intake. The best part is that acai tastes delicious too!
Acai may help to maintain the water level in our body, due to the high level of electrolytes. Some also believe that consuming acai berries protects the brain neurons, reduces cholesterol and helps to improve skin elasticity.
There are also some possible health benefits if you drink acai berry tea. It is thought to increase energy levels and may also improve liver function and boost the immune system.
Acai oil is used in some beauty products, thanks to its antioxidant properties. The combination of vitamin A and vitamin C with omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids in acai fruit may help to keep skin glowing and plumped up.
Are There any Side Effects of Acai?
Due to the limited amount of studies done on acai berry health benefits, it’s recommended to avoid large quantities if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding. Those with pollen allergies may also find that acai berries exacerbate the problem if consumed in large amounts.
Can Acai Help You Lose Weight?
The jury is out on this, as acai is high in sugar. Therefore eating acai bowls may not directly contribute to weight loss.
However, an acai smoothie bowl is a good alternative to other sweet treats and will leave you feeling full for longer.
Where Can You Buy Acai?
There are a few alternatives to fresh acai, which is only available in Central and South America:
- Frozen acai puree – our favorite option for making the best acai berry bowl. You can buy sweetened or unsweetened acai puree from some health stores, larger grocery stores or online.
- Acai powder – if you can’t get hold of frozen acai packs, acai powder is a reasonable alternative. It’s also less messy to prepare than the frozen version. You can find it online or in some health stores.
- Acai juice – if you use acai juice to make an acai bowl, you’ll need to add ice and plenty of fruit to make the consistency thick enough. Whey protein will also help to bulk out the acai bowl.
Acai Bowl Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make an açai berry bowl. Use frozen acai berry packets or acai powder, bananas and the berries of your choice.
The only other ingredients are non-dairy milk such as almond milk and the toppings of your choice. For a vegan acai bowl, substitute apple juice for the milk.
To make your acai berry bowl even more filling, add a spoonful of almond butter. This gives a lovely creamy texture.
Berry Acai Bowl Toppings
Use any mixture of berries or fresh fruit that you like! You could also make an acai chocolate bowl by adding melted chocolate. Some of our favorite toppings include:
- Blueberries
- Cacao nibs
- Chia seeds
- Chopped nuts such as almonds
- Coconut flakes
- Flax seeds
- Granola
- Hemp seeds
- Honey
- Kiwi fruit
- Mango
- Peanut butter
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Tips for How to Make an Acai Bowl
We’ve included the full berry acai bowl recipe below. Here are some extra tips that you may find helpful when making your acai bowl from scratch.
- If using acai frozen packets, run them under the hot tap for a minute or two. This will make them easier to blend.
- Be careful when opening a frozen acai bowl packet, as acai stains easily. Wear an apron to protect your clothes and gently snip the pack with scissors around the top and one side before gently removing the frozen acai puree from the packaging.
- It’s best to use a stand blender to mix the ingredients together. If you want to use a hand blender, make sure to place the bowl in a sink or somewhere it won’t spray your walls! Better still, use an anti-splatter blender cover with a hole in the middle.
- Don’t feel obliged to use frozen fruit in your acai mix, as long as you’re using frozen acai puree. However, if you’re using acai powder, it’s good to use frozen berries to get the right consistency. Make sure to have some fresh berries and a banana to hand for decoration.
- For the non-dairy milk you can use any type such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, hemp milk or coconut milk.
- When decorating your acai bowl, have enough fresh banana slices for two layers. You may well find that the first layer of banana sinks slightly into the acai smoothie mixture. Gently add a second layer of banana on top and it will look perfect.
- You can buy really cute natural coconut bowls and spoons to serve your acai smoothies in. They’re biodegradable and eco-friendly.
Can You Prepare Acai Bowls in Advance?
It’s not generally recommended to make your acai bowl in advance as it won’t taste so fresh. However, if you’re short on time you can freeze the berries and bananas a few days before.
Once you’ve made your berry bowl, we recommend that you eat it within a few hours. Don’t freeze any leftover acai as it won’t taste as good the next day.
Here’s the full berry acai bowl recipe with a detailed list of ingredients. Happy eating!
Berry Acai Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 blocks pure unsweetened frozen acai or 1 tablespoon acai berry powder and 3 crushed ice cubes
- 1 fresh banana
- 1/2 cup (100 g) fresh or frozen berries
- Fresh berries to decorate
- 1/4 cup (75 ml) non-dairy milk
- Toppings of your choice - fresh or frozen fruit, granola, sunflower seed, etc.
Instructions
- Take two unsweetened blocks of acai puree. Most packs contain two sets of two blocks.
- Run the blocks under the hot tap for a couple of minutes, then carefully open them with scissors and discard the packaging.
- Break the acai puree into your blender. Add the fruit, non-dairy milk or apple juice and half a banana.
- Combine the ingredients until smooth.
- Place in a bowl and decorate with the remaining half a banana, fresh fruit and any other toppings of your choice.
- Eat straight away or within a couple of hours.
Notes
Serves 1 as a filling breakfast dish or 2 as a starter or light snack.
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