This homemade acai bowl is a delicious warm weather treat, and can easily be made at home in just a few minutes! These are vegan, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free.
Acai bowls are a great summer treat
Here’s one fact you probably don’t know about me. I spent an entire summer in Hawaii during college as part of a summer research internship program at the University of Hawaii.
One of my favorite foods that I absolutely loved while living there were acai bowls (pronounced ah-sigh-EE). Acai berries grow on acai palm trees in Central and South America.
They are known for being incredibly high in antioxidants, even higher than some cranberries and blueberries. However, on their own, they are known for being very earthy tasting, and not sweet.
Acai bowls generally mix acai in with blueberries, strawberries, bananas and other ingredients to form a delicious power-packed antioxidant boost for breakfast, a snack, or any time really!
Acai is often sold either frozen in little packets, or as a powder. I found the powder kind at a rural Walmart in the baking aisle. However, you can actually omit the acai if you have trouble finding it where you live, as it is a relatively small ingredient in the recipe.
Homemade acai bowls only take a few minutes to make!
For this recipe, you will need the following:
- Frozen acai puree or acai powder
- Frozen blueberries
- Small frozen banana
- Frozen strawberries
- Liquid of choice for blending. This work well with either a fruit juice such as apple juice, or with a nut milk of your choice such as coconut milk.
- Toppings such as coconut flakes, sliced bananas, blueberries, strawberries, granola, chia seeds, honey
As long as you have a powerful blender, you should be good to go. Add in the acai puree or powder, the frozen blueberries, banana and strawberries, along with the liquid. Blend until thick and smooth.
You may need to add just a touch more liquid, but don’t add more than is necessary, since you want the texture to be very thick.
Once blended, add to a bowl and top with whatever toppings you like, and enjoy!
Can I omit the acai? I can’t find it anywhere.
Yes, you can. It actually isn’t that critical for the taste or texture of the recipe. You’re just missing out on some antioxidants.
My blender isn’t that powerful, can I still make this?
You sure can. There are a couple things I would do differently. Let your frozen fruit thaw on the counter for a little while before you begin blending.
Also, you’ll likely need to add a bit more liquid for blending. This shouldn’t impact the taste too much, but just know that the texture will be a bit more liquidy, so your toppings may end up sinking in, rather than sitting on top. But no worries, the taste will still be delicious!
If you give this homemade acai bowl a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
You may also enjoy:
Homemade Acai Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 small banana, frozen
- 1 cup frozen blueberries I like wild blueberries (3.6 oz)
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries organic is best (3.5 oz)
- 1/2 cup fruit juice or dairy-free milk of choice 4 oz
- 1 serving acai powder or frozen puree check package serving size
- toppings of choice (shredded coconut, sliced bananas, blueberries, strawberries, granola, honey or chia seeds)
Instructions
- Add banana, blueberries, strawberries, juice or milk and acai powder or puree to a blender. Blend until thick and smooth. If needed, add an additional splash of liquid to assist in blending. You want the consistency to be that of a very thick smoothie, so don't add more liquid than is necessary.
- Pour mixture into a bowl and spread toppings of choice on top. Enjoy right away.
4 comments
As far as macadamia nuts or tiger nuts – do you know if either of these are low in mold b/c I saw they weren’t on your high-mold list for the other nuts…? Thanks!
Hi Mark. I have never had a reaction to macadamia nuts, I believe they are low in mold. I have not personally had tiger nuts, but I’ve heard that the roots can harbor mold, so I would recommend avoiding them unless you can find a brand that tests for mold.
Thanks so much! Your answer just shed light on something then – to make me ask a new Q: How do you know which companies ‘test for mold’? How do I find that out? Do I need to call the brand name’s company and ask to speak to a manufacturer or who? Which dept do I ask for/ which ‘specialist’ at what part of the co?
I am new at this and want to do this right but also not waste a lot of time having to jump through ten hoops…! Any advice or steps on procedures or protocols on researching things like this that can save some time too?
Hi Mark, if a company tests for mold, they usually openly advertise that they do so. You should be able to do a search online for whatever high-mold food you want and type in “mold tested” as well, and it should bring up some relevant results for you. Not everything is tested yet, but it’s becoming much more common these days.
Regarding protocols, I would recommend working with a functional medicine doctor who has experience in mold. They can help to find the root cause of your specific food/environmental allergies. If you can’t find one near you, I really like Dr. Cabral, who runs a remote practice. He has a mold protocol. If you listen to podcasts, he has some great ones, here is a link to his website:
https://stephencabral.com/podcasts/
If you type “mold” in the search bar, it should bring up the relevant podcast episodes.
And here is the website with his supplement line:
https://equilibriumnutrition.com/