Açaí Smoothie Bowl

Açaí Bowl Ingredients

labeled ingredients including frozen cherries, frozen acai puree, banana, swiss chard and navel orange.

The açaí bowl recipe originated in Brazil as these berries are grown along the Amazon River. It made its way to Hawaii and then quickly to the rest of the United States since it’s easy to make, tastes delicious and has an infinite number of topping choices. My açaí bowl ingredients include:

Navel orange: This acts as a fruit, liquid and sweetener in this recipe. If prepping ahead, I don’t recommend freezing the orange since it will be harder to blend.

Swiss chard: I love how this leafy green tastes with berries and thought it would be a fun addition! These gorgeous leaves can be found in most grocery stores.

Banana: Add sweetness and a creamy finish with a banana. You can easily swap out the banana for an avocado to cut down on the natural fruit sugars in this recipe.

Frozen cherries: Cherries contain 18% of the RDI of vitamin C as well as a large amount of antioxidants.

Frozen açaí puree: Açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) berries contain five grams of fat per serving, which is unique for a fruit. They also contain antioxidants that help protect the body from diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Buying the Right Açaí Packets

You’ll find açaí puree in the freezer section with other frozen fruit. Not all grocery stores carry this unique ingredient, so do a quick Google search before heading out so you know if your store carries them.

These packets are also not all created the same. Look for ones without added sugar or extra ingredients. I have the most success finding them at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Sprouts. You can also check out your local health food store.

How to Blend the Perfect Smoothie Bowl

Blending the perfect smoothie bowl is all about finding the right balance of flavors and textures. You want a thick texture you can scoop with a spoon as well as a lovely flavor. Here’s how I blend mine:

blender container full of fresh and frozen ingredients.

Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a blender container. Pulse them a few times to chop before turning the blender on to thoroughly blend.

Step 2: When blending, start on a low speed and gradually increase. This is supposed to be thick and will be thicker depending on how many of your ingredients are frozen. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed, until your blender is moving on its own.

KitchenAid blender with deep red blended smoothie inside.

Step 3: If the blender blades just won’t move, add a bit of water for extra liquid.

pouring acai smoothie bowl from a blender container into a coconut bowl.

Step 4: Scoop out the contents into a bowl and top as you want.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with toppings! Fresh fruit, healthy granola, coconut flakes, and nuts are all great options for adding extra flavor and crunch. Homemade nut butter can also add flavor and healthy fat.

FAQs

Is an açaí bowl good for weight loss?

I weigh less when I focus on fueling my body with as many whole-food plants as possible. I like smoothies because they help me get in several fruits and veggies at once, but leave in the fiber which my body needs. You can make your bowl fit your needs by focusing on adding low-sugar ingredients, high iron, antioxidant-rich, protein-filled and more!

What’s the difference between a smoothie bowl and an açaí bowl?

There isn’t much difference between regular smoothie bowl ingredients and açaí bowl ingredients other than the ladder has açaí puree in it. You can use any other fruits, leafy greens and veggies in your bowl with just a little bit of liquid to get a scoopable result.

What’s in an açaí bowl?

You can put a wide variety of ingredients into an açaí smoothie bowl. My recipe contains orange, Swiss chard, banana, frozen cherries and frozen açaí puree. I topped mine with granola, assorted fresh berries, banana slices and fresh mint.

smoothie bowl topped with fresh berries, mint leaves and banana with a white spoon.

More Smoothie Bowl Recipes

Switching up your smoothie routine is both fun and easy when you exchange it for a smoothie bowl recipe. Here are some great options to get you started:

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