
What’s your morning routine like? What do you have for breakfast?
As one of the most important meals of the day, many people still end up skipping breakfast. Or, they pick up a quick breakfast burrito at their closest convenience store.
But, do you know what’s easier than driving to your local Wawa or 7-Eleven for a burrito that’s not even that great? Blending your breakfast in a smoothie and getting that to go. It’s delicious, easy, and most importantly, nutritious–even more so with acai berries.
If you’ve never tried acai berries in your smoothies, you’re missing out. There are a few ways to incorporate these berries into your morning routine, and acai bowls are one of the easiest.
Read on to learn how to make an acai bowl that gets you up and ready to start the day.
Sourcing Your Acai
Acai berries grow on Acai palm trees, which are native to regions in the Amazon rainforest. You will usually find these trees growing near the water, such as by the Amazon river delta.
Acai Processing Methods
Native local harvesters will climb to the top of these palm trees to harvest these tiny superfood berries, which grow on the tree’s many branches. Because these berries are highly-perishable, acai suppliers will then process these berries in a way that retains the fruit’s rich nutrients.
Some of these processes include freeze-drying the berries and turning them into powder. Another way acai suppliers process these berries is to extract the seeds from the pulp, then mash pulp together into a packet or a brick, and freeze them. Alternatively, they may turn the acai pulp into a juice or a liquid form.
Anywhere outside of Brazil, you will generally find acai either frozen, in powder form, or liquid form, to retain the fruit’s nutritional benefits.
Using Acai for Acai Bowls
To make the best acai bowls, you’ll need frozen acai puree packets, which give acai bowls a nice, thick consistency. When sourcing your acai for your acai bowls, be sure to check the ingredients list for any unwanted additive ingredients. Some products contain cane sugar and others are simply purees.
You can shop frozen acai products from an ethical acai supplier that works with native local acai harvesters.
How to Make an Acai Bowl
Learning how to make an acai bowl is not hard. Acai bowls are like thick smoothies served in a bowl and topped with other fruits and superfoods.
You can learn how to make an acai bowl with many different ingredients. Below, we’ve compiled three acai bowl recipes to fit your preference.
Traditional Acai Bowls
Sourced in Brazil, acai berries are a staple food in many of the local population’s diets. They have long enjoyed the benefits of acai before the world became obsessed with this superfood berry.
A traditional acai bowl is simple. You don’t need many ingredients to enjoy the acai benefits and deliciousness of these berries.
To start, take your frozen packets of acai puree out from the freezer and let them thaw on the counter for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you can run the packets under warm water to soften the acai packets for blending.
When these packets are ready, cut open and throw them into the blender, along with some water and a frozen banana. The bananas help make the bowl extra creamy and thick.
Blend together until the smoothie becomes a consistent, rich, berry color. Top it off with your favorite toppings. You can use seeds, nuts, granola, and fresh or frozen fruits.
Mixed Fruit Acai Bowls
If you’re a fruit addict, this is your type of acai bowl. This is like fruit heaven if there ever was one. This mixed fruit acai bowl contains the following fruits:
- mango
- pineapple
- strawberries
- blueberries
- banana
- acai
If you make your own smoothies at home, you likely already know how well berries go together. Think a berry medley: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries–they complement each other so well.
This mixed fruit acai bowl contains three different types of berries and incorporates mango and pineapple into the mix.
To make this acai bowl, run your packets of acai under the water and throw them into the blender. Into the mix, throw some frozen banana, frozen mango, and frozen pineapple chunks. For the berries, you can go with frozen or fresh–whatever you have on hand.
Blend everything together with some spinach, milk, yogurt, and honey. Top it off with your favorite toppings. This may be one of your favorite acai bowls to make if you’re a true fruit lover.
Protein Acai Bowls
If you’re looking for an easy way to increase your protein intake, this acai bowl is for you. This bowl includes a high-protein nut butter and a scoop of protein powder that makes this a great post-workout snack!
To make this bowl, throw two scoops of peanut butter into the blender. Add a frozen banana, some milk, and a heaping scoop of protein powder. If you’d like, add some yogurt. Blend everything together until it’s a nice consistency.
Serve with your favorite toppings. Try goji berries, superfood seeds, and coconut shavings.
This protein acai bowl is great for post-workout. It’s refreshing to drink and high in protein. Try it out one of these days after a good workout!
Step Up Your Acai Bowls
Now that you know how to make an acai bowl, you can ditch the convenience store breakfast foods. Acai bowls are way more delicious and healthy than your typical fast-food breakfast.
The best part is, you can make an acai bowl for any time of the day. They’re refreshing to have in the morning and even more delicious after a good workout.
Which acai bowl are you looking to try next?
For more acai recipes and healthy food inspiration, follow our food section! We’ve got you covered with the latest on new foods to try.