5-Minute Acai Bowl Recipe (Vegan + Extra Easy!)
This Homemade Acai Bowl recipe uses just 3 simple vegan ingredients for the most delicious DIY açai smoothie bowl ever! Using a high-powered blender, it’s ready within 5 minutes. Customize with your favorite toppings, like fresh berries, coconut flakes, and granola. Let’s make it!
Are you on the smoothie bowl bandwagon yet? I’ve been acai bowl obsessed for a long time now! They’ve been a favorite of mine since I first discovered the Sambazon acai cafe in Cardiff, CA way back in high school. Now, you can find them all over in San Diego, but there were still no places near me to get them in Washington, so they became a treat I only got when I was visiting home.
I’ve fallen in love with the fresh, delicious flavors of an acai bowl, or all smoothie bowls really, and the refreshing nature of them. Have you tried my Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl, Mango Pineapple Smoothie Bowl, or Raspberry Acai Bowl yet?! And if you want something more decadent and dessert-like (but still perfect for breakfast), you must try my favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl.
They’re the perfect easy vegan breakfast or snack to fuel up on a long day, and they’re perfect for loading up with nutrients, whether it’s mixing it into the smoothie, or loading it up on top. They can get pricey real quick when you’re out buying them though…
So, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and make my acai bowls at home. The bonus of making them at home? That means that they’re fully customizable, with all the fruits, superfood additions, and toppings that I want. I can’t believe I waited so long to post an acai bowl recipe – especially considering how easy they are! It took about five minutes to make and only used three ingredients.
This recipe makes one larger acai bowl, or can be divided into two servings if you’re not as hungry.
What is acai, and where can I find it?
- What is acai? Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a berry that grows in the Amazon rainforest on an acai palm tree. They are very popular in Brazil, but outside of central and south America, you can’t find them fresh, so you’ll typically see acai sold in powdered and frozen forms here. It has a sweet, tropical flavor.
- Where can I buy açaí packets? You’ll have to look in the freezer section of your local grocery store for some frozen unsweetened acai blend packets. Mine come in 100g packets, which is the perfect amount to make one bowl. I’ve been able to find them at pretty much all grocery stores these days. I like the brand Sambazon, and Trader Joe’s also has their own unsweetened acai.
Make sure to get unsweetened açaí! I found the sweetened acai packets to be far too sweet for my tastes. The added sugar is not necessary for a good smoothie bowl!
Are acai bowls healthy?
While acai bowls aren’t a low-calorie treat, they also aren’t bad for you! They are high in sugar from the fruit, similar to any fruit-based smoothie, but when you load them up with healthy fats in the mix-ins or toppings, it can definitely be a balanced breakfast. You can also add a ton of nutrients to the already-antioxidant dense smoothie bowl base with healthy toppings.
How to make easy Acai Bowls at home
You only need three ingredients for your acai bowl:
- Frozen Unsweetened Acai: I recommend breaking up the frozen acai packet for easier blending
- Frozen Banana: this adds natural sweetness and makes the mixture super creamy!
- Dairy-Free Milk or Yogurt of your choice: this makes the mixture blend easily and creates creaminess. I love using non-dairy milk to help it blend up, and coconut water and juices also work. If you want to use yogurt but it’s thick, you’ll likely need to add a liquid as well to help it blend smoothly.
To make it, simply add the three ingredients to a blender and blend away until you have a thick and creamy acai blend! If you’d like, this is a great time to add in any vitamin or supplement powders you take. Pour it into a bowl, top with any and all the toppings you want, and enjoy!
What can I add in?
If you want to vary the flavor in your acai bowl or want to add extra nutrients, you can add in things like:
- Fruit, like berries
- Protein Powder or Collagen
- Hemp, flax, or chia seeds
- Nut Butter
What are the best acai bowl toppings?
I love topping my bowl with so many goodies…here are some of my favorites for you to pick and choose from!
- Fresh or frozen berries
- Pineapple, mango, or other favorite fruits
- Homemade granola
- Flaked coconut
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Coconut butter
- Hemp seeds
- Flax seeds
- Chia seeds
This acai bowl recipe is a breakfast treat that is guilt-free but will definitely leave you feeling refreshed and satisfied. Enjoy! Here’s are some of my favorite twists on this simple acai bowl:
- Peanut Butter Acai Bowl
- Raspberry Acai Bowl
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
- Mango Pineapple Smoothie Bowl
- Chocolate Coconut Smoothie Bowl
5-Minute Acai Bowl Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 bowl 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Homemade Acai Bowl recipe uses just 3 simple vegan ingredients for the most delicious DIY açai smoothie bowl ever! Using a high-powered blender, it’s ready within 5 minutes. Customize with your favorite toppings, like fresh berries, coconut flakes, and granola. Let’s make it!
Ingredients
- 1 (100g) packet unsweetened frozen acai berry blend, I like the unsweetened version from Sambazon. Trader Joe’s also carries unsweetened acai.
- 1 banana, frozen
- ¼ to ½ cup non-dairy milk or yogurt
- Fresh berries, granola, peanut butter, to top, see Notes
Instructions
- In a high-powered blender, combine the acai berry packet, frozen banana, and ¼ cup dairy-free milk of choice.
- Blend until completely smooth, adding more dairy-free milk if necessary until your smoothie will blend smoothly. I recommend using the tamper, if your blender has one, to help the mixture blend smoothly.
- Pour into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
Some other topping ideas include: nut or seed butters, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, honey, agave syrup, fresh fruit, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds
Keywords: acai bowl, smoothie bowl, breakfast, vegan breakfast, 5 minute breakfast
Love this recipe found pineapple juice was the to go
★★★★★
That sounds delicious, Ashley! Glad you’re loving it.
Go to Greenlake (or Kirkland) for the authentic Brazilian Acai experience. The place is called Kitanda and its a Brazilian coffee shop with delicious pao de queijo sandwiches and authentic Acai bowls with guarana. I’ve not been to fit bar, but my go to for years has always been Kitanda.
I thought this was such a good and healthy recipe I had to try it! I used a combination of berries, acai, banana, honey and almond milk for the base. And for the toppings I used blue berries,pumpkin seeds, granola and cinnamon.
★★★★★
Tried this Açaí bowl with almonds, peanuts, dark chocolate, chia seeds, and unsweetened coconut….. tasted so amazing!!
★★★★★
Those toppings sound amazing!! Enjoy :)
My favorite açaí bowl recipe! It’s super easy to make. Sometimes I add berries to the frozen blend too
★★★★★
So glad you’re enjoying it!
Most smoothies call for bananas which I have an allergy to, what would you suggest as a substitute to still get the creaminess and thickness. I have IBD and can’t handle yogurt either…help
Hi Georgie! Mango works super well as a banana substitute since it’s sweet & creamy when blended. Avocado or steamed then frozen cauliflower can give you a similar creaminess, but won’t add any sweetness – you can add a little bit of your favorite sweetener to compensate for that. Hope this helps!
This was amazing! The only thing I recommend is that you add some frozen fruit to the recipe to sweeten it up a bit.
★★★★★
Hi MRB, glad you liked it! I find it sweet enough from the banana, but of course it’s all personal preference :)