How to Make the Ultimate Acai Bowl at Home

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a small, round, black-purple fruit that’s grown in South America and looks similar to a grape. Acai is touted as an antioxidant superfood containing essential omegas, amino acids and fiber. Even if Acai didn’t contain healthy and nutritious stuff I’d probably still make Acai Bowls because I love the exotic berry flavor.

I’ve made over 3,000 Acai Bowls since ’06 and have made them for countless friends and family, most of which have tried to duplicate my creations at home to no avail. This is why I developed Purple Grindz – to enhance Acai Bowls and other foods with taste, texture, and an amplified nutritional profile.

Please find below some of my recipe tips on how to make your own Acai Bowl masterpiece:

Ingredients for the Ultimate Acai Bowl

• 1/3 – 1/2c of coconut water (depending on your blender type and preferred consistency, use more for thinner or less to keep it on the thick side).
• 1 packet of frozen Acai puree. I use the pure unsweetened kind from Sambazon or Acai Roots
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (ex: strawberries, blueberries, rasperries, blackberries)
  • Note: Try using two packets of Acai instead of any frozen fruit for a more authentic creation
• 1/2 banana (slight spotted is best.  I’ll store extra pieces of banana in the freezer if they’re getting too ripe)
• 1 serving of Purple Grindz – developed for Acai Bowls, but excellent with several foods.

Optional Inredients:

• Ice cubes, add in a couple of cubes AFTER the ingredients are flowing nicely in the blender. Ice cubes add a nice texture, thicken it up (good corrective move in case too much juice was used) and don’t add any additional calories! You may also want to try frozen pieces of pineapple or mango!
• Cinnamon, a natural anti-inflammatory, add in a dash or two of cinnamon to give just a hint of spice.
• Organic Cocao Nibs (raw), these little suckers are flavorful, packed with nutrition and mood lifters and add a little crunch.
• Maca Powder

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until it’s the consistency of a super-thick smoothie. Pour into a bowl and eat with a spoon. Acai Bowls are awesomely delicious by themselves but even better with a topping or two, or three or four. Here is a list of some good toppings to choose from, listed in order with my favorites first:

• Honey (drizzle it all over the top)
• Pomegranate Seeds (Trader Joe’s sells them in a pack so you don’t have to rip apart the fruit)
• Goji Berries
• Dark chocolate covered edamame (from Trader Joes)
• Hemp granola / Help seeds

• Strawberries (cut into small pieces)
• Banana slices
• Walnut pieces
• Chocolate chips
• Shaved coconut
• Ground Flax Seed

Blend & Thrive!

Here are some other tips to help you with making your own Acai Bowl:

• Thaw out the Acai packet for 5-10 minutes before cutting open (in half), and use a serrated knife
• Add other powder-form supplements like L-Glutamine to improve the nutritional density
• Don’t overpack your blender with ingredients (leave some room at the top as it will expand)
• Use a little apple juice to begin with, then add a little more at a time until desired consistency is reached
• Double-up the recipe (doable in most blenders) and enjoy with a friend!
• Use toppings sparingly to add flavor and crunch while keeping calories low

This is the order I like to use when adding the ingredients…which I’ve found makes for an easier blender experience:

1) Add liquid first

2) Add banana (break up into 2-3 pieces)

3) Cut Acai packet in half and place pieces leaning against the blender walls to leave a cavity in the middle

4) Add frozen mixed berries

5) Add protein powder (and any other non-topping ingredients you desire) and blend well

6) If mixture appears too thin, add some ice cubes or more frozen fruit to thicken

6) Add desired toppings and dig in!

Try this Ultimate Acai Bowl recipe today…and post comments on other variations or what else you like to use as toppings.

Check out this video of me making a typical Acai bowl for lunch. See how thick it can get!

I buy most of my superfoods from World Health Hub and recently became a member with them which saved me over $76 on my very first order. They are a trusted source featuring Non-GMO, fair trade and environmentaly conscious suppliers. Check them out! Here is a Video Review of my first order with them.

Enjoy!

Compliments of your Virtual Workout Partner.