Acai Smoothie Bowls

Acai Smoothie Bowls are one of my favorite things to have for an easy, healthy, and refreshing breakfast at home.

When my husband and I went to Hawaii a couple of years ago for our honeymoon, I had one for the first time at a lovely little restaurant with a second-story, open-air lanai.

Not only was it delicious, but it was a work of art.

Acai Smoothie Bowls from Hawaii
Hawaiian Acai Bowl

Plus, it was one of those moments that stick in your memory forever– it was the last day of a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my husband, the sun was shining, there was a warm tropical breeze, and we were savoring the last few hours before we headed to the airport and back to reality.

I remember thinking then, “Is it possible to be happier than this?”

When we got back to Iowa, I was thrilled to learn there were actually TWO places near us that make acai smoothie bowls.

One is Beef Cake Fuel in Clocktower Square (the Truffle Shuffle is my favorite), and the other is Big Acai in Valley Junction. Since our return from Hawaii, we’ve had acai bowls at both places a number of times, and both are delicious.

A lighter Christmas breakfast for the family

We opened gifts with the kids on Saturday this year, because it was the only day we could get the majority of them altogether.

They celebrated with us, and then had another “Christmas” to go to at their dad’s house on Sunday. Because they would be eating a big dinner with him early in the day, I knew they wouldn’t want a big, heavy breakfast.

These acai smoothie bowls were the perfect thing to serve. I was able to prepare the smoothie mixture the day before and place them in the freezer.

Then, the next morning, after we had all been up late opening gifts, eating, and playing cards, it was simple to just get the individual bowls from the freezer and set out a variety of toppings for everyone to customize their own bowl.

Make your own acai bowls at home

These acai smoothie bowls are so easy to make at home. You can purchase frozen acai puree at a number of places, but my very favorite is this one from Trader Joe’s.

Acai Smoothie Bowls packets from Trader Joe's
Trader Joe’s Organic Acai Puree Packets
Acai Smoothie Bowls Trader Joe's
Four individual packets are inside

Inside the package are four individual packets. You simply run them under a little bit of warm water to release from the wrapper more efficiently, cut off the top, and slide them into your blender.

Acai Smoothie Bowls

Add your choice of frozen fruits and juice to the acai puree

One individual packet easily makes two smoothie bowls, because you add some of your own fruits and juice to the frozen puree packets of acai.

Here I used a few frozen cherries, blackberries, raspberries, a frozen banana that I had in my freezer, and a little bit of 100% cherry juice.

Acai Smoothie Bowls in Vitamix Blender.
Acai Smoothie Bowls

Add the juice a little at a time as you blend. You want it to be on the thicker side.

Acai Smoothie Bowls

Pour into individual freezer-safe bowls

When you get it to the consistency you want, pour it into freezer-safe bowls with lids. THESE pyrex bowls are the ones I have, and they work perfectly.

You can serve your acai smoothie bowl right away, but I prefer preparing my mixture the night before and allowing it to harden in the freezer overnight because I like a thicker consistency.

Acai Smoothie Bowls
Acai smoothie bowls ready to be covered and placed in the freezer

Thaw slightly before serving

When you are ready to serve your acai smoothie bowls, take as many from the freezer as needed and allow to thaw at room temp for about 15 minutes, or if you’re in a hurry, pop one bowl into the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Be careful though–you don’t want it to turn into a runny consistency.

Acai Smoothie Bowls
An acai smoothie bowl right from the freezer

Toppings are the name of the game

While your acai bowl is thawing, gather up your toppings. My favorites are:

  • granola
  • almond butter or peanut butter
  • fresh berries
  • sliced banana
  • walnuts
  • mini chocolate chips
  • fresh honey

Other toppings that would also be fantastic:

  • shredded coconut
  • a sprinkle of cinnamon
  • cacao nibs
  • almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios
  • yogurt
  • chocolate syrup

Really the sky is the limit when it comes to the toppings. I’m a creature of habit though, and almost always make mine exactly the same way.

I mean, why mess with a good thing, right? 😜

toppings for smoothie bowl
It’s all about the toppings!
toppings bar
Acai Smoothie Bowls
This is my husband’s bowl. He used espresso-flavored chocolate chips on his. A drizzle of locally sourced honey is the icing on the cake.
Acai Smoothie Bowls
This is my bowl. It always looks almost exactly like this. It’s a winning combo in my opinion.
Acai Smoothie Bowls
I mean, is it really almost Christmas? it was warm enough to enjoy our acai bowls outside on the screened porch this morning! Ahhh, fresh air and sunshine in December.

These acai smoothie bowls really are as good as they look. They are special enough to be served for company but easy enough to have even on a busy workday morning.

I hope you give them a try, and if you do, let me know in the comments how you liked them. 🌸

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2 thoughts on “Acai Smoothie Bowls

  1. Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn

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