This homemade vegan acai bowl recipe is very easy and quick to prepare—perfect for your busy mornings! It’s loaded with vitamins and polyphenols (antioxidants) giving you the ideal start to the day.
Acai, or açaí, berries are a deep purple fruit native to the rainforests of South America. Their high antioxidant levels make them so special, so acai is considered a superfood.
Ingredients
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- frozen mango
- frozen berries
- banana (doesn’t have to be frozen)
- acai powder
- nut butter of choice
- water (to help with blending)
- toppings
(see recipe card for quantities)
Fruit: Berries give this acai bowl the right colour especially when using blackberries or blueberries. And, of course, they add a lot of nutritional benefits, too! I normally use frozen mixed berries.
Mango adds sweetness, especially, as this recipe uses açai powder (see details below) and not the frozen mix you can buy. The banana adds more sweetness too but it’s also responsible for the creamy texture.
(see ‘substitutions’ below, if needed)
Acai Powder: I prefer using organic powder rather than the frozen mix because it doesn’t have any added sugar. I found the powder in the supermarket in Australia (at Coles).
Otherwise, you should be able to get it online (like this one from Amazon (affiliate link)). Just double-check the ingredients list that it’s acai only!
Nut Butter: This vegan acai bowl is loaded with fruit and a ton of vitamins. It’s always important to add some fat to your diet to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.
I love using almond or cashew spread. Instead of blending it into your acai bowl, you can also use it as a topping at the end!
Toppings: There are no limits! Nuts and seeds, puffed grains, dried goji berries, maybe fresh fruit for more colour, yoghurt, tahini… the choices are endless.
Equipment
You will need a powerful food processor or a high-speed blender with variable speed for this recipe. As we are blending frozen fruit, make sure that your appliance is made for processing it.
Instructions
Step 1. Put all ingredients into your blender and blend at a low to medium speed first before increasing to medium/medium-high. You will need to scrape down the sides every now and then.
A tamper to push down the fruit might help as well. If your blender has trouble blending the fruit properly, add a little bit more water.
It’s always a great idea to check the manual or website of your appliance if they have a similar recipe (e.g. for banana ice cream) so you know what speed to use exactly. Every blender is a bit different!
But with all blenders, don’t over-blend it! The longer you blend this vegan acai bowl, the more it warms up and loses its ice-cream-like texture.
Step 2. Scoop the acai mixture into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings. Serve immediately as it’ll start to melt.
Substitutions
Fruit: Mango, berries and banana are only my choices. Please feel free to substitute with any other fruit you like or just use one or two of them. Ensure that most of the fruit is frozen to achieve the right texture!
Nut Butter: If you’re allergic to nuts or don’t want to add nut butter, replace it with any seed butter you like.
Or you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, flax seed oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil (if not allergic), or sunflower seed oil.
Variations
If you’re enjoying this homemade acai bowl recipe, you may want to try my mango smoothie bowl recipe!
Storage
If you have some leftovers, you can either store them in the fridge and have them as a smoothie later or pour them into an ice cube tray and freeze them so you can use them for the next time.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 1 food processor/high-speed blender
Ingredients
- 110g / 1 cup mango chunks frozen
- 140 g / 1 cup mixed berries frozen
- 1 banana doesn't need to be frozen
- 150ml / ⅔ cup water for the right texture
- 1 tablespoon acai powder preferably organic
- 1 tablespoon nut butter or 2 teaspoon oil (see notes)
- toppings of choice
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into your blender and blend at a low to medium speed first before increasing to medium/medium-high. You will need to scrape down the sides every now and then.A tamper to push down the fruit might help as well. If your blender has trouble blending the fruit properly, add a little bit more water.Don’t over-blend it! The longer you blend the fruit, the more it warms up and loses its ice-cream-like texture.
- Scoop the acai mixture into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings. Serve immediately as it’ll start to melt.
Notes
- nut butter: If you’re allergic to nuts or don’t want to add nut butter, replace it with any seed butter you like. Or you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, flax seed oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil (if not allergic), or sunflower seed oil.
