Brah, you totally need to try these rad acai bowls.
If you couldn’t guess from my super lame attempt at surfer speak, acai (uh-sigh-ee) bowls are a healthy and beachy Brazilian breakfast items that gained popularity in Hawaii and Southern California and now are popping up all over Pinterest and Instagram. The bowls are basically just a thick smoothie made with the pulp of acai berries (a superfruit from the Amazon), topped with various fruits, seeds and (usually) granola.
You may be able to find an acai bowl at a smoothie or coffee shop where you live, but not all of them are created equal — and it’s super easy to make your own at home! You’ll need to get your hands on some frozen acai packets (frozen acai pulp), which are generally available in the frozen fruit section of health/specialty food stores (like Sprouts or Whole Foods), but almost everything else is up to you.
The most common way to make the acai base is to blend up the frozen acai with banana and coconut water or almond milk, but you can use plain water or some kind of juice (mango pomegranate was delicious!) if you prefer. You can leave the banana out, if you’re banana-averse, but I would recommend using a sweet liquid (like juice) or throwing some other type of fruit in the blender if you do, because the acai is not sweet at all. Then, top with anything you want: fresh fruit, unsweetened coconut, cocoa nibs, granola, bee pollen, nuts, chia seeds, whatever you have on hand. I also like to drizzle honey on top, but that is optional. Just make sure you eat your acai bowl right away, before it melts!
Homemade acai bowls (Makes 1 large or 2 small-ish acai bowls, but recipe is easily doubled)
2 frozen acai packets
1/4 scant cup coconut water, almond milk or fruit juice
1 large banana
Toppings of your choice (I recommend fresh berries, mango or pineapple, dried unsweetened coconut, granola, bee pollen and/or honey)
Run cold water over unopened acai packets for about 5 seconds, then cut packets open and break the pieces up a bit while placing them into the bowl of your blender. Pour in scant 1/4 cup of liqid of choice and add 1/2 of the banana. Blend until the mixture is thick but smooth — you may need to add a little more liquid, depending on your blender, but you don’t want the mixture to be too thin.
Pour the acai mixture into 1 large or 2 normal-sized bowls, then top with fruit, granola, seeds and other toppings of your choice. Drizzle a little honey on top for extra deliciousness and enjoy immediately!