The perfect chilled summer breakfast – thick, delicious and nutritious BEST Açaí Bowls with blueberries, mango, spinach and topped with all sorts of goodness.
If you’re maladjusted to heat like me and are jonesing for ALL THE COLD FOODS, I have a chilly breakfast to whet your whistle.
It is basically the mother of all açaí bowls…fully-loaded, packed with nutrients, easily customizable, sexy as can be.
I posted my Apple Walnut Acai Bowls, Kiwi Strawberry Acai Bowls and finally, my Chocolate Banana Acai Bowls umpteen years ago, and it’s been quite a while since we’ve re-visited the subject.
If you are new to the concept of the açaí bowl, no worries. I’ll give you the quick run-down.
What are Açaí Berries?:
Açaí berries come from Brazil and are full of antioxidants, omega fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin K and fiber.
Açaí bowls are very thick smoothie bowls made with frozen açaí berries, are topped with all sorts of goodies and served at various cafes nationwide. BUT great news! You can make them at home easy as 1-2-3.
Ingredients:
All you need to make the BEST açaí bowls at home is frozen açaí berries (or açaí powder), fresh or frozen fruit and juice or milk. Serve them with granola, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds or shredded coconut. You can try these varieties or get creative with your own açaí bowl concoctions.
For this particular bowl, I use frozen açaí berries (Sambazon is my go-to, which can be found in the freezer section of your grocery store), blueberries, mango, spinach, and almond milk. For the me, the combination of tangy berries and sweet, creamy mango is absolute perfection. Feel free to get creative with your açaí bowl add-ins!
Tips:
- Freeze fresh blueberries and mango for the best tasting result rather than using store-bought frozen blueberries and mango.
- Start out with ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or nut milk of choice), and work up to ¾ cup if your blender is having difficulty blending the ingredients. You’re going for an ultra thick mixture.
- If desired, substitute nut milk for orange juice or apple juice.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Halve the recipe to serve one person instead of two.
- Get creative with the fruit you use – for instance, use strawberries in place of blueberries, and/or pineapple in place of mango.
- Use kale instead of spinach, or omit the green altogether.
- Get innovative with your smoothie bowl toppings – serve with homemade paleo granola, any combination of nuts and seeds and fresh fruit.
- Add protein powder, collagen peptides, and/or nut butter for some added protein.
Want to add even more nutrient value to the acai bowl? Here are plenty of options for customization to boost the health value.
Optional Add-Ins:
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 scoop collagen peptides
- 1 teaspoon maca powder
- 1 teaspoon ashwagandha
- ¼ cup raw or cooked red beet
- 1 teaspoon bee pollen
- 1 tablespoon almond butter or nut butter of choice
- ½ ripe avocado
- 2 to 4 medjool dates, pitted
Enjoy!
The Ultimate Acai Bowl
Ingredients
Acai Bowl
- 2 4-ounce packets frozen acai berries
- 1 large ripe banana peeled and frozen
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries frozen
- 1/2 cup fresh mango frozen
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Toppings:
- toasted flaked coconut
- raw or roasted almonds chopped
- banana sliced
- strawberries sliced
- blueberries
- figs halved
- hemp heart
- gogi berries
- cacao nibs
Instructions
- Add the ingredients for the acai base (note the optional add-ins!) to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If necessary, add a small amount of additional almond milk to get the mixture to blend all the way, but note that you’re going for a thick, very cold, spoonable substance.
- Pour the acai base into two bowls and top with desired toppings.
Açai bowls are incredible, I don’t eat them as often as I’d like, but they’re delicious. Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to try it!
haha I don’t deal well with the heat either… my AC broke in my car yesterday while on a 1 1/2 hour drive and by the time I got home I was all like gimme the cold foods!!! ANYWAY this is one bowl of goodness! I’ll take one please!
I’m obsessed with açaí bowls.. they’re so yummy and such a good one to satisfy my sweet tooth! Love the bowls that you used here, and those toppings look heavenly.
This is absolutly beautiful and perfect for summer!
Love how festive these are for the 4th of July too! And all those toppings!! 🙂
This is a feast for my eyes! I love acai bowls and all those gorgeous figs and blueberries on top are making my mouth water! It’s not exactly hot here but I’m always down for a delicious smoothie bowl. 🙂