The first time I had an acai bowl was in Hawaii. It was delicious and topped with fresh pineapple, mangoes, granola and blueberries. I felt great after eating it, despite the humid and hot tropical morning. Unlike a diner breakfast, I felt refreshed and full of energy. I was ready to continue the vacation day of hiking and snorkeling.
When we got back, I looked around town for places that made acai bowls. Fortunately, the benefit of living in southern California is we have a lot of healthy food options. On the other hand, it’s always expensive to dine out. Acai bowls average $8-9 each for half the amount of food in this recipe. There was no way we can afford that for 2 people, at least two times a week. That will cost us $36 a week for 2 people! My average grocery bill is less than that and covers 6 meals. Buying all the ingredients and making it at home costs $11, with enough fresh fruit leftovers to make at least 4 more bowls or to use for smoothies.
This acai bowl recipe is a staple in our house. You will get at least 3 servings of fruit for the day and that’s just at breakfast. According to the American Heart Association, 3-5 servings of fruit is recommended per day on a 1,600 – 2,000 calorie diet. They break it down in this chart.
Here’s a summary for the fruit section:
- Eat a variety of colors & types, because more colors equals more variety of vitamins.
- Eat 3-5 Servings per day.
- One Serving = 1 medium fruit (baseball size) OR 1/4 cup dried fruit OR 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit OR 1/2 cup fruit juice
Homemade Acai Bowl Recipe
Recipe serves 1
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes (depending on how much fruit you need to cut)
Total Cost=$3.69
Ingredients for the Acai Bowl
1 pack of Organic Sambazon frozen Acai Puree – $1.50
1 Organic Banana, Medium size – $0.30
1 organic green or purple Kale leaf, torn into large pieces & stem is optional (lots of nutrients in here!) – $0.10
1/4 cup fresh Blueberries – $0.63
1/4 cup fresh Raspberries – $0.63
1/4 Mango, diced, about 1/2cup – $0.25
1-2 tsp Honey – 0.03
1/4 cup water or non dairy milk or coconut water – $0.25
Optional toppings: shredded coconut, granola, other chopped fruit
How to make the Acai Bowl
- Start by letting the acai puree thaw while you wash and cut the fruit.
- Once you are able to break the acai puree in the packet in half, it’s has thawed enough to begin the process.
- In your blender of choice you will add the ingredients in the following order:
- banana
- acai puree broken into 3-4 pieces
- kale leaves
- honey
- pour only half of the water or liquid of your choice
4. Start the blender. If it’s still too dry or lumpy, add more liquid one tablespoon at a time. The blend should be thick and creamy.
5. Empty the contents out into a bowl and top with your fruit and enjoy!
My husband loves granola with his bowl, so I created this recipe for us. It’s super easy and makes only 2 dirty dish to clean up: the pan and spatula used for stirring everything.
