Guide to Açaí Bowls

GirlAroundTheFood
May 25, 2020
3 min read

Today we're gonna explore the world of Açaí- what is it, where is it found and how is it used!

So, what is actually açaí?

Açaí is actually a berry, just like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. Açaí berries come from an açaí palm tree, that is native, mostly, to Brazil and other parts of South America, like Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.

Açaí berries are very popular in the world of veganism, as they're used to make delicious açaí bowls, that are made with frozen fruits, like bananas, raspberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple and of course, açaí paste(in the places where it can be found, people usually sell liquid açaí in little packaging that it's frozen) and then topped with a lot of good stuff, like fresh fruits, homemade granola, nut butters, coconut flakes and other goodies!

Açaí berries, like any other berries, are very beneficial, because they're loaded with antioxidants, they improve cholesterol levels and brain function and most importantly, they contain fatty acids, like omega-6 and omega-9.

How can I make an açaí bowl without açaí?

Well, because açaí is not found everywhere in the world(although many health food store sell açaí berry powder) and because açaí berries are very similar to blueberries, you can actually make yourself an açaí bowl without any açaí whatsoever.

Key ingredients for making an açaí bowl are frozen fruits and the primary ones are frozen bananas and frozen blueberries. After these two key ingredients, come frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, frozen mango and others.

What is the difference between a smoothie bowl and an açaí bowl?

1)Smoothie bowls are, as the name would suggest, a smoothie in a bowl. Usually the consistency of the smoothie is not thick- smoothies are supposed to be slightly runny, because we make smoothies with liquid, like water or plant-base milk/ yogurt.

2)Açaí bowls are originally made with frozen fruits, like I mentioned previously and the consistency of an açaí bowl is super thick, because they're made with no added liquid at all or sometimes, with a tiny splash of plant-based milk.

What about equipment?

1)You can make a smoothie bowl by simply making a smoothie in a blender and then pour it in a bowl, top it with your fav toppings and serve to enjoy.

2)Unlike smoothie bowls, to make an açaí bowls, you'll need a high speed blender or a food processor. This is necessary, because when making an açaí bowl, we're using frozen solid ingredients and no added liquid(in most cases), so if your machine is not powerful enough, the blender might break.

3)You can try to make an açaí bowl in a regural blender, by adding less liquid to the fruits. That way you'll have a slightly thicker consistency(not as thick as made in a high-speed blender/ food processor), but still if that what you have on hand, it should not stop you from making something delicious. You can simply make a smoothie with less liquid and you'll have a thick shake, similar to an açaí bowl.

Now, we're finally ready for the actual recipe! For quite some time now, I've been having smoothie bowl/ açaí bowl for breakfast, because I find it so refreshing, filling and simply enjoyable.

For today's açaí bowl, I used 1+1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 frozen blueberries and 1/2 frozen raspberries and I made it in my food processor. I ended up adding a splash of homemade plant-based milk, because there were some frozen chunks of fruit, but the plant milk made everything smoother.