The Acai bowl has taken the food world by storm over the last 6 months or so. Honestly, I’m a very late adopter to this trend. I know that Acai are healthy, but I wasn’t quite on board with this trend just yet.

Ironically, the thing that got me on board was a ridiculously priced version of this dish. While I was traveling a few weeks ago, I noticed a $10 version of an Acai bowl at a popular juice spot. I actually tried it just to see what could possibly worth $10.

I mean, it was good, but $10!?

I think these places are taking advantage of of trending food right now and your wallet is suffering if you are regularly buying these bowls. When I got home, I did a little research and figured out that (shockingly) you could make a homemade version of these bowls for about $3.

Equally good. A third of the price!

Basic Coconut Acai Breakfast Bowl

4.25 from 8 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Breakfast Acai Bowls are so popular but you might get sticker shock if you try to order one at a healthy breakfast spot. Here’s my homemade version!

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 2 100 g packets Acai puree, frozen
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • ½ cup coconut milk, opt.
  • 1 tablespoon agave syrup, or honey
  • ½ cup granola
  • Fresh berries
  • Fresh mint

Instructions

  • Run Acai packets under hot water for a few seconds. Then break up and add to blender with blueberries, coconut water, coconut milk, banana, and syrup (or honey). Blend until smooth.
  • Transfer mixture to two bowls and top with handfuls of granola. Add fresh fruits and fresh mint.
  • Serve immediately while very cold.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bowl | Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 827mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dishes
Cuisine: American

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What is an Acai Bowl?

Guys, it’s a smoothie that you eat with a spoon. That’s all it is. You can put anything in it that you would put in a smoothie. The idea is to make it slightly thicker though so you can’t drink it. Making it thicker makes it feel more like a meal, but it’s not rocket science (add less liquid).

The hardest part of this whole thing is hunting down the named ingredient. You can’t really find raw Acai or even frozen berries as far as I could tell. At least, they are not commonly available. What is though is this puree stuff that’s already perfectly sized for smoothies and bowls.

Four of these packets will set you back about $6. That seems like a lot until you compare it to the $40 you would spend at a smoothie bar on the same amount.

Basic Acai Bowl for Breakfast
The stuff.

Making the Bowl

Team, this is just a smoothie. Toss the stuff in your blender. I added a banana, some frozen blueberries, agave syrup, and some coconut water and coconut milk to mine. The coconut milk isn’t totally necessary, but it smooths out some of the bitterness of the acai and makes it really creamy and delicious.

Basic Acai Bowl for Breakfast
In the blender.

You might have to use a spoon to occasionally stir the smoothie while it blends (turn off the blender first!) because this mixture should be pretty thick.

It sounds crazy, but this finished mixture kind of tastes like slightly melted ice cream.

Basic Acai Bowl for Breakfast
GOOD.

Toppings Galore

You can pile on whatever toppings you want to this bowl. Any nuts or fruit would go just fine. I went with some delicious fresh berries, a handful of granola for some crunch, and fresh mint.

Basic Acai Bowl for Breakfast
Toppings galore

Toss this all together and you are looking at one delicious breakfast.

I’ll spare you the math, but because you don’t use a ton of ingredients for each bowl serving, the cost per bowl is pretty low. It works out to about $3/bowl or maybe $4/bowl at the max if you use organic berries and stuff.

No matter what though, it’ll be as delicious as anything you buy at a smoothie shop and you can make it your own!

$10 for a smoothie in a bowl?! STOP IT.

How to Make a $10 Acai Bowl for $3: Acai bowls are all the rage these days but you might get sticker shock if you try to order one at a healthy breakfast spot. Luckily, you can easily make these at home if you have a blender. They are a perfect healthy way to start the day! | macheesmo.com