Hawaiian Acai Bowl Recipe

Today we are making a delicious homemade hawaiian acai bowl recipe! Açaí bowls have been a trend on Instagram over the last few years, yet it was only during quarantine that I actually bought a pack of acai powder! I didn’t have an idea of what it would taste like, but when I made my first açaí bowl, I found that acai does have a berry (ish) flavor, which is subtly there once you blend it into a smoothie (or into smoothie bowls, in this case). Now I finally got around to making my version of a creamy acai bowl, but I wanted to know a bit more on what acai actually is.

To begin with, if you’ve been pronouncing it “ak-ay,” it’s the complete opposite! “A-sigh-ee” is the real pronunciation. Acai powder comes from acai berries, which come from the acai palm tree in South America (eg. Amazon rainforest), and are kind of like blueberries in terms of the way they look. They spoil very quickly, which is why they’re usually sold as a powder. Their nutritional profile is very similar to blueberries, but they can have up to 10x the antioxidants. You can read more about the acai berry here. Let’s get mixing with some acai!

Why You’ll Love This Hawaiian Acai Bowl Recipe

Snack, Breakfast or Dessert: This recipe can be eaten as a snack (think: it’s 4PM on a lazy summer afternoon and you don’t know what to eat. You’re hungry but not hungry enough to cook. This is your go-to)! It can also be had at breakfast or as a dessert, there’s no “best time” to make this because you’ll feel great no matter what time of the day you choose to make it.

Raw Vegan: This superfood berry (and the other fruits in this recipe) are full of antioxidants and vitamins for your immune system. You’ll feel amazing after eating this! It will give you energy (a great pre-workout!) and make you glow from the inside out, especially because there is no added sugar and it is all-natural!

Easy to Find Ingredients, Versatile Recipe: These whole foods ingredients are so versatile that you can make many variations of this recipe by substituting different frozen berries or frozen fruits in here, rather than the mango, blueberries and bananas trio I used. Acai goes well with many different fruity combinations!

Substitutions

Cashew Milk: I chose cashew milk because we are already using cashews in the recipe. That way, there shouldn’t be any detectable aftertaste of the milk. However, feel free to try another neutral plant-based milk, such as unsweetened almond milk. Be wary that some brands of the same type of milk can widely vary in taste and texture though! If the milk tastes great (and neutral) when drinking it straight out of the fridge, it should taste okay in the recipe.

Frozen Banana: Frozen banana is known for giving raw vegan recipes a soft-serve ice cream consistency (or for making a super thick smoothie), so it is best not to substitute anything here! But if a substitute is required, then try frozen coconut milk ice cubes. To do this, take a can of full-fat coconut milk, pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, pop out the ice cubes and use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of ice cubes per banana. Start with a third cup and add more as desired! You will need a more high-powered blender to blend frozen the milk ice cubes and not have chunks leftover. Plus, the taste will be more coconut-ty.

Frozen cauliflower and frozen avocado, as I’ve heard, make good frozen banana substitutes as well. I haven’t tried them here though.

Frozen Mango: Substitute with other frozen tropical fruits, such as frozen papaya or pineapple. Or let your tastebuds take a tropical vacation with a mix of all three!

Frozen Blueberries: Substitute with another frozen berry, such as cherries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries.

Acai Berry Powder: You may be able to find small acai puree packets in the frozen section of your grocery store or at health food stores. This can act as a substitute to the powder.

Hawaiian Acai Bowl Recipe Notes

I like to top my acai bowls with a variety of toppings, including crunchy granola, fresh berries, fresh fruit, chia seeds, cacao nibs, goji berries and coconut flakes, to name a few. Or maybe some healthy fats with almond butter or cashew butter!
One of the more popular acai powder brands are Navitas Naturals that I like to use.
To get frozen bananas, I take a very ripe banana and freeze it. It should have brown spots – the more brown spots, the sweeter it is. Once frozen, I run the banana under hot water and remove the peel with a knife with ready to use. Then I chop it and use in the recipe. Alternatively, chop it before freezing and keep it in a Ziploc in the freezer.
To make this into a thinner smoothie rather than a smoothie bowl, add in a half to one cup almond milk, coconut water or other plant-based milk. Start with a half cup and add more, depending on the desired consistency.