You’ve probably heard the common mantra of nutrition experts: ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’. Now, it’s not that I don’t agree, or that I don’t like to be well-fed and full of energy for the day ahead. I mean, who would say no to a good healthy breakfast to start the day? However, for most working people, the issue is how to organize a good breakfast and still make it to work on time. Best case scenario, you throw together whatever you can find around, with no thought for its nutritional benefits (if it has any at all). Quite tragic, don’t you think? If you agree, fret not, because, with an acai bowl recipe with acai powder or puree, you’re well prepared for a decent start to the day.
In fact, your 2020 healthy eating goal might just still become a reality! This is all thanks to this superfruit that not only makes a great breakfast dish but is also very simple to formulate and contains all the healthy nutrients anyone could possibly need. Don’t believe me? Well, the acai bowl nutrition facts can back this up. The fact is – a bowl of acai can keep you full for a long time, so it’s the ideal addition to your weight loss meal plan. Even better, it also works well as a post-workout meal, or a snack for any time of the day.
Everything you need to know about acai berries
Want to know how to incorporate this in your daily meal plan? If yes, it’s possible that you’re also after ideas to help you formulate your very own acai bowl recipe with acai powder. If so, keep reading to find out some tasty recipes.
What is the acai berry fruit?
Photo Credit: Ella Ollson
The acai fruit (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is technically a small, inch-long drupe, but is generally referred to as a berry. It has a dark, or reddish-purple colour, and looks a bit like a grape. What’s more, it is harvested from the acai palm tree, native to South and Central American rainforests, floodplains, and swampy areas. In recent times, this South American fruit has gained a lot of publicity and popularity as one of the superfoods. This glorious title is reserved for foods that offer maximum nutritional benefits, with minimal calories. A quick look at the benefits of the acai fruit will show that the title is not wrongly bestowed.
Benefits of the acai fruit
The acai fruit is very rich in antioxidants and therefore, provides a great way to clear your system of harmful waste that might be building up in your body. It also has a lot of fibre as well as a high calcium count. This means that it promotes strong bones, and properly functioning muscles and nerves. Additionally, acai contains a good amount of heart-healthy fats. And although there isn’t sufficient scientific or medical evidence yet, proponents of the acai berry believe that the fruit may boost brain function, and may possibly have an anti-cancer effect.
The greatest advantage that acai has over other fruits is that it contains very little sugar; which definitely a winning point in this era where more and more people are shifting towards healthy living and healthy eating. It’s no wonder that the fruit has been nicknamed ‘purple gold’ by the natives of the rainforest regions where it is cultivated.
Acai fruit puree v acai powder
Because the acai fruit is highly perishable, it is not sold in its fresh form outside of South America. As an exported product, it is sold in a number of forms, including a frozen puree. Also, there’s no real advantage for using one type over the other in a recipe; the results are the same. In terms of storage, however, the powdered form does last a lot longer than the puree (up to a year in an airtight container).
It’s also worth noting that acai powder is easy to come by, you can find it in most organic and health food stores online. More so, because of its rich, earthy taste, acai powder is often used to add flavour to food products, including ice cream and yoghurt. In fact, the most popular way to use acai powder is in an acai bowl dish served as a smoothie and loaded with various toppings.
The great thing about these acai bowls is that you can add just about any fruit or topping of your choice. Yes, even chocolate! In the next section of this article, you will find five easy and super tasty recipes to make your own acai bowl at home. Feel free to choose one to try for breakfast tomorrow!
Acai bowl recipe with acai powder – five tasty, simple recipes
Image credit: Kawin Harasai
1. Basic acai bowl recipe
Ingredients
- 100g acai powder
- 118 g apple juice concentrate
- 1 small frozen banana
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
This will serve about 3-4 people, depending on the toppings you choose to add.
Suggested toppings
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- Granola
- Fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut.
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until it’s smooth.
- Add any toppings of your choice.
2. Coconut delight acai bowl recipe
Ingredients
- 100g acai powder
- ½ cup of coconut water (or coconut milk if you prefer a richer texture)
Suggested toppings
- Nuts
- Coconut flakes
- Granola
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients together until the mixture becomes creamy
- Add your toppings and you’re good to go
3. Ethical vegan acai bowl
This particular recipe is great for all vegans. It’s 1005 plant-based.
Ingredients
- 100g dried acai powder
- Any mixture of frozen berries (You can use any combination of berries that you like: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or even cherries)
- A scoop of protein powder
Suggested toppings
- Chopped bananas
- Berries
- Oats
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together with milk
- Now add your toppings and enjoy!
4. Traditional Brazilian acai bowl
In Brazil, acai is typically mixed with guarana (a native fruit) syrup, but in this recipe, I will be substituting that for agave nectar which is just as delicious.
Ingredients
- 200g acai powder
- 1 banana
- ¼ cup of orange juice (or milk, if you prefer)
- ½ tablespoon of agave nectar
Suggested toppings
- Toasted oats muesli
- Sliced banana (or any fruit of your choice)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
- Add the toppings.
5. Tropical paradise acai bowl
Ingredients
- 100g of acai powder
- ½ cup of vanilla almond milk
- 1 small frozen banana
- Frozen strawberries – 1/3 cup
- 1/3 cup of frozen pineapples
- 1/3 cup of frozen blueberries
Suggested toppings
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- ½ a kiwi
- Vanilla almond granola (or any other granola)
- Fresh pineapple or mango (or both)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon coconut
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together in a high-powered blender until it becomes smooth.
- Add your favorite toppings.
As a word of caution, you should know that some brands of acai powder may contain up to 20 calories and 1g of carbs, per serving size of 3g. Because of this, it is probably a good idea to balance things out by making sure that the other ingredients and toppings in your acai bowl contain fewer calories and carbs. Fortunately, there are many options for tasty, healthy, and low-calorie toppings.
Acai Bowl Recipe with Acai Powder: A Summary
Having read this far, you’ll likely agree with me that the acai berry is a great fruit. It is certainly one of nature’s best gifts to us health-conscious folks. More so, the simplest way to enjoy this goodness is in a dish called an acai bowl. Apart from being so simple, one of the best things about a homemade acai bowl is that it’s also fun to formulate. You can add just about any fruit or nut that you like because everything goes well with acai!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not try one of the recipes above for breakfast or after your gym workout? Even better, feel free to be super creative with your ingredients and toppings. But don’t keep these tasty recipes all to yourself. Be a good sport and share them with a friend or two.
