Trader Joe's Acai Bowl Recipe

This Trader Joe’s Acai Bowl recipe is a thick, fruity, and refreshing recipe, which is a perfect homemade copycat of the popular café-style smoothie bowl. It’s a healthy and delicious breakfast or snack, ready in about 10 minutes.

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Trader Joe’s Acai Bowl Ingredients

For the Acai Base:

2 packets (200g total) Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Organic Acai Purée Packets
1 banana, sliced and frozen
½ cup frozen blueberries
½ cup frozen strawberries
¾ cup milk or juice (use your favorite: dairy, soy, almond, or apple/grape juice)
½ cup plain yogurt (optional, can be substituted with more milk or juice)

For the Toppings (suggestions):

Fresh sliced banana
Granola
Fresh berries
Toasted coconut flakes
Chia seeds or hemp seeds
A drizzle of honey or agave

How To Make a Trader Joe’s Acai Bowl

Prepare the Blender: Pour the milk (or juice) and the optional yogurt into the base of a high-speed blender that has a tamper. Adding the liquids first helps the blender get started.
Blend the Bowl: Add the frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, and frozen banana slices. Break the frozen acai puree packets into a few smaller pieces and add them to the blender.
Tamp and Blend: With the blender on a low speed, use the tamper to continuously push the frozen fruit down towards the blades until the mixture starts to catch and blend. Continue to blend, tamping as needed, until the mixture is thick and completely smooth, like a sorbet. Add an extra splash of liquid only if absolutely necessary.
Assemble and Serve: Immediately divide the thick smoothie mixture into two bowls. Arrange all your favorite toppings over the surface and enjoy right away.

Trader Joe's Acai Bowl Recipe — Trader Joe’s Acai Bowl Recipe

Recipe Tips

How to get a super thick bowl? The most important secret is to use all frozen fruit and a minimal amount of liquid. A high-speed blender with a tamper is also essential for this process, as it allows you to push the frozen ingredients into the blades without adding more liquid, which would thin it out.
Why use unsweetened acai? The recipe highly recommends using the unsweetened version of the acai packets. This allows you to control the final sweetness of your bowl with the natural sweetness of the fruit and any toppings like honey or granola you choose to add.
How to prep the acai packets? Before you open the frozen acai packets, it’s a great trick to run them under warm water for a few seconds. This makes them easier to break into smaller, more manageable chunks, which will be much easier on your blender.
Can I make this ahead? This bowl is best eaten immediately. However, for a quick morning assembly, you can create “smoothie packs.” In a freezer-safe bag, combine the pre-portioned frozen banana, strawberries, and blueberries. In the morning, just dump the pack into the blender with your liquid and acai.

What To Serve With an Acai Bowl

An acai bowl is a complete and satisfying meal all on its own! The fun is in the toppings. A good bowl has a balance of textures:

Something Crunchy: Granola, nuts, seeds, or toasted coconut flakes.
Something Fresh: Sliced bananas, fresh berries, or other fruits.
Something Sweet: A drizzle of honey, agave nectar, or a spoonful of nut butter.

How To Store an Acai Bowl

Best Eaten Immediately: An acai bowl is at its best right after it’s blended, when it has the perfect thick, spoonable, sorbet-like consistency.
Freezing Leftovers: If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the freezer. However, it will freeze solid like an ice cream or sorbet and will lose its creamy, soft-serve texture.

Acai Bowl Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 bowl
Calories: 248kcal
Carbohydrates: 29g
Protein: 7g
Fat: 10g
Fiber: 7g
Sugar: 20g

Nutrition information is estimated for the base only (without toppings) and may vary based on ingredients used.

FAQs

What is Acai?

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is a small, dark purple berry from the acai palm tree, which is native to the Amazon rainforest. It has a unique, earthy flavor that is often described as a cross between a rich blackberry and a piece of unsweetened dark chocolate. It is famous for being packed with antioxidants.

Why is my bowl not thick?

A runny acai bowl is the #1 most common problem. It is almost always caused by one of three things: using too much liquid, not using enough frozen fruit (or using fresh fruit), or using a blender that isn’t powerful enough to handle the thick mixture without needing more liquid.

Can I make it without a banana?

Yes. The frozen banana provides a lot of natural sweetness and creaminess. For a good substitute, you can use an equal amount of frozen mango chunks or about half of a frozen avocado (which will add creaminess but not sweetness).

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