How to Make an Acai Bowl

If you live in the Effingham, IL area or passing through the 57/70 Interstate intersection stop by Heartland Health Food and treat yourself to one of Prima's Pumpkin Berry Acai bowls. While you're there pick up the ingredients and use the following recipe to make it at home.

What the heck is Acai?

The acai (pronounced ah sigh EE) berry comes from the South America acai palm tree. The berries are a deep dark purple with seeds that make up close to 80% of the berry. They're packed with antioxidants, fiber, omega-3 healthy fats, and calcium. You definitely want to find ways to put this powerhouse in your diet routine!

What do you need to make your own Acai bowl at home?

The only special equipment you'll need to make this recipe is a blender and space in your freezer for 2 small containers. Can you make an acai bowl without freezing it? Of course you can, but the consistency will be more like a really chunky smoothie than a frozen ice cream treat.

Luckily, acai packets are commonly found in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store. I live in a very small town and we just started getting them here. Yay!

Acai powder also works well. Try a tablespoon of the powder in place of the frozen packet. Taste it, and adjust as needed.

Nutritional Values for 100 grams of unsweetened acai pulp:

• Calories: 70
• Fat: 5 grams
• Carbs: 5 grams
• Fiber: 4 grams
• Sugar: 0
• Protein: 1 gram

How to Make an Acai Bowl for Fall

If you ask 10 people what flavor they associate most with fall, 8 out of 10 will most likely say... Pumpkin! Or Pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice or pumpkin... something. That's why you are going to LOVE this pumpkin berry acai bowl.

The combination of the acai (which is tangy and tart) balances the deep earthy tones of the pumpkin and the spice mix so incredibly well. Bring in the smooth sweetness of the bananas and cashew butter, and prepare to have your socks literally blown off.

This may seem like a crazy combo, but it works. It works in a very big way.

Pumpkin Berry Acai Bowl Ingredients

The Base

• 2 bananas, chopped and frozen
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
• ¼ cup coconut cream
• 1 (3.5 ounce) acai packet, frozen
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ⅓ cup cashew butter

The Spice Blend

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Acai Bowl Toppings

• 1 banana, chopped
• ¼ pomegranate seeds
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut flakes, unsweetened
• ⅔ cups granola

Magic Nutty Drizzle Sauce

• ¼ cup of your favorite nut butter, such as peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter
• ¼ cup honey

Pumpkin Berry Acai Bowl Recipe Step-by-Step

Pumpkin Berry Base

1. Combine frozen banana, pumpkin puree, protein powder, spice mix, coconut cream, frozen acai berry packet, and honey in a blender.
2. Blend on medium-high speed for two minutes.
3. Add cashew butter while the blender is running.
4. Blend for another minute until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour this base into two 12 oz containers and freeze for at least ½ hour or until ready to serve.

Magic Nut Drizzle

1. Mix together the nut butter and honey until smooth and "drizzable".

Assembling the Pumpkin Berry Bowl

1. Drizzle 2 tablespoons Magic Nut Drizzle over each frozen pumpkin acai base.
2. Then top each bowl with granola, fresh banana, pomegranate seeds, cocoa nibs, and shredded coconut.
3. Finish with the remaining Magic Nut Drizzle.

How to Make an Acai Bowl Video

How to Make Your Acai Bowl Vegan

This recipe for a Pumpkin Acai bowl is already both vegetarian and vegan. Some recipes call for yogurt. In that case, make sure you are using a plant-based yogurt or skip it entirely.

If honey is on your list of dietary no-nos, switch it out for your sweetener of choice.

Acai Bowl Tips and Tricks

If you want to shorten your prep time as much as possible (like me!), use frozen fruit (bananas) and a frozen acai packet. Making a base that is already half frozen will dramatically shorten the time needed to freeze it. Sometimes, I skip the freezing process altogether because the base is already cold and thick.

Use a high-powered blender. A blender that is weak will only cause you tears and frustration.

Add the cashew butter as the blender is blending. Sometimes adding the nut butter directly to an unmoving blade will cause it to lock up.

Acai Bowl Variations

This is such a fun dish to play with! If you want to make your own version think about what your favorite fruits, flavors, and toppings are. Play with those or try some of the following:

Base Variations (pick one)

• Frozen or fresh fruits: frozen mixed berries, pineapple, sweet potato puree, lychee, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, peaches, persimmon pulp
• Nut butters: peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter

Favorite Toppings

• Chia seeds
• Goji berries
• Cranberries
• Dates
• Fresh fruit
• Chocolate
• dehydrated fruit

Thank You Prima!

Thank you so much Prima for sharing your recipe and making this super tasty Pumpkin Berry Bowl available! See you soon!