The Ultimate Vegan Acai Bowl with Maqui And Chia
Acai is one of the most powerful superfoods on the planet full of omega-3’s, fiber, and antioxidants. Now you can enjoy your own acai bowl with some of the other most powerful superfoods available in this recipe for The Ultimate Acai Bowl With Maqui Chia, and Maca!
Have you heard of acai berries? Gosh, I hope so!
While I’m a huge believer that one can get plenty of health benefits from many common fruits and veggies, I also believe that the addition of more powerful fruits and veggies from around the world is something all of us should consider taking part in whenever we can.
And acai berry is one of my very favorite superfoods that I’ve been using daily for almost 10 years now. From smoothies to porridge, to chia pudding, coconut yogurt, and delightful acai berry bowls, there’s hardly any dish where a little acai doesn’t make anything better!
First, What is Acai?
Acai (pronounced AHH-SIGH-EEE) berry is a dark purple berry (almost black like a blackberry) that grows in Brazil along the Amazon. It has a deep berry flavor that’s a mix between blueberry and chocolate although it’s not sweet like blueberries are since acai has no sugar. In fact, it’s one of the only fruits in the world that doesn’t contain any sugar like other berries, but don’t let that fool you. Acai still tastes incredible! It has an almost exotic like flavor to it, similar to the way chocolate does not to mention it’s packed with benefits that make it worth adding to your diet.
Acai is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the planet. It’s also a natural (vegan) source of omega-3 fatty acids and is excellent for supporting optimal heart, brain, and digestive health. In fact, acai contains more omega-3’s per serving than many types of fish and it’s one of the most wonderful foods you can eat for helping to combat inflammation in the body.
Why do I use Acai?
I have been using acai for nearly a decade for three main reasons:
- It’s delicious! Seriously, it tastes fabulous and you’ll be hooked once you try it.
- It’s phenomenal for skin health like other berries but only more powerful. In fact, once I started eating acai on a regular basis, I noticed significantly less aging, have no more sun scars on my face (from way too much time in the sun tanning when I was younger), and it’s also easier for me to keep my complexion clear when I use acai.
- It’s a huge mood-booster and combats inflammation from daily exercise thanks to the high amounts of plant-based omega-3’s fatty acids it contains. That’s one of the best benefits of acai for me without always having to rely on seeds (chia, hemp, flax) to give me what I need.
Where Can You Find Acai and How Do You Use It?
Acai berry pulp is sold as a fruit purée (in the frozen section with other fruit in health food stores) and as a freeze-dried powder. You can use either one in smoothies, oatmeal, puddings, yogurt, and you can also blend either the fruit purée or the freeze-dried powder with any frozen fruit of your choice plus additional add-ins to make a deliciously creamy acai bowl.
Many trendy restaurants and cafés who cater to raw, vegan, plant-based, and/or healthy living in general also sell acai bowls which are typically made with banana, strawberries, and other berries. Acai bowls are basically a healthy way to enjoy something cold and creamy that’s full of health benefits, similar to ice cream or frozen yogurt but without all the sugar and animal ingredients.
But have you seen the price on acai bowls? Oh, my! $8-$10 for one acai bowl? Nope, not a chance with this frugal girl! Unless someone else is paying, mind you
I’ll admit, I make room in my budget every few months to stock up on some acai but I never purchase pricey acai bowls when I can make one at home for half the price. So I couldn’t wait to share my latest recipe for The Ultimate Acai Bowl with all of you because it takes typical acai bowls and brings them to a whole new level!
All About The Ultimate Acai Macui Bowl Mix
Along with several other ingredients, I used a fun new product in The Ultimate Acai Bowl that’s made by Sunfood. Made of not only acai berry but also some other amazingly powerful superfoods, Organic Acai Maqui Bowl Mix is packed with goodness that makes preparing (and enjoying) acai bowls easier.
With nutrient-dense superfoods such as chia, blueberry, maca, lucuma, acai, and maqui, this is a great product to get a host of benefits from multiple superfoods all in one. But if you don’t have it, don’t sweat it; you can just use whatever form of acai, chia, maqui, and/or maca you have on hand.
And while I admit that I prefer the real deal in the form of acai purée when I can get it, using powdered superfoods is a great choice and often a more cost-effective way to enjoy superfoods. Plus, you can mix anything you want with them and get the benefits of multiple nutrient-dense foods all in one recipe… like this one!
Now, let’s talk about what else is in The Ultimate Acai Bowl.
1. Frozen organic berries which add a deliciously creamy texture and even more berry flavor as well as more benefits. Plus, berries are one of THE BEST foods you can put in your body! I used a frozen mix of organic raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries that I got from Target–no need for fresh.
2. A ripe, chopped, frozen banana because it adds a hard-to-beat creamy texture and sweet flavor in acai bowls. Plus, bananas are full of good enzymes to help support your body’s digestion and they protect the lining of the stomach. Just make sure that your banana is really ripe (heavily spotted–not perfectly yellow) and frozen before use, though, since that improves the taste and the texture of the final recipe.
3. A little unsweetened non-dairy milk for flavor and optimal blending (you can use homemade if you like, I used store-bought by Silk).
4. An optional serving of plant-based protein if you’re having this for a meal, such as vanilla or chocolate without added sugar. You can leave out the protein powder if you just want to enjoy this acai bowl as a snack, although it does add a nice flavor and extra punch of nutrition.
5. And of course, you can’t have an acai bowl without lots of fun, healthy toppings!
You can add whatever toppings you like to your own Ultimate Acai Bowl at home depending on what you have on hand. Nuts, seeds, berries, whatever you like goes! Here in my recipe, I’ve chosen to use some of my favorite toppings that I had on hand which includes coconut flakes, raw cacao nibs, hemp seeds, goji berries, and a sliced strawberry.
Feed your body the good stuff friends, you truly will feel and see the difference!
The Ultimate Acai Bowl With Sunfood Acai Maqui Bowl Mix
Ultimate Acai Bowl with Maqui, Chia, and Maca
Ingredients
- 1 cup your choice non-dairy milk such as unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen organic mixed berries
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 tbsp acai berry powder or a superfood mix with acai berry powder such as Sunfood's Acai Maqui Bowl Mix Powder
- 2 tbsp vanilla or chocolate plant-based protein powder (optional)
- toppings such as hemp seeds, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, freshly sliced berries or superfood berries like goji berries and mulberries
Instructions
- Add the non-dairy milk, berries, frozen banana, and the acai berry powder to your blender in the order listed. It's best to use a high-speed blender for this recipe (if you don't have one, use a food processor instead).
- Next, add in the protein powder if using and then put the lid on the blender.
- Blend on low, then progress to high until you have a thick, super creamy texture like ice cream.
- Scrape the mix into a bowl with a spatula, spread out evenly, add your favorite smoothie bowl toppings.
Notes
- If you don't have Sunfood's Acai Maqui Bowl Mix in your home yet, use 1 tbsp. acai powder, 1 tsp. maqui powder, 1 tsp. chia seed powder, and 1 tsp. maca powder instead for a similar replacement. It won't be exactly the same but will still provide plenty of benefits and a similar texture/flavor.
Nutrition
Conclusion
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I have been lately, especially if you’ve never had acai before. This bowl is so good for breakfast, as a snack, or as a healthy dessert. You can also learn more about Organic Acai Maqui Bowl Mix here and find other great products from Sunfood.
I hope you get to try this recipe; it’s great to enjoy a healthy, cold and creamy treat just as the weather starts to warm up!
