Acai Bowl with Protein

Learn how easy it is to make a delicious homemade Acai Bowl with Protein without protein powder from a dietitian. 26 grams of protein per serving!

I can't believe I'm admitting this but the first time I made an acai bowl I didn't follow a recipe. Instead, I blended pure acai packets and added a few toppings... and took a picture, of course. 😉

Little did I know that, unlike pitaya, acai by itself has such a bitter taste. So, whether using pitaya or acai in your smoothie bowl base, you'll want to blend it with other fruits.

I chose to use blueberries in this recipe to help highlight the color of acai. While mango and banana help give the base a thick and creamy texture that everyone loves!

What is Acai?

Acai is a palm plant native to South America. The acai palm plant produces 'berries' that mature to be deep purple in color. From what I understand, when you buy frozen acai packets to make smoothies and smoothie bowls, you are buying frozen, pureed acai berries.

Acai pulp contains vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. It has also been associated with health benefits from its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Believe it or not, acai by itself is not sweet at all. Personally, I find it to taste very bitter. This is why you'll almost always (at least in the States 😉 see other fruits blended in with acai.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy Using a high-speed blender is what makes this an easy recipe. Just be sure to add the ingredients in the order listed and place the frozen acai packet in warm water first thing or it will feel like more work to get it all blended together.
• High Protein 26 grams of protein per serving! Smoothie bowls with protein aren't just an excellent post-workout meal, they make a refreshing meal (perfect breakfast actually) for hot summer days for pretty much anyone! 😍
• No Protein Powder The protein in this recipe comes from Greek yogurt, chia seeds, hemp hearts, granola, and peanut butter. Just like my protein pancakes, there's no protein powder here!
• Kid-Approved It has the purple color expected from acai bowls and incredible flavor with just enough sweetness to win kids over!

Dietitian Tip

As a dietitian mom, I've been on a mission to teach others how to increase their protein intake without automatically deferring to protein powder. Now, don't get me wrong, adding protein powder to smoothies is convenient... it's just not always necessary. 😅

A benefit of getting protein from a variety of sources is that you'll also get a variety of other nutrients as well. For instance, hemp hearts are an excellent source of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fats while yogurt adds calcium and vitamin D in addition to protein.

What I've noticed is that the bases of most acai bowl recipes are made with just fruit. In fact, the most popular acai bowl at a local smoothie shop near me only uses acai and banana, and the recipe pictured on a package of frozen acai only calls for fruit and fruit juice.

See the image below as an example. While they might taste and look pretty great, there is very little protein in the bases of these recipes, if any.

Ingredient Notes

• Acai Packets of frozen acai puree are found in the frozen fruit section in most grocery stores. The ingredient list should include acai and citric acid only. Some brands try to sneak in unnecessary ingredients like guarana that contain caffeine.
• Banana Good source of potassium and fiber. Frozen banana is used to make this a nice and thick smoothie bowl.
• Blueberries Excellent source of vitamins and phytonutrients. You can use frozen mixed berries instead of blueberries if you prefer. Blending colorful fruits in with acai helps to highlight the fun purple color from the acai.
• Mango Helps to mask the flavor of banana and adds to the thick and creamy texture of the acai bowl. Can use frozen pineapple or more frozen banana instead.
• Greek Yogurt Excellent source of protein. Also adds calcium and vitamin D. You can use Skyr instead for even more protein.
• Chia Seeds Excellent source of fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids (known as healthy fats). Also has a thickening effect on the smoothie bowl base. 2 tablespoons of chia seeds contain 5 grams of protein.
• Hemp Seeds Shelled hemp seeds are also known as hemp hearts. Hemp hearts are an excellent source of plant-based protein, containing 10 grams of protein in 3 tablespoons. They can be found near chia seeds in the 'health food' or baking aisles in grocery stores, near the cereals and granola, or by fresh produce, depending on the grocery store.

How to Make this High Protein Acai Bowl Recipe

Here is a summary of the steps to make an acai bowl with protein. For a complete list of ingredients and full instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

1. Place the acai packet in warm water to soften slightly.
2. Add all of the ingredients for the base of the acai bowl to a high-speed blender in the order listed in the recipe card.
3. Blend until a smooth, thick and creamy texture is reached.
4. Divide the smoothie bowl base evenly into two bowls and top with toppings. Eat right away!

Acai Bowl Toppings

• Fresh Fruit Fresh berries and banana slices are probably the most common fruit toppings for smoothie bowls.
• Peanut Butter For a little protein boost and yummy flavor. Can use almond butter instead.
• Granola Store bought or homemade granola.
• Chia Seeds Even though it's in the smoothie bowl base, chia seeds add nice texture to the top as well.
• Additional optional toppings: coconut flakes, cacao nibs, or mini chocolate chips.

Helpful Tips

• Let your kids add their favorite toppings to the smoothie bowl. What I do is put all of the smoothie bowl topping options out on the counter, serve their smoothie bowl plain and let them add whatever toppings they want. This way they are more likely to eat and enjoy it!
• If your kids are used to sweet smoothie bowls, I definitely recommend adding the optional honey the first time you make this recipe.
• Using a tamper that often comes with high-speed blenders to keep the acai base moving as it blends saves time and really helps smooth out frozen chunks.
• If you don't have a high-speed blender or tamper that is made for your blender, defrost the whole acai packet before adding it in with the other ingredients and use fresh over-ripe or defrosted bananas instead of frozen. The added liquid and softer bananas will help keep the frozen ingredients from getting stuck in the blades.
• Increasing the amount of Greek yogurt to one cup will give you more protein, but the flavor of the yogurt will be more noticeable.
• If you choose to add a half scoop of protein powder for even more protein, you'll need to add more liquid. I'd suggest using vanilla protein powder, not chocolate for this smoothie bowl. But that's just my opinion 🙂

Questions You May Have

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