This peanut butter acai bowl is full of antioxidant-rich fruit and studded with dreamy peanut butter. All of the ingredients are frozen or pantry staples so it’s a great on-the-fly meal when you’re short on fresh produce.
Can we talk about pantry meals for a second? Smoothies and smoothie bowls are one of my favorite meals in a pinch when I’m low on fresh ingredients. You can use whatever frozen fruit you have, blended with your milk of choice, maybe some nutrition “boosters” like nuts and seeds and you’re all set.
But have you tried the magic that is acai?
What is Acai?
The acai (AH-sigh-EE) berry is a fruit native to Central and South America that has gained popularity in recent years, mainly because of acai bowls. Acai bowls are basically smoothie bowls, that are made with acai so typically they have banana and other berries blended in. Then they’re topped with all sorts of delicious things like granola, coconut, and a drizzle of peanut butter.
Acai is antioxidant-rich and really delicious! Interestingly, most of the calories in acai come from fat (almost 80%), which is unique for fruit. The best part: look at that COLOR.
Peanut Butter Acai Bowl Ingredients
Along with the packet, here are a few other things you need to make the perfect peanut butter acai bowl:
- Frozen fruit: I went with a combination of pitted cherries (love them), mango chunks and banana. You can definitely customize if you have different options available.
- Water: Juice, coconut water, milk, or a milk alternative also work as the liquid. I wanted this bowl to be all about the fruit and less smoothie-like so I used water.
- Peanut butter: Nut butter pairs beautifully here. It’s blended in and drizzled on top for max peanut flavor. Kind of like PB&J vibes?
- Toppings of choice: granola, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, nuts, hemp hearts, sliced bananas or other fresh fruit (if you have it). Basically anything crunchy is good. To make it a satisfying meal, make sure your toppings add some extra protein and texture.
Acai Bowl FAQs
Thanks to the Trader Joe’s frozen acai pureé packets, the bowls are really simple to recreate at home. Each bag contains four individual (100 gram) packets.
The texture of a smoothie bowl is thicker because there is less liquid than in a smoothie, so you can easily eat it with a spoon.
If you’re searching for a quality blender to get that super creamy consistency without spending hundreds of dollars, this is the one I have and love (affiliate link!). You should also run the acai packet under warm water for a bit to partially thaw and break the frozen puree into pieces (as per package directions). This makes it easier to add to the blender.
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PrintPeanut Butter Acai Bowl
This peanut butter acai bowl is filled with antioxidant-rich fruit and studded with heart-healthy peanut butter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 frozen acai pack (99 grams)
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- 1/2 cup frozen cherries
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Toppings of choice: additional peanut butter for drizzling, granola, hemp hearts, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, sliced banana
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (besides toppings) to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and add toppings of choice.
Notes
- The equipment section above provides affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and love.
- I used the frozen acai packets from Trader Joe’s (pictured above), but you should be able to find them in other grocery stores as well, near the other frozen fruit. Try not to omit it if possible! It really adds a wonderful signature flavor to these.
- All nutrition information is calculated based on the bowl only, no toppings included as this will vary based on what you use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 405 calories
- Fat: 20 grams
- Carbohydrates: 48 grams
- Fiber: 9 grams
- Protein: 9 grams
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Jaclyn says
I’d never had an acai bowl before, so I was excited to try this. I will definitely be making it over and over! It’s very refreshing, and I love how versatile the toppings are. I went with granola, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate chips!
Leanne says
So glad you gave it a try!
Carrie Robinson says
I just love how hearty this looks! Such a great way to start out your day, 🙂
Leanne says
Thank you so very much Carrie! You can’t be in a bad mood after eating one of these. Cheers!