You’ve probably been spending a lot of time at home this year due to the pandemic, so with going out for brunch off the cards in many cities, why not recreate an amazing cafe-style açaí bowl at home?
To make the best-looking açaí bowl you need two things:
– A good base consistency
– Well-arranged toppings
How to make the açaí bowl base the right consistency
You want your base to be thick and scoopable. Too much liquid isn’t good as this will turn it into a smoothie. I also recommend that you place a bowl in the freezer overnight so it’s nice and cold in the morning for breakfast.
Here are three key things to make the best açaí bowl base:
– Good açaí
– Frozen bananas
– High-speed blender with manual tamper
Good açaí
Good quality frozen açaí will make all the difference to your bowl as it will create a naturally smooth texture. Get proper frozen açaí puree rather than the freeze dried acai. There are differing quality levels of Acai depending on the ratio of ‘solid’ acai pulp and water content. Premium brands (like Purple Foods!) will have a minimum of 14% acai. It should also have a nice deep purple colour, and not be brown.
Frozen bananas
Frozen bananas create a dense and creamier consistency compared to fresh bananas. Another advantage of using frozen bananas is that you can easily store it in your freezer until you need to use them again and they won’t go off.
Adding liquids
It’s very important you add the right amount of liquid. Add too much and you get a runny acai bowl, don’t add enough and your acai mixture will not blend. The perfect amount to add will depend on your blender. Trial and error is the only way to find the best result, normally though it will be between 30 – 70ml.
Good blender with manual tamper
The manual tamper is important as you’ll be using this while your ingredients are being blended. We’ll explain in the directions below.
How to blend açaí to the right consistency
To make the perfect açaí base we recommend using:
– Two Purple Foods frozen açaí packs
– ¼ cup of liquid (coconut water, almond milk, juice, etc.)
– ½ cup of frozen banana slices
– ¼ cup of protein powder
Blending to the right consistency
Throw all your base ingredients into a high-speed blender. Start off on a low speed and put your tamper through the hole at the top of the blender so you can use it to push the ingredients down towards the blade. Keep the blender steady with one hand while you use the tamper in the other. Gradually increase the speed and keep tampering until all the ingredients have broken down. The consistency should be smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add more liquid.
Making your açaí bowl look great with the right toppings
In our previous article, we discussed what toppings go well in an açaí bowl. Here we’ll talk about how to choose the right combination to make your açaí bowl look good enough to photograph.
Think about how you want to lay out your ingredients on top of the base. Do you want to cover the base completely? Do you want half the base to be visible? How will you lay the fruit?
Açaí bowl idea #1
Place some blueberries in a circle around the inside of the bowl. Lay kiwi fruit, strawberries and bananas across the top in straight lines slightly overlapping each other. Toss some chia seeds on top and you should have something that looks like this:
Açaí bowl idea #2
For another variation and slightly less bright colours, create a line of blueberries, strawberries, bananas, shredded coconut and granola across the top of your açaí bowl base.
There is really no limitation on how to present your açaí bowl. You’re only limited by your imagination. Some people like to experiment with the base too and instead of using açaí will use avocado or mango. Don’t be afraid to get creative. After all, you’re the one who will be eating it.
Just remember the winning equation:
Good açaí base consistency + toppings = winning açaí bowl
Why do açaí bowls taste so good?
Açaí bowls taste great because it’s like having healthy ice-cream for breakfast. What better way to wake up than to know that you’ll be making a nutritious and delicious meal that’ll be topped with fruit, peanut butter, nuts and anything else that takes your fancy! You’ll feel full for hours so it’s good for people that are constantly on the go.