Break Out Your Blender and Make Your Own Antioxidant-Rich Açai Bowl at Home

Açaí bowls are my love language. They're delicious and beautiful, but they can be pretty expensive at smoothie joints, often causing me to fork over $12 or more for an Instagram-worthy bowl. Fortunately, making your own dreamy açaí bowl is much easier on the wallet and requires minimal skills in the kitchen.

First, I'll say that smoothie making is an art form. If you feel like you need a higher proportion of berries or have a blender that doesn't require as much liquid, do your thing. My go-to açaí bowl recipe is simply a guideline, and the beauty of handcrafting your perfect bowl is that you can throw your own spin on it! So add a glob of honey, drizzle in the agave, or follow this recipe exactly. Any way you make it, you'll end up with a truly delicious breakfast (or lunch!).

My favorite blend consists of a Sambazon Pure Unsweetened Açaí Packet, some frozen mangoes and blueberries, a frozen banana, and some light coconut milk to whirl it all together. I also always sprinkle a bit of maca root powder in my smoothies for an all-natural energy boost.

Colorful fruits like açaí and blueberries contain free-radical-fighting antioxidants, and mango and banana also aid in digestion, while adding some tropical flavor to the recipe.

As for toppings, load up your bowl with nutritious, pretty things you actually enjoy. My bowls are usually topped with whatever fresh fruit I have lying around, as well as a handful of granola and maybe a drizzle of nut butter — but feel free to get creative! Coconut shreds, cacao nibs, hemp hearts, chia seeds, goji berries . . . the possibilities are endless.

Pro tip: if you want to take a photo of your bowl before eating it (very necessary), place the bowl itself in the freezer while you prep the ingredients. The chilled bowl will help prolong the texture of your smoothie mixture!