A few days ago when I was with Ellee at Costco, we saw a sign for $5 Costco Açai bowls. The backstory would be that I fell in love with açai bowls a couple of years ago. Friends had been talking about them and when I finally tried one, I was a fan. At the time tough, there were a few problems. First, they weren’t easy to find (though they are much more common now). Secondly, they were pricey. I’d pay anywhere from $8-$15 for one (I can be more frugal, so that tells you how much I loved them). So I’d eat them here or there and always enjoyed them wholeheartedly.
So back to Costco. We couldn’t believe that they carried them, and so cheap! We bought one along with a Chicken bake for lunch and were on our way. Sadly, after a few bites, we realized that it wasn’t really great or even all that good. Costco’s version was more like frozen yogurt that was supposed to be açai flavored, but it also had something else that made the aftertaste pretty much unbearable. Ellee and I equated it to licking a car air freshener. Though neither of us have ever done it, if you can imagine it that is how it tasted.
So, all of that would be why I’m writing today’s post. We are huge fans of açai bowls and this past year, I finally figured out how to make them at home. I should maybe be embarrassed to share that we literally eat them every other day or so because they are that good (and also making them at home is SO much cheaper). I thought post-Costco açai that sharing my recipe might help others to enjoy something delicious at a much more budget friendly price. So here goes.
For the record, even though it may sound like it, I’m not officially endorsing any of these products. They’ve just been the ones that we’ve found to be the best for our bowls. The açai juice and strawberries come from Costco. The açai packets, coconut and honey are all from Trader Joes. And the KIND granola can be found at Target or Rite Aid.
In addition to these ingredients, you’ll need a good blender. We finally bought a Ninja years ago after burning through a variety of regular blender motors. Our first Ninja lasted for years and years and we just actually replaced it with a new one when the motor finally died out.
The açai juice is about $8 a bottle and the packets are $4 for 4. Add in the strawberries and each bowl comes out to about $2 for just the açai part. The rest of the ingredients are probably another $1 or so depending on what you use, so basically it’s around $3 per bowl. Which is so much cheaper than buying them anywhere else.
We stock up on the frozen açai from Trader Joes whenever we get out there so our freezer always has a good amount.
As for the recipe, you’ll need two cups of the juice.
Then you just add one frozen packet and a handful of frozen strawberries or two depending on how thick you want it to be.
Blend it all up till it’s nice and smooth. This recipe makes two servings.
This one could have used a few more strawberries, but I shared it with our kids who like to just drink it as a smoothie so it worked out just fine.
Then you add the toppings. We love the KIND granola and I use unsweetened coconut flakes. Jeremy (who loves the bowls as well) prefers the sweetened coconut so it’s just up to your taste preferences. We add honey on top.
And then you can add fresh fruit if you like or just eat it plain.
And that sums up our recipe for the best Homemade Açai bowls (in our opinion). A fun weekend post for those who want to try something new. I’ll be honest, blogging has been on a bit of a hold lately. Life has been busy in many ways… we all know how it goes. That being said, thanks for stopping in and hope you’re all enjoying a beautiful weekend!
Laura Herr Photography 