Acai Smoothie with Acai Powder

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·Leave a Review

Do you want to make an acai bowl without frozen acai? Try this Acai Smoothie with Acai Powder! You can make it anywhere, anytime, it's super easy, vegan, gluten-free, and it has just 6 simple ingredients. Serve it as a refreshing summer breakfast or as a snack!

Bright purple acai smoothie in a white bowl topped with sliced banana strawberries, blueberries, and granola.

Jump to:

What Makes This Acai Smoothie Special
Ingredients
Variations and Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Tips & Tricks!
Serving Suggestions
Storing
FAQs
Similar Smoothies
📖 Recipe

What Makes This Acai Smoothie Special

Powder, not frozen packs - Most acai smoothies you find online are made with frozen açai packs, but you might live in an area that doesn’t sell them. I used to not have them available when I lived in Europe, so I always made mine with freeze-dried acai powder and didn't even know the frozen version existed until a few years ago! You can find the powder at a lot of health-food stores or at a variety of online stores. It makes it so much easier to make acai smoothies anytime and anywhere!

Easy and quick - The smoothie has just 6 simple ingredients, and you can have it ready in a few minutes! I made the recipe to be served in a bowl, as that’s the most popular way to do it, but you can always make it thinner and serve it in a glass instead.

No added sugar - The smoothie is naturally sweet, and there's no added sweetener. Frozen acai puree often has added sugar in it along with other ingredients, which seems very unnecessary. This is why I prefer acai powder, it's just 100% acai and nothing else.

A spoon holding acai smoothie over a white bowl of the smoothie topped with sliced banana strawberries, blueberries, and granola.

Ingredients

Acai powder - Instead of frozen acai packets, you'll need freeze-dried acai powder. It usually comes in bags, and you can find it near other superfoods in health food stores or online. It doesn't need to be refrigerated, but I always keep mine in the fridge after opening. I like the Navitas brand or Organic Traditions. I actually prefer the powder because frozen acai can have a lot of added sugar and be more processed.
Banana - You'll need frozen bananas for this smoothie. They're what make it creamy, and they help thicken it.
Mix of frozen berries - I went with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but blackberries would work as well. Their seeds might just not get blended completely. It's important to use only frozen fruit for the best texture.
Coconut water - I like adding coconut water to most of my smoothies, so that's what I use. Almond milk or water works as well.
Cinnamon - I like adding a pinch of cinnamon to most of my sweet recipes. It adds a little bit of flavor, but it's totally optional.

Variations and Substitutions

Drinkable smoothie - If you want to serve the smoothie in a glass rather than a bowl with toppings, add only 1 banana instead of 1 ½ and 1 cup of coconut water instead of just ½ cup.
Add-ins - I often like adding some ground flax seeds to the smoothie for some extra fiber and one Brazil nut for selenium. You can also add chia seeds, nut butter (almond or peanut butter), your favorite plant-based protein powder (unflavored, berry, or vanilla), or even ¼-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract for more flavor.
No coconut water - If you don't have coconut water, you can use your favorite non-dairy milk instead. My go-tos are almond milk or cashew milk. You can also swap some of the milk for a dollop of a good creamy coconut yogurt or full-fat Greek yogurt for some healthy fats and more creaminess.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add the coconut water, frozen banana, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, acai powder, and ground cinnamon (if using) to a high-speed blender.
Blend on high and use the blender’s tamper to push the ingredient towards the blades. This smoothie is meant to be quite thick, so it will be hard to blend without a tamper.
Add more coconut water if needed to reach your desired consistency.
Once smooth and creamy, scoop it out into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

A high-speed blender with frozen banana, berries, acai powder, and coconut water before and after blending.

Would you like to save this recipe?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Tips & Tricks!

Add less liquid at first - If you want the smoothie to be really thick, similar to a soft serve ice cream, add less coconut water at first and add more as needed. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away! It may look like it won’t blend, but if you use a powerful blender and its tamper, it will turn creamy eventually.
Use the tamper - This is especially important when making thick smoothie bowls like this one. There’s not enough liquid, so the blender will create an air pocket near the blades. The only way to prevent this and help it to continue blending is to use a tamper to push the fruit towards the blades.
If you make this smoothie with the frozen acai packs instead of the powder, make sure to check the ingredients. They often have added sugar and other additives.

Serving Suggestions

Berries - You can add fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, cherries, gooseberries, slightly defrosted frozen fruit, or even freeze-dried berries.
Granola - I like adding crunchy chocolate granola or any simple vanilla cinnamon one with roasted nuts. You can also just add plain nuts or seeds. I even add a few chocolate chips sometimes if my granola doesn’t have any!
Almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or even a drizzle of chocolate spread like my Homemade Nutella!
Yogurt or kefir - My local grocery store sells thick coconut kefir and I love adding that to both my smoothie bowls and oatmeal. A dollop of thick coconut yogurt or Greek yogurt is also great!

Storing

The smoothie is best enjoyed right away while it’s still partially frozen and thick but if you really need to store it, keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours. I don’t recommend refreezing it.

Prep your frozen ingredients: The most you can do to prep the smoothie ahead of time is to take empty freezer bags (one per serving) and divide all your frozen ingredients into the bags so that when you’re craving a smoothie, you can just empty a bag into your blender instead of opening multiple different ones.

FAQs

What's Acai?

Acai berries are dark purple berries native to South America. They're usually sold either as frozen acai puree or as freeze-dried acai powder. They're considered a superfood due to being high in antioxidants like anthocyanins that give them their deep purple color, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and even healthy fats. Learn more about them in this Acai Berry Guide by Everyday Health.

Can I make this with frozen açai if I don’t have acai powder?

Yes, you can, but keep in mind that this will make the smoothie much thicker and bigger in volume. You’ll most likely have to add more liquid.

Can I add a sweetener?

Yes, definitely. I didn't add any because I don't think this smoothie needs it, but you can add a splash of maple syrup, agave, or coconut nectar. Stevia also works.

Bright purple acai smoothie in a white bowl topped with sliced banana strawberries, blueberries, and granola, with a spoon in the bowl.

Similar Smoothies

If you want to try similar berry smoothies, check out any of the four below! They're all meant to be served in a glass, but you can always add less liquid and serve them in a bowl with toppings like this one! To see all the latest ones, head over to Smoothies!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Have you tried this Acai Smoothie? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!

Hungry for more? Grab my free Top 10 Best Smoothie Recipes e-book, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram to always stay in the loop!