This Chocolate Acai Smoothie is creamy, decadent, and so easy to make! It has 7 ingredients, and you don't need frozen acai! It's vegan, gluten-free, and good for you! Perfect served as a light breakfast or a refreshing snack.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Chocolate Acai Smoothie
The perfect flavor combo - This isn't your average acai smoothie! It's creamier, more decadent, and chocolatey! Cacao and acai are the perfect pair, and frozen bananas and almond milk give the smoothie the creamiest texture. It's also sweetened with just one Medjool date!
Versatile - The recipe is meant to be served in a glass, but you can add less milk and turn it into a smoothie bowl with toppings like berries, granola, or yogurt. Add protein powder to make it more filling or your favorite superfood powders to make it more nutritious.
Ingredients
- Banana - Frozen bananas are what make this smoothie thick and creamy. They are necessary because there's no frozen acai puree, so the smoothie needs volume.
- Berries - You'll need frozen raspberries and frozen blueberries. I like using wild blueberries. They have more nutrients and are much more pigmented. You could also add blackberries, strawberries, or even cherries here. I recommend frozen ones for a thicker, cooler smoothie.
- Acai powder - Açaí is a dark purple berry native to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. You'll need freeze-dried acai powder for this smoothie. It usually comes in bags, and you can find it in the superfood section of health food stores or online. I like Navitas or Organic Traditions. I prefer the powder because frozen acai puree packs often have added sugar and other ingredients.
- Cacao powder - I always use raw cacao powder in my smoothies and all of my cooking, but cocoa powder will work too. I recommend adding a little less if you use cocoa.
- Protein powder - This one is optional, but I like adding a scoop of my favorite Sprout Living protein powder. I like their unflavored one or the vanilla one. You could also use a chocolate one here, but if you do, you may want to add less cacao powder or skip it altogether because it already has it.
- Medjool date - This is optional, but I find acai to be slightly earthy sometimes, and cacao is very bitter without a sweetener, so I add 1 medjool date. You could also use honey, maple syrup, or stevia.
- Vanilla extract and cinnamon - They add a little bit of flavor without overpowering the rest. Vanilla bean paste and vanilla powder are great too (add less if you use the powder).
- Almond milk - I use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk in this smoothie, but whole milk or any other non-dairy milk will work well too. I would avoid coconut water, still water, or any fruit juices here because it won't be as creamy and they don't go with the chocolate flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
- Thicker smoothie - Add 2 frozen bananas instead of 1 ½, and ½ cup of milk instead of 1 cup. This will yield a much thicker smoothie, with a consistency similar to soft serve ice cream.
- Maqui berry powder - This powder is very similar to acai. It's also a freeze-dried berry packed with nutrients. It's more bright purple than acai, and has a slightly different flavor, but it works really well with chocolate too. Check it out in my Maqui Berry Oatmeal or my Blended Maqui Berry Buckwheat Porridge.
- Acai puree - If you want to use frozen acai instead of the powder, add only ½ banana instead of 1 ½. You can keep it as is, but you'll have to add more milk, and you'll have a bigger smoothie.
- Add-ins - Sometimes I like to add superfood powders to my smoothies, and this one would be delicious with maca powder, lucuma powder, or a little bit of camu camu powder for extra vitamin C.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Into a high-speed blender, add milk, cacao powder, acai powder, ground cinnamon, protein powder, frozen banana, blueberries, raspberries, a pitted Medjool date, and vanilla extract.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- If you used less milk for a thicker smoothie, you may need to use your blender's tamper to help it blend without air pockets.
- Add more milk if desired to reach your desired consistency.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Serve immediately in a tall glass and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Use frozen fruit - I rarely add ice to my smoothies and always prefer using frozen fruit instead. Fresh fruit and ice yield a completely different texture and can cause the smoothie to separate and be more icy and watery.
- Blending - Start on low speed and slowly go up to max speed. If you go up too quickly, you risk having unblended pieces of fruit in your smoothie, especially if it's thinner. If it's very thick, this is much easier to avoid.
Serving and Storing
- In a glass: This recipe is developed to be served in a tall glass. It's creamy but still easy to drink through a straw.
- In a bowl: If you want to turn it into a smoothie bowl instead, add ½ the amount of milk to keep it thicker and easy to eat with a spoon. I do recommend also adding 2 frozen bananas instead of 1 ½. Top it with berries, granola, yogurt, almond butter, peanut butter, or this Strawberry Chia Jam.
Every smoothie is best served right away, but if you need to, you can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours. I don't recommend freezing it.
FAQs
Yes, but it will yield a larger, thicker smoothie. You may want to up the cacao powder to 2 tablespoons.
Yes, add half the amount of milk and an extra ½ frozen banana. Use your blender's tamper to help it blend. You want the smoothie to be extra thick so it can hold all your toppings!
Other Recipes with Acai Powder
If you don't know what else to make with your acai powder, try any of the five recipes below! The acai overnight oats are my favorite one! It's an older recipe but such a good one!
If you want to see all the latest smoothies, head over to Smoothie Recipes!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Have you tried this Chocolate 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!
Print📖 Recipe
Chocolate Acai Smoothie
This Chocolate Acai Smoothie is creamy, decadent, and so easy to make! Just 7 ingredients and 5 minutes! It's vegan, gluten-free, and delicious! Perfect served as a light breakfast or a refreshing snack.
- Total Time5 minutes
- Yield1 1x
- DietVegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk)
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp acai powder
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 scoop protein powder (optional; unflavored, vanilla, or chocolate)
- 1 ½ frozen banana
- ¼ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ cup frozen raspberries
- 1 Medjool date, pitted (or your favorite sweetener)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Into a high-speed blender, add milk, cacao powder, acai powder, ground cinnamon, protein powder, frozen banana, blueberries, raspberries, a pitted Medjool date, and vanilla extract.
- Blend on high until smooth. Add more milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately in a tall glass and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Storing: The smoothie is best enjoyed right away, but if needed, you can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Acai bowl with toppings: If you want to serve it in a bowl, only add ½ cup of milk and 2 frozen bananas instead of just 1 ½. You’ll need to use your blender’s tamper to help the smoothie blend because it will be much thicker.
The nutritional values shown below are only an estimate, and they are calculated without any protein powder because each brand is different. My go to is Sprout Living Protein. I like their unflavored one.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Smoothie
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Leave a Reply