I am all about the smoothie bowls right now and this chocolate acai bowl is my latest creation! So often I make smoothies with peanut butter but my hubby was in the mood for something sweet so we went with chocolate!

I bought a pack of frozen acai puree and it has gone such a long way with making different smoothies and I love that it’s a healthy berry with low carbs. Although I guess the chocolate defeats the purpose!

With just a handful of ingredients you can make this delicious smoothie bowl. You can choose whatever toppings you have in the pantry to make it pretty and more filling!

Dark Chocolate Acai Smoothie Bowl

The main thing you need to do in preparation is freeze some bananas and make sure your acai puree is in the freezer too!

As a vegan I am always on the lookout for nutritional superfoods. Acai is a berry and has some incredible health benefits. You can usually buy it in puree form or powder too.

I personally prefer to use Acai in its puree form. I just keep a few sachets in my freezer and add them to my smoothies or over oats is really good too.

The acai berry originates from central and South America. They grow on the acai palm tree and are a long reddish / purple berry.

Acai is considered to have a tonne of antioxidant properties. They are also considered to provide an energy boost increasing brain function.

There may also be some evidence to suggest acai is cholesterol lowering and anti-cancer superfood too!

Along with the other main ingredients of acai puree, frozen bananas, milk of choice and maple syrup, you’ll also want cacao! I prefer to use chocolate in it’s rawest form so it’s not stripped of all the health benefits

Of course you can sprinkle a little bit of cheeky chocolate on top but I do find the cacao mixed with the maple syrup has all the sweet and chocolate notes you need!

Cacao Acai Chocolate

So what is cacao? It sounds very similar to cocoa right? Truth is, they are very similar. The main difference is cocoa is more processed.

Cacao is the rawest form of chocolate and the closest to the natural state when it is harvested.

Not to mention, cacao is rich in magnesium and is considered to be associated with reduced risk of diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease.

Cacao contains antioxidants which help to lower cholesterol and subsequently improves cardiovascular state. Not to mention it is also rich in Iron and PEA also known as phenylethylamine.

PEA interacts with dopamine, the happy hormone that improves mood. So with all this in mind could you ask for much more in terms of health benefits from just one ingredient?

Ingredients For An Acai Berry Chocolate Smoothie

Fo this recipe you will need:

• 1 large frozen banana
• A cup of plant milk
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 pouch of frozen acai puree
• 2 tbsp of cacao

In terms of toppings for this smoothie bowl there are so many options. I used:

• Cacao nibs
• Coconut flakes
• Granola
• Frozen raspberries
• Thinly sliced banana
• Chopped dark chocolate squares

There are tonnes of other options too, here are a few other ideas:

• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Cashews
• Peanut butter drizzled
• Seeds
• Chia seeds
• Almond butter
• Other berries

Equipment for Chocolate Acai Bowl Recipe

All you will need to do is simply blend all of the ingredients together and add it to a bowl of choice. I tend to bounce between my favourite coconut bowls and Falcon ware. They both offer the perfect size for smoothies!

If you don’t have a smoothie blender, I can highly recommend both the Ninja and the Kenwood.

I love that you just screw the cup right in there, it’s not oversized when it comes to washing up and can be stored in the fridge if you make extra quite easily.

I am all about keeping the washing up to a minimum. Both blenders are pretty strong and will get through the frozen acai and banana without any issue.

At the end, you’ll expect to get a relatively thick but creamy consistency to your chocolate acai smoothie.

To check out the Ninja click here here or the Kenwood click here.

Storing An Acai Chocolate Bowl

It’s best to serve the smoothie straight away, however you can also keep the mix in the fridge in an air tight contained for 3 to 4 days. Just give it a good shake when your ready to have it and prepare yourself a bowl.

Of course, you can also leave the toppings out and just add a scoop of protein instead to drink it on the go. The blenders mentioned above are perfect for that as a grab and go option.

This recipe has been tried and tested with little kids too! My toddler absolutely loves this recipe. So it’s an all round good option for a lazy brunch with the whole family.

Before we jump to the recipe card, let me just point you in the direction of our:

• Blue Spirulina smoothie bowl
• Peanut butter acai smoothie bowl
• Cacao smoothie bowl
• Buckwheat pancakes
• Pear Mango Smoothie
• Watermelon smoothie bowl

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post. By using them, we will get a small commission of the sale at no extra cost to you. It’s the little things like this thats keep us afloat. We never recommend something we don’t believe in, always tired and tested too.

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