Açaí Berry Smoothie

Naturally sweetened with only fruit and honey, this açaí berry smoothie is the perfect mid-day treat or anytime pick-me-up. It's sooooo refreshing!

What does an acai smoothie taste like?

If you've never tried an açaí smoothie, this recipe is a great start. While açaí fruit on its own doesn't have a lot of sweetness, it becomes a magical treat when you blend in other fruits like strawberries and banana. It has a subtle, rich berry flavor that really shines in a berry smoothie.

AND, açaí fruit offers some amazing nutritional benefits--a win win for a breakfast smoothie or anytime smoothie.

The ingredients

For this smoothie's base, I used unsweetened soy milk for extra protein--but almond milk or another non-dairy milk works equally well in terms of taste. Here are the ingredients in this açaí smoothie:

• unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
• frozen unsweetened açaí purée, thawed (I used Sambazon Pure Unsweetened Açaí Packs)
• a banana, sliced and frozen
• frozen strawberries
• frozen pineapple
• honey

How to make a berry smoothie

While there isn't one right way to make berry smoothies, I do have a pretty reliable formula that I consistently follow: a non-dairy milk base, a banana, often some pineapples and, of course, berries. While I don't use pineapples in every smoothie, they really do add a refreshing "zing" alongside the berries so it's kind of my secret ingredient. 😉

Depending on the ingredients, I also add raw honey for a little extra sweetness in smoothie recipes--and it is recommended in this one since the açaí fruit is not very sweet on its own.

I do recommend slicing the banana and freezing the slices in advance, if possible (but don't fret if you forget this step; it's all good either way.)

Tip: You'll want to thaw the açaí pack a bit before you blend up this smoothie (trust me on this; your blender will thank you!) To thaw quickly, just run it under hot water.

You can add everything to the blender all at once and slowly increase your blender speed until smooth--about a minute or two. A Vitamix or other high-speed blend is recommended to achieve a silky-smooth texture, but a regular bender works fine as well.

This recipe yields one large or two small açaí berry smoothies and they are best when consumed immediately. Enjoy!

You might also like:

• Blueberry Banana Smoothie
• Best Green Smoothie Recipe
• Mango Lassi