Copycat Acai Playa Bowl

Love a sweet treat from Playa Bowls, but hate leaving the coziness of your house? This copycat Nutella Acai Bowl was made just for you. It’s identical to Playa Bowls's most popular flavor with sweetened blended frozen acai, fresh bananas, sliced strawberries, shredded coconut, blueberry flax granola, and a hearty drizzle of melted Nutella to top it all off. It’s the perfect pick for everything: a big, fiber-packed breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a fruity dessert. Sure, you might have to leave to go to the grocery store, but once you’ve got all the ingredients, you can make acai bowls all week long. Keep reading for tips on how to nail this dupe.

What exactly is acai and where can I find it?
Acai is a tropical fruit native to Central and South America, known for its antioxidant and immune-boosting properties. Because it’s so high in healthy fats, acai has a short shelf life (we’re talking 1 to 2 days max) and can spoil quickly when fresh. Unless you’re in the Amazon picking it yourself, you’ll have to find your acai in the freezer section at your local grocery store. It’s usually sold in portions that are just the right size for a smoothie or an acai bowl. To develop this recipe, I used Pitaya Foods brand unsweetened acai smoothie packs. Each pack is about 3.5 oz., so 2 packs will get you to 7 oz.

How about the blueberry flax granola?
To make this dupe the perfect balance of easy and economical, I opted for store-bought granola instead of making it from scratch. Playa Bowls sells the granola that they use on their bowls (Playanola), but if you’re nowhere near a Playa Bowls, Kind makes a vanilla blueberry flax granola that is damn near identical to what you’d find at Playa Bowls. If you’re in the market for a homemade granola recipe, let me know in the comments and we’ll whip one up for you.

Can I add other toppings?
I picked these toppings to replicate their most popular flavor, but as always, you’re in charge in your kitchen! Add what you love, take out what you don’t, and keep experimenting until you find your perfect combination.

Storage:
I recommended making this when you are ready to eat; otherwise, store the acai mix separate from the toppings. Pour any leftover acai mix into an empty ice cube tray and freeze. Blend until the texture is smooth, adding 1 Tbsp. water at a time if necessary, until the desired texture is reached. Just be sure to only add fresh toppings.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!