Autumn Acai Bowls with Vanilla Bean Cashew Butter.
This one time… I wanted to faceplant into breakfast.
You might remember waaay back when, like um, earlier this year? I was a little crazy over making my own acai bowls. As a total hypocrite I must add – not that I’d ever eaten one from a café or anything – I just started making my own. So I posted a few on instagram and threw them into my monthly favorites but never did a recipe or anything. It started at the beginning of the year and continued up until I oddly decided I didn’t want to eat anything in the universe for an extended period of time – otherwise known in this body as being pregnant – and they never really grew on me again… until now.
At the time, I didn’t do the recipe because I didn’t really feel like it was even recipe worthy. I simply bought these acai puree packs at whole foods, blended the heck out of them (sometimes mixing with frozen coconut meat I can also find at whole foods… yes) and then topping them with berries and granola and crunchy things and bananas and chocolate chips, of course. Because what doesn’t need a few chocolate chips?
That’s the easiest base of the recipe. You can even find them on amazon in bulk and they have sweetened and unsweetened versions. The above is sweetened with evaporated cane juice and I’m a little in love. But the unsweetened is good too – I just may add a bit more fruit. Easiest thing ever.
Then I wanted nothing of extreme temperatures, certainly nothing smoothie-like or cool. Even when I’d see instagrammed photos of acai bowls (because hello – where else are you going to see them? Definitely not here in Pittsburgh.) they would look totally delicious but I couldn’t throw myself back in the game.
About a month ago I really started wanting these for breakfast again – or not even breakfast – more like second breakfast. You know, the most important breakfast. The one that really counts. First breakfast is whatever I can get my hands on quickly because I wake up ravenous these days. It can be cereal or a granola bar or even avocado toast because that takes seconds to prep. But SECOND breakfast gets more thought and therefor a tad more TLC since I don’t want to eat my arm off in the process. Well, at least not most times.
I started craving the tart and thick acai puree, which I sometimes blend with coconut milk and even an occasionally frozen banana – and especially was wanting all of the textured stuff on top.
I mean, if you know me, it’s allll about texture. And that’s what this mess is all about.
Deciding to throw every autumn-like ingredient I had on hand on top of the acai puree was easy enough – I had almost-perfect figs that were ready to eat, pomegranate seeds in the new fall season, toasted coconut because it’s clearly a staple in my life and toasted sliced almonds because, well… toasted sliced almonds.
Crunch crunch.
And! I find that bananas are key in a bowl like this because they add the necessary creaminess that all the tart acai and pomegranate bring.
That’s where the cashew butter comes in too. I often see acai bowls done with peanut butter or almond butter but I wanted to switch it up if only because I find cashew butter to be so decadent and rich and then adding vanilla beans… it just couldn’t get any better. UGH. It is the PERFECT topping for this bowl. I actually refused to use it on anything else just so I could save it for one of these every day of the week.
So even though the weather is getting slightly chilly and most people are taking to hot breakfasts and and warm oats and doing away with iced coffee, I’m still basking in a few more days of this frozen breakfast while I can. And iced coffee. Ummm and ice cream?
I have a problem.
Autumn Acai Bowls with Vanilla Bean Cashew Butter
Ingredients
- 14 ounces frozen acai puree
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 1 cup sliced figs
- 1/2 cup flaked + unsweetened toasted coconut
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds
vanilla bean cashew butter
- 10 ounces raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a blender, puree the frozen acai puree with the coconut milk and vanilla extract. If your puree defrosted a bit, you can add in an ice cube or two. Puree until smooth and thick and creamy. Serve immediately in two bowls, then cover with sliced bananas, figs, coconut, pom arils and almonds. Drizzle generously with cashew butter!
vanilla bean cashew butter
- Add cashews to a high powered food processor and blend until smooth, about 6-8 minutes. Periodically scrape down the sides if needed. Once smooth and buttery, add in the coconut oil and vanilla bean paste, blending and scraping again until totally smooth. Add in salt and blend again, tasting to see if it needs more.
- Store in a sealed container, preferably in the fridge. I go by the rule though… if I am going to eat it within 3-4 days, I do not refrigerate!
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88 Comments on “Autumn Acai Bowls with Vanilla Bean Cashew Butter.”
Vanilla bean cashew butter? Oh yes please. Definitely going to try that!
What I love most here……the vanilla bean addition! Vanilla bean anything makes me weak in the knees. Not to mention that trio of toasted almonds, toasted coconut and pomegranate arils. Love love love this! I usually just throw the arils into a nice little salad or just eat them. But this is magnificent. What a breakfast o champions. Truly, I could eat a horse when I wake up I’m no hungry!
This is STUNNING! Such a beautiful breakfast.
These are gorgeous! I’ve never had an acai bowl before but now I want to try one! Half of the reason I get out of bed in the morning is to go eat breakfast. I’m always ravenous too!
I want these for first and second breakfast immediately!! Holy yum!
I just died at Vanilla Bean Cashew Butter. OMG what if I mixed that with overnight oats and then some extra crunchy cashews on top??!!???
I love the photos here. They’re so pretty. And LOVE the cashew butter!!
I want to face plant into these photos! I LOVE Sambazon!
Is it wrong that I want to add some sugar to that cashew butter to take it over the top? Yummeh.
First of all – gorgeous!! I’ve never even heard of an acai bowl … it’s like I live under a rock or something. I got to make this, the colour – chashew butter and obviously I’ll be adding chocolate chips
Never even thought about making these Acai bowls but man, I need to get in on this action! yummm!!
Love the photo that the ingredients are all lined up! Beautiful foods all of my favorites! It just is too creamy and pureed for breakfast for me, i’m a muffin girl with my tea,always and will always be.
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These pictures!!!! I can’t get enough. So gorgeous.
I don’t even know how to commennt I’m in love x
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Looks incredible, but you already had me at the vanilla bean cashew butter :)
I LOVE cashew butter so this is just the kick in the pants I need to make my own (because I have a lot of cashews that need some love)!
Yeah, I still want summer flavors. It’s a problem. But a good problem to have, nonetheless!
Just come on over here to LA, where “fall” means temps in the high eighties and low nineties. You and your acai bowls are welcome. :)
Oh, and LOVE the cashew butter idea. Honestly, peanut butter in acai bowls has never made much sense to me (not that peanut butter ever needs to make sense) but cashew butter sounds like the perfect addition!!
They look beautiful. I’ve seen them popping up on IG and wanted to try one but never got around to it.
I’m totally intrigued!! Never had acai purée before…it seems like yogurt? Is that close? Either way, the combination of everything sounds amazing! It speaks to me, Jess!
Jessica it’s shameful but I am confessing that I have never eaten an acai bowl!! I have seen them everywhere on this crazy internet but never tried it! I don’t know, I kind of feel scared to put this gooey mess inside my mouth! I know I sound crazy but this looks really delish and I am sure going to gather all my guts to give this a try!
I’ve never had an acai bowl, per se, but I HAVE used those exact smoothie packets for smoothies, and they are fab! Clearly I need to up my game and transform it into a bowl!
These look amazing and beautiful, and you’re right, I DO want to dive in.
The pictures are gorgeous! I’d love to try acai bowl sometimes
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It’s 90F in San Diego still so chilled breakfasts work. But mostly, I just want that with vanilla bean cashew butter!! Pinned!!
delicious! its so much harder to get acai bowls in the UK so i am so glad when I come back to California!!
Umm holy cow…face planting right behind you. This is a bowl of perfection…and that butter!!
That bowl might be the most beautiful thing I see all week.
Wow, that is one amazing acai bowl! I think I might have to try a smoothie in a bowl now…especially with all those figs and the cashew cream, mmmm :)
This looks so delicious! Definitely trying this out!
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Im diving in right behind ya! That vanilla bean cashew butter…omg.
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Intrigued by the acai smoothie packs, thanks! I am sure you know this already, but if you soak the cashews in water the night before and then drain and blend it then not only makes the cashews easier to blend, but also easier to digest and absorb the nutrients. Be well!
Do they make available without guarana? Newly pregnant here!
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Is your coconut milk out of a can, or the new Silk Coconut milk in the 1/2 gal carton.
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Holy Bleep. I want to eat every word of this.
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These pictures are SO BEAUTIFUL I can’t even deal. All of the gorgeous colors! Plus I LOVE acai bowls at this one cafe by me and have never made one at home… MUST TRY THIS!
I live by acai bowls. Its so satisfying and most importantly, delicious!! And now, I need a few lashings of vanilla bean cashew butter because that looks insanely good!
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