Whether it’s homemade bread, the Gigi Hadid vodka pasta or the TikTok tortilla wrap hack, many of us have quarantine recipes that have become permanent parts of our lives. Mine came on one fateful night late last spring. I had stayed up five hours to get through a nine-page reading, finding myself constantly diverted by all the different tabs to explore: reviews for season three of Ozark, the University of Maryland schedule of classes, the first half of the fourth season finale of Lost even though I hadn’t watched the show in years. And then, finally, inspired by my longing for the Playa Bowls on Route 1 in College Park (which had literally become forbidden fruit in the first few weeks of lockdown), a simple Google search: “homemade acai bowls.” 

Since then, I’ve found myself making acai bowls of all shapes and sizes all the time. Rain or shine, on hot summer days or in the dead of winter, at 11 a.m. or 11 p.m. And after endless trial and error, I’ve arrived at a refreshingly simple — and nutritious, depending on how heavy-handed you are with the Nutella — recipe I couldn’t endorse more. Here’s what you’ll need for one serving:

Equipment:

  • A blender. I use a Vitamix, which works well with the frozen objects, but you can use any kind if you’re persistent enough.
  • These Coconut Bowls, $14 for a set of 2. This might seem a little extravagant when you have no shortage of normal, free bowls, but when you make these as often as I do, you see a ROI pretty quickly.

The base:

  • 1 pouch of Sambazon Original Blend Frozen Açaí Packets. A note to any Sambazon reps reading this: Please feel more than free to contact me discussing a sponsorship, I could bring a lot to the table. 
  • 1 frozen banana. You don’t need to freeze all your fruits, but if you want the creamy texture the 5-year-old inside of you will recognize as ice cream, you’ll want to freeze your bananas. P.S.: Peel your bananas before freezing or you will be sorry!
  • ½ frozen strawberries or blueberries. Or both! I’m not puritanical about my measurements, do what your heart is telling you. 
  • ¼ cup of liquid. I usually use milk, but anything is fair game.

The toppings

  • 4 strawberries, halved and quartered
  • ½ banana sliced 
  • ⅓ cup blueberries 
  • ⅓ cup granola 
  • 1 ½ tablespoons of Nutella (or honey or peanut butter if you have an objection to hazelnut chocolatey goodness) 

The instructions are intuitive: freeze your fruit for at least a few hours beforehand, let it thaw for a few minutes before blending (this might take some time depending on how frozen the ingredients are), pour into your bowl and top with abandon. 

Let your acai bowl be your canvas.