This Frozen Store-Bought Açaí Bowl Tastes Like A Bowl Of Dates
Almost exclusively produced in the Brazilian Amazon, açaí berries have captured the hearts and stomachs of fruit lovers around the globe. As a relatively new craze, we were only able to find a handful of frozen açaí bowls you can purchase from the frozen section of your local grocery store. But we tasted and ranked them all, finding that the worst frozen store-bought açaí bowl from Sweet Nothings tasted like a bowl of dates.
Our ranking was based on flavor, texture, and value, and Sweet Nothings was one of the most expensive products and the most disappointing. Upon opening the small 6-ounce tub, the deep purple puree looked smooth and promising. And while we appreciate that the berries were blended into a uniformly creamy texture, the flavor was completely off. Açaí's unique flavor, which tastes almost like dark chocolate covered wild berries, is the basis of its allure, and this bowl didn't taste like açaí at all. The berry pulp is sweet enough on its own, but is often blended with other fruits or sweeteners as part of an açaí bowl. In Sweet Nothings case, dates were blended with açaí to augment their sweetness. Unfortunately, they completely overwhelmed the açaí. So, we ended up paying top dollar for a bowl that tasted only of dates, despite the purple appearance of açaí. Plus, Sweet Nothings was the only brand that didn't provide toppings, and we were comparing frozen açaí bowls and not just frozen açaí puree.
Sweet Nothings Açaí Bowls leave a lot to be desired
We perused customer reviews from SocialNature, and found that customers agreed with our assessment of the flavor or lack thereof. Most negative reviews complained not only about not distinguishing the açaí flavor from a general sweetness, but they also said the texture was icy and "took a while to thaw enough to scoop with a spoon."
"When I was thinking of other açaí bowls I've had, this one leaves a lot to be desired. I wanted a product topped with fruit and granola and honey, and this just seemed to be a bowl of mush," one person complained. To that effect, one of our favorite acai bowls from Trader Joe's was a bona fide meal with fresh strawberries, blueberries, granola, and dried coconut.
Since you'll only find açaí in the frozen, not fresh, section of your grocery store, you might as well make your own delectable puree using other complementary frozen fruit like raspberries, blueberries, mango, and banana. Not only do you have more control over fruit and sweeteners, but making your own açaí bowl gives you free rein over toppings. Granola and fruit are par for the course, but chia seeds, hemp hearts, and nuts like the Brazilian native cashew. You could also bring out the chocolatey notes of açaí with dark chocolate chunks like our favorite frozen açaí bowl brand, Pitaya Foods.