These acai berry bliss balls are a healthy and delicious energy snack that packs the goodness of superfood acai berries into a bite-sized treat.
To make acai bites, we'll use acai berry powder, a dark purple powder made from freeze-dried Brazilian acai berries which you can find online or in health food stores.
Using acai berry powder in bliss balls helps you get lots of health-boosting antioxidants while adding a unique berry-like, chocolatey flavour.
What makes these acai berry bites a perfect energy snack is the combination of dates, almond flour, and chia seeds. They deliver natural, energising sugars but also good fats, proteins, and fibres to fill you up and sustain your body.
So, whenever you need a little boost for the day ahead, have one or two of these healthy acai balls — a fruity and fudgy morsel that's wholesome too!
Why is acai good for you?
Rich in antioxidants, fibres, and healthy fats, acai berry powder is a low-sugar food supplement that’s incredibly good for you.
Acai powder boosts the antioxidant capacity of your body helping you fight disease-causing free radicals and keep a healthy heart and brain.
So, whether it’s in smoothies, breakfast bowls, or energy balls, having 1-3 teaspoons of acai every day makes an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
How do you eat acai?
You can usually find and eat acai in three forms: acai juice, frozen acai berry puree, or acai powder.
While frozen acai puree is the most flavourful, acai powder has the most nutrients, and it’s more versatile.
You can use acai berry powder to make berry bliss balls and lots of other recipes like acai yogurt oatmeal, acai smoothies and acai bowls — and even drinks, sorbets and bakes!
What is the serving size of acai berry powder?
Depending on the brand, the daily serving size of acai berry powder ranges from 1 to 5 teaspoons, which is equal to 3 g to 15 g per day.
For optimal nutrition and health benefits, we suggest having 1 tablespoon (9g) of acai berry powder per day.
One tablespoon serving of acai berry powder provides 60 calories, 3 grams of fibres, zero sugar, 1 gram of proteins and 5 grams of fats, plus 20% RDI of Vitamin A and traces of calcium, iron, and vitamin C.
How much acai powder per acai ball?
To make acai balls, use at least 1 teaspoon / 3 grams of acai berry powder per energy ball so you’ll get the minimum serving size of acai per day.
How do you use acai powder in energy balls?
When you make acai balls, it’s always best to blend acai powder with a moist or wet ingredient first — like dates or milk.
Because high-quality acai powder is made by a freeze-drying process, it’s a little gritty and lumpy, and it doesn’t dissolve fully.
Blending acai powder instead of just stirring it ensures it's evenly distributed into the energy balls dough.
How many acai bliss balls should you eat a day?
As one acai ball provides 118 calories, you can have 2 acai berry bites per day as a healthy snack, perfect for a boost of energy between meals or before a workout.
Are these acai balls healthy?
These acai bites are good for you thanks to the healthy balance of nutrients from ingredients like dates, almonds, and chia seeds.
They contain natural sugars, good fats, proteins and filling fibres, which, combined with the antioxidants from acai powder and blueberries, make these acai bliss balls a very healthy treat.
Does acai in bliss balls give you energy?
Acai berry bliss balls give you energy thanks to the synergy of all the healthy ingredients used in the balls rather than acai alone.
Acai contains good fats, fibres, and low amounts of sugar. But each acai ball only has 1 teaspoon of acai powder, which alone hasn’t more than 20 calories.
The main benefit of using acai powder in balls is to get a boost of healthful antioxidants more than a kick of energy.
Ingredients
| Pitted Dates | 80 g |
| Raisins | 40 g |
| Acai Berry Powder | 3 tbsp |
| Almond Flour (+ extra for coating) | 80 g |
| Frozen Blueberries | 50 g |
| Chia Seeds | 4 tsp |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 tsp |
Step 1
Add pitted dates and raisins to a bowl and cover with boiling water (1).
Leave to soak for 10 minutes, then drain.
To remove excess water, squeeze the soaked dates and raisins very hard using a sieve and the back of a spoon or with your hands (2).
Step 2
Transfer the dates and raisins to a blender and add the acai berry powder, almond flour, frozen blueberries, chia seeds, and vanilla (1).
Blitz all the ingredients into a compact dough, scraping the sides of the blender a few times in between pulses (2).
Transfer the acai balls mixture to a bowl and keep it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to harden so it'll be easier to shape into balls.
Step 3
Portion the acai blueberry dough into as many pieces as the number of servings — 8 for the default ingredients, each acai bite weighing about 35 grams.
Shape each piece into a bite-sized ball, rolling it and smoothing it between your palms (1).
The acai ball dough will be a little sticky: keep your hands clean and dry so it will be easier to roll.
Then, coat each acai ball with a little almond flour (2).
Step 4
Your healthy acai berry bliss balls are ready!
You can store these acai berry bites in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5 days or freeze them for 3 months.
Tips
Coating ideas
Besides almond flour, you can coat the acai energy balls with:
coconut flakes/desiccated coconut
cocoa powder or cacao nibs
grated dark/white chocolate as in these white chocolate vegan protein balls
melted dark chocolate, as in these vegan biscoff truffles
Ingredient Swaps
You can swap chia seeds with ground flaxseeds.
For a nut-free recipe, you can use coconut flour instead of almond flour. Alternatively, use ground oats/oat flour as in these turmeric balls.
Instead of raisins, you can use antioxidant-rich goji berries, as in this carrot cake energy balls recipe.