Ranking the Top 5 Store-Bought Açaí Bowls from Worst to Best

One of my favorite parts of summer is having a refreshing, fruity açaí bowl. I love how customizable they are, from the fruits or proteins you can add to the base to the dozens of toppings you could load it up with. I’ve seen everything from granola to coconut flakes to chocolate chips, peanut butter,  blueberries,  blackberries, flax seeds, and even bee pollen (yes, really).

Açaí bowls are delicious, and if you have not had the chance to try one yet, I think you are in for a total treat (even Anthony Bourdain liked them). Luckily, they’ve become so popular that you can now get them from the frozen aisle in many grocery stores (though you can also make them at home). There aren’t a ton of offerings out there yet, but for what’s currently on shelves, I set out to try all of them and uncover which frozen açaí bowl had the best flavor, texture, and value. 

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I had high hopes for all of these açaí bowls, and I was eager to find one I loved that could be brought into the fold of my at-home breakfast options. It’s so cool how a fruit all the way from the Amazon can be enjoyed in the home of a girl in New Jersey (which is also why you’ll never see it fresh at the grocery store, only frozen). Sweet Nothings, sadly, had nothing I loved about it. First of all, it was pretty small at 6 ounces, though most of the bowls were around the same size. As someone who doesn’t love chunks in her smoothies or smoothie bowls, I thought I was going to love this one because of how well it was blended. And don’t get me wrong, I did appreciate that there were no chunks in it. Sadly, that was the only thing I appreciated about it.

This bowl just tasted like dates. It makes sense, since they are on the ingredient list, but it really tasted like I was just eating a bowl of cold, blended dates. And even so, it wasn’t that sweet (for reference, açaí bowls are typically fairly sweet, since açaí is a sweet fruit). I also had to deduct points for this one because it didn’t come with any toppings at all. And at almost $5 at Sprouts, it was more expensive than most of the other bowls — most of which did come with toppings. Sweet Nothings just didn’t measure up in a lot of ways.

As one of the most notable names in the açaí bowl game, you’re probably surprised to see Sambazon this low in the ranking. Well, that’s because from here on out, ranking the bowls proved pretty difficult, as they were all pretty tasty. Sambazon was no different. I actually remember there being a Sambazon açaí machine at my college that functioned like a soft-serve ice cream machine, and I would go fetch myself açaí bowls all the time. So let’s start off by saying that I love (and have always loved) Sambazon’s açaí base. It’s sweet but not too sweet, very smooth, and exactly what you think of when you think of an açaí smoothie bowl.

But this ranking isn’t purely about the base: It’s about all of the factors. And, unfortunately, the rest of the factors in Sambazon’s frozen iteration of its bowl didn’t measure up. First, the bowl itself is incredibly flimsy. I appreciate that it’s made out of recycled materials and seems to be a more eco-conscious choice, but it was literally cardboard. Imagine trying to eat a refreshing smoothie out of cardboard. Not the greatest experience, right? I do have to give it points for packaging the toppings separately from the base, unlike some of the other brands, especially since this was the only bowl whose topping contained cashews (though most of the others did contain coconut, which some people are allergic to). The topping only contained granola and no fruit, so I had to dock it there, as well, especially since many of the other brands did include fruit on their bowls, making them more of a substantial meal.

Dole isn’t just about fruit cups and that sweet, sweet Dole Whip that makes me think of Walt Disney World. The brand has also entered the açaí bowl game, and I was curious to see if its formula emulated Dole Whip at all. Well, I suppose the brand did learn something from its other endeavors, because I really enjoyed the base of this bowl. The açaí was solid. I didn’t like it as much as the other bases ranked higher (or even Sambazon), but it was still very passable as an açaí base.

I appreciated that this bowl ramped up the toppings game with very tasty granola and some strawberries and blueberries. I also really liked the size of the cup; it was the perfect size to enjoy on the go. The granola was packaged separately, though the fruit was not. Though, I will say that there is not a ton of fruit on this bowl, so if you didn’t want it, it would be pretty easy to eat around or scrape off. Overall, this was a very good showing for a frozen açaí bowl that I would recommend. And it was only $4 at my local Wegmans. 

It’s always interesting to compare Trader Joe’s original products to other brands, as I feel like TJ’s is always in its own lane. I think this was especially true when it came to its frozen açaí bowl. This Trader Joe’s bowl was quite unlike any of the other offerings on this list. To some, that’s a win, and to others, that may be a drawback. To me, that just means this bowl is going for a different thing from the other brands. First of all, this is not a grab-and-go situation like all of the others. This bowl was much larger than its competitors at 10 ounces, and it was in a huge black container to boot.

This is also not an on-the-go bowl because there are so many toppings. Like, take the amount of toppings you’re imagining right now and triple it. This bowl was like 75% fruit. But, I actually see that as a pro, because this bowl isn’t trying to be some cutesy afternoon snack: It wants to be your breakfast. And it totally could be. Aside from the many strawberries, blueberries, and bananas topping the bowl, it also came with (separately packaged) granola that really rounded out the satiating breakfast experience. Have I mentioned that the taste of the actual açaí was amazing yet? Because it was. I enjoyed everything about this bowl, especially that it was gluten-free, $4, and vegan.

As much as I loved the Trader Joe’s açaí bowl, it still couldn’t live up to my love of Pitaya Foods’ Swirl frozen açaí bowl. While more of a treat than a breakfast, I think açaí bowls can be eaten at any time of day for any purpose. This bowl knocked my socks off and made me rethink what a frozen açaí bowl should be. The base was not only made from açaí but also strawberry, giving it a more interesting flavor profile right off the bat. And the coolest part of this bowl is that the two bases were swirled together with some mix-ins, like dragon fruit and chocolate (yes, I know, yum), to create a really pretty effect.

Even though there were mix-ins, the base itself was so smooth to eat. I am thoroughly impressed with this bowl and its creativity — so much so that it had to take the No. 1 spot. I’ll be waiting for the rest of the frozen açaí bowl game to catch up with Pitaya Foods’ ingenuity with flavors, combinations, and what an açaí bowl should look like.

Though the current offerings of frozen açaí bowls are fairly limited, I still needed ranking criteria in order to place them from worst to best. I looked at as many factors as I could, including price, ounces, açaí base flavor and texture, granola taste and texture (if present), whether the bowl included fruit or other additions, and the physical bowl itself.

I found that most frozen açaí bowls on the market right now are trying to recreate a classic version of the bowl, but there are some brands that are expanding beyond the typical flavors and toppings. I tried every bowl with an open mind, especially since I had never tasted a frozen açaí bowl from the grocery store before, so they were all new to me.