Acai berries have a wonderful bittersweet flavor that pairs well with countless other ingredients. If you’re a fan of them and are looking for similar flavors, you’ve come to the right place! Below are 6 other fruits like acai that you’re sure to love.
1. Blackberries
Blackberries and acai berries don’t just share a flavor profile—they’re rich in antioxidants. In particular, they’re packed with cyanidin and delphinidin anthocyanins. Try saying that mouthful three times fast!
These components help to keep your immune system healthy while slowing the aging process and reducing inflammation. If there’s a tastier way to improve your health, we have yet to discover it. Try using blackberries instead of acai in your next power juice, or add a handful to your morning granola.
Best of all, you may discover that blackberries grow wild all over North America. Go hiking or trail running through the woods in mid to late August and see if you can find blackberry bushes to pilfer.
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2. Black Raspberries
Although black raspberries might look like standard blackberries, they really are quite different. These fruits have a flavor that’s a cross between raspberry and acai. Black raspberries are slightly more tart than pink or red raspberries, with a gorgeous aftertaste.
Use these in your favorite desserts, or mixed into a vegan coconut yogurt parfait. Alternatively, you can transform them into jam to spread on toast, or to add into homemade truffles and energy bites.
3. Pomegranates
Pomegranates have a very similar flavor to acai. Their flesh (and juice) are slightly more on the bitter side, but have a similar musky flavor that’s almost interchangeable.
Use pomegranate juice in lieu of acai in smoothies and smoothie bowls. Alternatively, you can use these fruits interchangeably to make a variety of Persian and Moroccan dishes.
Note: Although fresh pomegranates are only available in North America between November and February, you can find pomegranate juice in pretty much any supermarket. Check the chilled drink section for freshly squeezed pom juice, or in glass bottles in the specialty drinks section.
4. Blueberries
Blueberries and acai berries share a similar shape and color, and their flavor is quite similar too. Of course, some blueberries are hella sweeter than acai will ever be. That said, wild blueberries taste more like acai, and can be used interchangeably in just about everything.
Try combining frozen wild blueberries with pomegranate juice for an out-of-this-world smoothie bowl. Alternatively, get some dried blueberries and add them into trail mix, granola, or your favorite muffin recipe.
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5. Purple Grapes
Tiny purple concord grapes look almost exactly like acai berries. They have a similar deep violet hue, and a flavor that’s both sweet and jaw-achingly tart.
Although the berries mentioned earlier on this list taste a bit more like acai, you’d be amazed at how purple grapes can share acai’s flavor profile when used the right way. Try juicing them to use in smoothies, or freeze that juice into an antioxidant-rich granita dessert.
6. Chocolate
Okay, so this one might be a stretch but hear us out. Since chocolate is created from the seed pods of cacao tree fruit, it can technically be referred to as a fruit. Right? Excellent, good talk.
Acai’s flavor is often compared to dark chocolate. This note apparently comes out after you’ve chewed the berries for a few seconds. Additionally, if you’ve ever had chocolate-covered acai berries you’ve probably experienced a bliss hitherto unknown except to certain celestial beings.
Best of all, dark chocolate is also full of those glorious antioxidants we mentioned earlier. Could eating healthy be any more awesome? If anyone asks you why you’re eating dark chocolate on a regular basis, you can let them know that it’s for health reasons.
Which of these fruits like acai have you already tried? If you haven’t done a taste test yet to determine which are the most similar to you, consider having a tasting party to try them out.
Use them along with acai interchangeably in a variety of dishes and see if you can pick out the flavor notes. Then you can incorporate them into your cooking and baking in creative ways from now on!
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
