These creamy No-Bake Acai Maqui Berry Bars are full of antioxidants from acai + maqui berry powder – it’s a punch of superfood power packed into a healthy and delicious dessert bar! These gluten-free, paleo and vegan bars are so refreshing – no baking necessary. This post is sponsored by Sunfood.
Raise your hand if you’ve had acai in something other than a smoothie bowl? … I’m guessing not many hands are raised. It’s sad that acai has been relegated to our breakfast bowls and rarely brought to dessert because we can’t get the fresh berries themselves here in the US.
Thankfully, we do have a way to get acai berries in powder form! That makes it super easy to add to all sorts of desserts…like these Acai Maqui Berry Bars. They are creamy, tart, and absolutely delicious.
You might be wondering what maqui berries are though! These superfood berries are native to Chile and are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, like calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, B1 & B3. The maqui berry powder is also super flavorful and delicious.
To get all this goodness in these bars, I used Sunfood’s Acai Maqui Berry Bowl Mix! It has acai and maqui berries, along with some blueberry powder, chia powder, banana powder, lucuma powder, and red maca powder. All organic, because Sunfood products are always organic and non-GMO. 👏👏👏
All the extra superfood ingredients in the mix add even more nutrients to these bars, but if you have pure acai and/or maqui berry powder at home, you can use either of those too.
The acai maqui berry mix is paired with lemon juice for extra tartness, and it’s blended up with coconut cream, soaked cashews, maple syrup, and coconut oil. The creamy filling is on top of a simple coconut & date crust.
The result is this stunningly purpled-colored, super creamy Acai Maqui Berry Bar. They have a tangy berry flavor that pairs perfectly with the coconutty crust, and looks stunning on its own or garnished with some fresh blueberries.
I like ’em frozen for a super refreshing treat, especially in this San Diego summer heat…but they can also be kept in the fridge if you like them a little softer. Either way, they’re DELISH. Enjoy, my lovelies!
Creamy No-Bake Acai Maqui Berry Bars
These Creamy No-Bake Acai Maqui Berry Bars are full of antioxidants from acai + maqui berry powder - it's a punch of superfood power packed into a healthy and delicious dessert bar! These gluten-free, paleo and vegan bars are so refreshing - no baking necessary. Course Dessert Cuisine American Keyword acai, bars, maqui Prep Time 20 minutes Chilling Time 3 hours Servings 16 bars Author RachelIngredients
For the crust
- ¾ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 4 pitted Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the cheesecake
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked in cold filtered water for at least four hours or preferably overnight (see Notes)
- ½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled (use refined coconut oil if you want no coconut flavor)
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup acai maqui berry mix
- To garnish: Fresh and/or freeze-dried blueberries
Instructions
- Line an 8x8” pan with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Add the coconut, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small bits remaining. Don’t over process, or it’ll turn into nut butter! Press the date dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In the same food processor or high-powered blender (no need to wash between - I used my Vitamix, but most powerful blenders should do the job), combine all of the filling ingredients and blend for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels, if desired.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pan over the crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Place on a flat surface in the freezer to firm up for at least 3 hours before cutting. I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the bars with the still-hot (dried) knife. Let them thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
You can also pour boiling/very hot water over the cashews and let them sit for about an hour if you want to speed up the process - it won't be quite as creamy as soaking for longer, but it will do the trick!
