I was at the supermarket recently when I stumbled upon frozen açai blocks. It has been forever since I last had açai, owing mainly to an ageing and inexpensive blender/food processor that won’t allow me to achieve a thick açai consistency with ease. Naturally, my mind went straight to making a Ninja Creami Açai bowl, so here we are!
Ninja Creami açai bowl recipe
This delicious Ninja Creami açai recipe is, of course, gluten free and vegan. There is no entry on Monash as to whether açai blocks are low FODMAP – only that açai powder is in 20g serves (FODMAP Everyday says it is FODMAP free). Either way, this makes for a delicious and easy breakfast if you know you tolerate açai well.
Frozen blocks of açai are blended with frozen blueberries, banana and a small amount of peanut butter. Water brings everything together into a smooth and creamy mixture that goes straight into the 470ml Ninja Creami tub. That’s it! All you need to do to start the day with a delicious thick and creamy açai bowl.
Ingredient notes
- I have only been able to find sweetened blocks of frozen açai in my area, unfortunately. If you can find the unsweetened variety, it should also work. However, you will need to add a little bit of sugar in some form. Sugar lowers the freezing point of ice cream which is critical to ensuring it blends into a smooth, creamy mixture. I would recommend 2-4 teaspoons of maple syrup according to your tastes.
- I have not tested açai powder in this recipe. It’s on the never ending list of things to test!
- I think banana is important here. In the absence of fat, it almost emulsifies the mixture and makes for a creamy, smooth end result. I suspect an açai Ninja Creami without banana would have an icy texture.
- Personally, I like frozen blueberries here because I feel they help create that classic açai bowl colour. I am sure other frozen berries would work, but you might end up with a different colour bowl.
Can I add protein powder to this recipe?
Yes, you can (with caveats). I tested an açai with 50g whey protein in place of 50g of the banana. I use Bare Blends WPI in vanilla flavour which only uses WPI, stevia and vanilla. It was delicious, but it did ultimately take a little of that açai flavour away.
More importantly, though, is the fact that whey protein froths up as it blends. This means you end up with too much volume for the 470ml Ninja Creami tub. It also seems to fluff up as it freezes, probably because of all the air in the mixture. This means that you can fill it to the fill line and still wake up with an açai that exceeds the fill line.
You could try blending the açai mixture and whisking the protein in. I don’t know if that would work perfectly, though. Another option would be to blend the mixture without the protein, then add the protein and briefly blend to combine.
Keep in mind that different brands of protein powder work differently. They are not a ‘one size fits all’ ingredient – a high protein content is often the only thing they have in common. If yours is very sweet or contains gums or other ingredients, it may work differently.
50g of protein works and creates a lovely chewy texture (WPI, anyway). However, you don’t need to add that much if you are intending to eat the whole tub yourself (guilty as charged).
More Ninja Creami recipes
- Ninja Creami frozen yogurt
- Ninja Creami high protein matcha and strawberry ice cream
- Ninja Creami coconut ice cream
- How to use a Ninja Creami
- Ninja Creami dairy free lemon curd ice cream
Ninja Creami açai bowl recipe
Equipment
- NC300 Ninja Creami machine with 470ml size tubs
Ingredients
- 200 g frozen acai blocks (see notes)
- 100 g banana, just ripe
- 100 g frozen blueberries
- 2-4 teaspoons maple syrup or liquid sugar of choice, to taste (see notes)
- 25 g natural smooth peanut butter
- 100 g water
Instructions
- Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and vibrant purple.
- Pour the mixture into the 470ml Ninja Creami tub. It should come up to just under the fill line.
- Freeze with the lid off for 16-24 hours. Freezing with the lid off can help prevent a hump in the centre of the frozen mixture, which can damage your machine.
- When you're ready to eat it, process the mixture using the light ice cream function. It will probably be powdery on the first spin, so spin it again using the re-spin or light ice cream functions.
- The result should be a thick and creamy açai. You can serve it straight from the tub or divide into two bowls and top with açai toppings of your choosing.
- If you have leftovers, return them to the fridge with the lid on.
Notes
- I have only tested sweetened açai blocks because I initially didn’t realise that they were sweetened and then I realised that sweetened was all that was available at my local supermarkets. You should be able to find unsweetened açai blocks in some Australian supermarkets or speciality stores.
- If you are using unsweetened açai, I recommend using 2-4 teaspoons of maple syrup to compensate. Sugar lowers the freezing temperature of ice cream which enables it to be processed and blended into a creamy and rich end result. Acai is also not a sweet ingredient per se, so adding a bit of sugar helps with both taste and texture.
- See notes in the body of the post for tips and suggestions.
- You can top your açai bowl (if you are making one) with whatever you like. I used fresh raspberries, banana, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds.
No Comments