This recipe was inspired by a recent visit, a couple of years back, to one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, Swami’s Cafe. (By the way, this place has a great menu selection for breakfast or lunch, and I highly recommend them. Go check them out!)
They had an acai pancake on the menu, that instantly caught my attention. I am absolutely hooked on acai, and I have that stuff almost on a daily basis.
When I saw this, I was like, “Wow, never seen this combination before…Never even thought this was a thing, or even possible??!”
Now, I’ve had acai in a bowl.
Acai in a smoothie.
Acai as a sorbet.
But never, in a pancake.
The mere thought of that just blew my mind! I was like, “WOW! You could do that?! Who knew?!”
Well, I ordered it, and it was delicious!
It was a unique combination that I never really saw anywhere else, and it has been etched into my memory ever since.
So…after a few tweaks, a couple of my favorite additions, and some nice peanut butter drizzle to top it all off, I pay homage to that wonderful creation I had back at Swami’s…
….Enter, my Acai Blueberry Protein Waffles!!
That’s right…. Acai cooked right into a waffle!
These protein waffles will be your new favorite breakfast, post workout meal, afternoon snack, heck, “whenever you feel like it” meal! And you won’t ever feel guilty about it!
Satisfy your sweet tooth, fill up on antioxidants, and build muscle all at the same time!!
I thoroughly enjoyed making these and because these are oh, soooo good, I plan to continue making them for the time being, maybe as a daily “cheat” meal, hehe…
Here’s some quick info on the acai berry: The acai berry is found deep in the Amazon rainforests, and for hundreds of years, indigenous tribes used the acai berry for its medicinal properties. It was not until the early 2000s that acai was first introduced to the U.S.
Acai is never sold fresh with other berries at the local grocery store because once it is picked from the tree, it loses its ripeness, and its nutritional value degrades very quickly. Its best preservation method is to be flash frozen once it is picked, at the peak of ripeness, to maintain its freshness.
Acai in frozen pouch form is THE best way to enjoy its nutritional benefits and flavors.
For the waffle batter, I used a combination of almond flour and whey protein powder as its base. Almond flour is my go-to flour of choice, whether I’m making waffles, pancakes, cookies, etc. It’s just a more delicious, lower carb, high protein, high fiber, and more nutritious option than other general flours you’ll find at the market.
Almond flour has about 7g protein per 1/4 cup, and when you add the 1.5 scoops of whey protein, and the eggs into the batter mix, these waffles are even more fully-loaded with protein!
And with the acai puree, fresh blueberries, dark chocolate chips, cinnamon, amaretto thrown into the mix—-these waffles are exploding with flavors and nutrition!
Just check out this awesome deliciousness…
Topped with fresh blueberries, sliced bananas, cinnamon, melted peanut butter drizzle…
Behold….The ULTIMATE protein waffle!!
Never eat another plain, boring, waffle ever again!
OK, here are the nutritional benefits of the main ingredients in these Acai Blueberry Protein Waffles:
Acai berries are highly touted as being one of the earth’s healthiest, most nutritious foods because of its high levels of antioxidants. These antioxidants, like anthocyanins, are believed to help combat inflammation, fight free radical damage, repair damaged skin cells, and may help boost cognitive functions of the brain.
Blueberries are another “superfood” that is also loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. Studies have shown that nutrients in blueberries may help fight cancer,help fight inflammation, help support brain function, and its high fiber content aids with digestion. Blueberries are also a great source of vitamin K, which has been shown to help with the formation of blood clots if the body were to get injured.
Almonds, which are basically ground up to create almond flour, are a great source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, riboflavin, calcium. A one ounce serving of almonds contain about 35% RDA of vitamin E—a great source! Studies have shown vitamin E may help slow the signs of aging within the skin, and in our cells.
Cinnamon is considered the most antioxidant-rich spice in the world. These antioxidants are believed to fight off disease, slow the aging process, protect DNA cells from damage, and may help fight cancer. Flavonoids in cinnamon have been shown to help fight and relieve inflammation.
Ok, here’s what you’ll need:
If you like these then you gotta try my…
- Blackberry Amaretto Protein Waffles
- Dark Chocolate Chip Blueberry Protein Pancakes
- Ultimate Acai Blueberry Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie
Some quick notes:
-I highly recommend using only acai in frozen pouch form for these waffles, and NOT acai powder, or acai juices. Using frozen acai, once thawed out, you get the fruit in its rawest, purest form, and you get its full flavor.
Acai powder is not acai in its natural form, as it is freeze-dried and loses some of its nutrients. While most acai juices on the market have too much added sugars.
Pure acai should average (per 100g) about 6g carbs, 3g fiber, ZERO grams of sugar!!
So, only use FROZEN, and just thaw it out!
-Try adding a second pouch of acai to double up the flavor and nutrition! Just add a bit more flour or protein powder to thicken up the batter a bit to your liking.
Alright then, let’s get to it!!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 12-15 minutes |
| Servings |
waffles
|
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 banana
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 pouch frozen acai
Ingredients
Waffle batter:
toppings
|
|
- Preheat waffle maker/iron.
- In large mixing bowl, mash banana with fork into a puree. Add whole egg, egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract, almond milk. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- In separate bowl, add flour, protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
- Gradually pour dry ingredient bowl contents into large wet ingredient bowl while mixing. Mix until batter forms. Add blueberries, chocolate chips.
- Thaw frozen acai packet under running warm water for about 20-30 seconds. Break apart into small pieces and add to batter. Mix thoroughly.
- Measure about 1/2 cup of batter and pour into waffle maker. Let cook for about 4-5 minutes, or as specified by your waffle maker. Repeat process until all batter is done.
- **(Optional) For blueberry compote: set a sauce pan to low/med heat. Add 1 cup blueberries, 2 tbsp water. Let boil, stir occasionally for about 6-8 minutes.
- Add toppings to waffles. Enjoy!
-For more acai flavor and nutrition, I like to throw in another acai pouch into the batter. Just be sure to add a bit more almond flour or protein powder to balance out the thickness of the batter to your liking.
-Blueberry compote is totally optional, but encouraged!
-Try using frozen blueberries for topping too!
