Sweet Spice Smoothie Recipes from Rachael Hartley

Smoothies are a fun way to incorporate the unique health benefits and delicious flavors of spices into your diet. Below are ideas for spices and fruit pairings to incorporate into smoothie recipes, and other common smoothie ingredients the spices pair well with:  

• Cardamom – acai, peaches, apples, mango, chocolate, coconut, almond, vanilla 
• Cayenne – mango, pineapple, lemon 
• Cinnamon – açaí, banana, apples, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, fig, pineapple, orange, almond, chocolate, coffee, peanut 
• Clove – apple, orange, peach, coffee, vanilla  
• Ginger – açaí, blueberries, pineapple, orange, lemon, mango, peach, plum, chocolate, mint 
• Nutmeg – banana, peach, apples, pumpkin, chocolate 
• Turmeric – acai, mango, pineapple, citrus 

The first recipe, a blueberry coconut ginger açaí smoothie, uses powered ginger. Gingerol is the main compound in ginger, responsible for most of its medicinal properties. One of the best-known benefits of ginger is for digestion, especially in treating nausea. This ginger smoothie is a great breakfast idea for people who struggle with their appetite in the morning, or for pregnant people experiencing morning sickness.  

The second recipe features cinnamon, a spice made from the bark of a type of evergreen tree. The compound cinnamaldehyde gives cinnamon its distinct flavor and smell and is responsible for its health benefits. Research on cinnamon has pointed to a potential role in the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.  

Blueberry Coconut Ginger Açaí Smoothie  

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Ready In: 15 minutes | Yield: 1 smoothie  

For a vegan version of this smoothie, use vanilla or unflavored coconut milk yogurt. It’s a bit thinner than Greek yogurt, so you might want to add a few ice cubes to thicken this smoothie up. The shredded coconut adds rich coconut flavor to the smoothie, and filling fats, but you could also use canned low fat or full fat coconut milk instead.  

Ingredients: 

• 1 SAMBAZON Original Blend Açaí Superfruit Pack 
• 1 cup frozen blueberries 
• 1/4  cup coconut flavored Greek yogurt  
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 
• ½ teaspoon ginger 
• ½ cup coconut milk beverage 
• Optional garnish: ginger, shredded coconut  

Instructions: 

1. Let SAMBAZON Açaí Superfruit pack sit at room temperature while preparing the other ingredients.  
2. Combine blueberries, yogurt, coconut, and ginger in your blender.  
3. Open acai packet and break into the blender.  
4. Pour in coconut beverage and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve garnished with ginger and shredded coconut, if desired.  

Chocolate Cinnamon Açaí Smoothie  

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Ready In: 15 minutes | Yield: 1 smoothie 

This chocolate cinnamon acai smoothie is rich and chocolatey – almost like a milkshake! For a more tart version, I like to use frozen tart cherries instead of frozen strawberries. If you don’t drink dairy milk, try oat milk with this recipe, which will keep the rich, creamy flavor and texture in a dairy free beverage.    

Sources: 

Anh et al. (2020). Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients, 12(1), 157. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010157 

Qin, B., Panickar, K. S., & Anderson, R. A. (2010). Cinnamon: potential role in the prevention of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Journal of diabetes science and technology, 4(3), 685–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/193229681000400324