Pumpkin Pie Smoothie With 18 Grams of Protein
Jenifer Lori is a former personal chef turned recipe creator. She takes a fresh approach to food where the cooking is easy, the ingredients are clean, and the kitchen turns into your favorite place to be.
- Smoothie
Canned pumpkin and Greek yogurt blended thick, with 18 grams of protein and about six minutes start to finish.
Why This Works
The Greek yogurt is the star ingredient here, pushing the protein content up and making the whole thing extra thick and creamy. Full-fat yogurt brings about half the protein on its own, and the almond butter and ground flax carry the rest along with the fat that keeps a sweet drink from spiking and dropping an hour later. The frozen banana is doing structural work too, chilling and thickening at the same time, which is something ice cannot manage without watering everything down as it melts. Pumpkin puree is mostly water and fiber, so it adds body along with beta-carotene and vitamin A for very few calories. At 550 calories this is a meal-sized smoothie rather than a between-meals one, which is worth knowing when you plan the rest of the day around it.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 550 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 18g |
| Carbs | 60g |
| Fat | 30g |
Ingredients
For the Smoothie:
| Unsweetened coconut milk | ½ cup (120g) |
|---|---|
| Full-fat Greek yogurt | ½ cup (114g) |
| Pure pumpkin puree | ½ cup (120g) |
| Frozen banana | 1 |
| Almond butter | 1 tbsp (16g) |
| Ground flax seeds (optional) | 1 tbsp |
| Maple syrup | 1 tbsp (21g) |
| Pumpkin pie spice | ½ tsp |
| Fine sea salt | Pinch |
| Chopped pecans, for garnish (optional) | 1 tbsp |
For the Smoothie:
| Unsweetened coconut milk | ½ cup (120g) |
|---|---|
| Full-fat Greek yogurt | ½ cup (114g) |
| Pure pumpkin puree | ½ cup (120g) |
| Frozen banana | 1 |
| Almond butter | 1 tbsp (16g) |
| Ground flax seeds (optional) | 1 tbsp |
| Maple syrup | 1 tbsp (21g) |
| Pumpkin pie spice | ½ tsp |
| Fine sea salt | Pinch |
| Chopped pecans, for garnish (optional) | 1 tbsp |
Step-by-Step Instructions
1 Load the blender
Add the coconut milk, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, frozen banana, almond butter, ground flax seeds, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt to a blender, in the order listed.
2 Blend
Blend, starting on low speed then gradually increasing to high, until smooth. Add more milk to thin, if needed.
3 Pour and garnish
Pour into your favorite glass and garnish with the chopped pecans, if desired.
Notes & Tips
- Can you use canned pumpkin in a smoothie? Yes, and canned is what this calls for. Reach for pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling, which already carries sugar and spices of its own and will throw the balance off.
- How do you make a smoothie thicker? High powered blenders tend to blend smoothies much easier. If you are using a small blender, you may need to add more coconut milk. A frozen banana blends much easier than ice, so make sure it is fully frozen.
- Can you make a pumpkin smoothie dairy-free? Use coconut yogurt instead, just note this will lower the protein content.
- Is pumpkin good in a smoothie? It is one of the easier ways to work a vegetable into a sweet drink. Pumpkin is largely water and fiber, so it thickens without adding much, and it carries the beta-carotene your body converts into vitamin A.
- Milk swaps. Feel free to replace the coconut milk with your preferred milk, like unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, or whole milk.
Jenifer Lori is a former personal chef turned recipe creator. She takes a fresh approach to food where the cooking is easy, the ingredients are clean, and the kitchen turns into your favorite place to be.
