Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe

The best tasting healthy pumpkin pie smoothie you’ll ever make.

Would it really be fall without a pumpkin spice recipe? Of course not. Which makes pumpkin pie protein smoothie perfect for adding into your fall nutrition routine.

There are a lot pumpkin spice smoothies out there, but I’ve noticed many of them were either a little bland or lacked a well rounded nutritional profile. This smoothie not only taste like a piece of pumpkin pie, it also delivers a healthy nutrient-dense boost.

What Makes This Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Healthy

Why You Should Add Protein to Smoothies

Not all smoothies are made equal. Many smoothie recipes out there lack a balanced range of macronutrients. This makes them a poor meal replacement and they’ll likely leave you feeling hungry again a short while later.

If you want to maximize your smoothie potential, you need to make sure you’re incorporating a significant source of protein. I very often accomplish that quickly and simply with a scoop of protein powder.

There are three big weight loss and appetite management perks protein smoothies hold over basic smoothies.

As a personal trainer, I add protein into all of my smoothie recipes. There are three big nutritional reasons why I’m a firm believer you should be adding protein into your smoothies:

1. During digestion, your body actually expends more energy (aka burns more calories) while breaking down protein. This increased caloric expenditure is fabulous for supporting weight loss and metabolism health. Who wouldn’t want to burn some extra calories without even having to break a sweat, right?

2. Protein also helps support muscle growth and recovery. And if some of your health goals include weight or fat loss, you want to increase overall muscle mass in your body. Muscle mass is more calorically efficient than fat, meaning the more muscle mass an individual has, the more calories their metabolism will burn at rest throughout the day.

3. Protein helps keep you full longer. This can help you stay satisfied longer and banish those pesky cravings between meals.

What Kind of Protein Powder Should I Use in Smoothies?

A quality protein powder can make or break the difference in this pumpkin pie protein smoothie.

When looking for a protein powder, make sure you’re checking out the nutrition label. I aim for a low-carbohydrate, high-protein powder that’s easy on the taste buds and the digestive system.

Here are a few protein powder brands (two dairy and two non-dairy based) that I’ve tried and would recommend for smoothie recipes.

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High-Quality Whey Protein

SFH Pure Whey Protein Powder

Click here to buy on Amazon

Gluten-free and soy-free, SFH Pure Whey Protein Powder is made of grass-fed whey that is that is 100% GMO and artificial ingredient-free. As someone who is dairy-sensitive, I’ve tried and enjoyed a variety of flavors of this whey protein powder without any issues and give it a solid thumbs up. Whey protein also tends to deliver a greater concentration of protein per serving.

High-Quality Vegan Protein

SFH Vegan Protein Powder

Click here to buy on Amazon

SFH also produced a line of high-quality plant-based protein powder. This protein is powdered by pea protein, mushrooms, fiber, healthy fats, and MCTs. It’s gluten-free, soy-free and also carries no added sugars or artificial flavors.

Most vegan protein powders carry a less concentrated dose of protein per serving (20 grams of protein vs 31 in their pure whey powder), but I find it’s easy to balance this by using a scoop and a half of vegan protein to achieve a higher dose of protein per serving.

Tasty and Budget-Friendly Whey

Quest Nutrition Protein Powder

Click here to buy on Amazon

Quest Protein powders are gluten-free, soy-free, high-protein and low-carb. Their protein is smooth, delicious and won’t break the bank.

Tasty and Budget-friendly Vegan

New Vega Protein & Greens Click here to buy on Amazon

It can be challenging to find a vegan protein powder that’s low-carb, high-protein and doesn’t taste like cardboard. I tested quite a few of them during my vegan dieting experiment and Vega was actually my favorite. It’s completely dairy, soy and GMO-free and easy on the taste buds.

How to Get Soft Serve Smoothie Consistency

The key to a great smoothie consistency is using a frozen element. If you want that creamy, craveable, soft serve ice cream kind of texture, it has to be made with a frozen element.

This pumpkin pie smoothie uses frozen pumpkin puree to achieve that texture consistency. I’ve found hands down the best way to do this is by using an ice cube tray. Freeze the pumpkin puree into ice cubes the night before and you’re ready to go.

The best way to freeze your pumpkin:

I’ve found the easiest way to freeze pumpkin puree for smoothies is in an ice cube tray.

Don’t freeze the entire can of pumpkin or it will be nearly impossible to scoop out to utilize in your smoothie. I’ll buy a 16 ounce (or two cups) can of pumpkin and freeze it into ice cubes to use for pumpkin smoothies.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup pureed pumpkin (frozen into cubes)
• 1 Teaspoon Maple syrup
• 1/2 Teaspoon organic pumpkin spice
• 1/2 Teaspoon organic cinnamon powder
• 1 Scoop Vanilla protein powder
• 1 Cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 Tablespoon organic almond butter
• A pinch of Celtic sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Throw everything into a blender. Hit Blend. There ya’ go. Smoothie goodness.

Substitutions and Macronutrients

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• Not feeling the almond milk? And other kind of milk (like coconut milk, oat milk or dairy-based milk) will do.
• Any nut butter will do, almond, cashew, peanut butter, etc. (peanut butter tends to have a stronger flavor that I find a little overpowering in some recipes, but if you love it, go for it!).
• When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.

MACROS: 

• Calories: 437
• Carbs: 28g
• Fat: 13.5g
• Protein: 30g

Final Thoughts on the Best healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This pumpkin pie protein smoothie will have you feeling the love for pumpkin spice season in all the right ways. Not only does it taste like a slice of pumpkin pie. but it serves up a balanced macronutrient range with 30 grams of protein.

Pumpkins have an incredible range of nutrients to offer and there’s no better way to get in your daily dose of pumpkin in this easy meal-replacement smoothie as a meal or pose-workout recovery shake.

Related Smoothie Recipes and Articles:

• Apple Pie Protein Smoothie
• Pina Colada Protein Smoothie
• Orange Creamsicle Protein Smoothie
• The Incredible Green Protein Smoothie
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries Protein Smoothie
• 3 Healthy Protein Smoothies for Fall
• 3 Healthy Holiday Protein Smoothies

Related Pumpkin Recipes:

• Savory Southwest Pumpkin Soup
• Kodiak Pumpkin Protein Muffins
• Roasted Pumpkin Salad
• 4 Pumpkin Recipes for Holiday Meal Prepping

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All writing and images copyright © 2020 Rachel Elise Woods