Best Healthy Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

The best healthy apple pie protein smoothie you’ll ever make.

Do you love apple pie? Then you’re going to love this apple pie smoothie. This low-calorie, nutrient-dense protein smoothie is packed with vitamins, minerals and protein. With a creamy soft-serve ice cream texture and flavor that taste like a slice of apple pie, so you’ll hardly be able to believe it’s good for you (but spoiler alert: It is).

I experimented with a few different ingredient combinations before landing on the final recipe for this smoothie. Other recipes I tried either seemed to have texture and consistency issues (that were to thin or grainy) or relied on thickening elements like bananas (and when was the last time your grandma put bananas in her classic apple pie?).

This apple pie protein smoothie is smooth, straightforward and simply delicious. But what sets it apart from other apple pie smoothie recipes out there?

What Makes This Apple Pie Smoothie Different

Not all smoothies are made equally. In fact, a lot of smoothie recipes out there are promoted like an adequate meal replacement shake, but lack a balanced range of macronutrients and will likely leave you feeling hungry again a short while later.

Like all of my protein smoothie recipes, this apple pie smoothie aims to serve as a more significant meal source with a balanced macronutrient range of healthy fats, carbohydrates and protein than other smoothies (see full macros listed further in the post).

This healthy smoothie recipe also packing a few tasty super-food ingredients:

• Cinnamon – High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, research has shown cinnamon to be highly effective in reducing insulin resistance
• Raw unfiltered honey – Rich in antioxidants and antibiotic properties, raw honey has been utilized for centuries for its medicinal purposes (vegan substitutions available with recipe)
• Nut butter – An excellent source of vitamins, minerals, healthy fat and some protein

There’s another ingredient you should be adding if you want to maximize your smoothie potential: Protein. And there are three big perks related to weight loss and appetite management that protein smoothies hold over regular smoothies.

Why You Should be Adding Protein in Your Smoothies

As a personal trainer, any smoothie I’m making is going to be a protein smoothie. 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 apple pie protein smoothie. I try to aim for a low-carb, 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 frozen fruit. If you want that creamy, craveable, soft serve ice cream kind of texture, it has to be made with frozen fruit or a frozen element. This apple pie protein smoothie uses frozen apple sauce to achieve that texture consistency.

The easiest way to do that is to freeze your applesauce (either homemade or store bought) into cubes using an ice cube tray at home. (Freezing it is also a great way to preserve it longer for future smoothie recipes or baking if you’ve bought a big container you can’t use before it goes bad.)

Is Applesauce Healthy?

I experimented with using raw apples in this apple pie protein smoothie recipe, but ended up landing on applesauce. I felt it lent a better overall texture and flavor for really leaning into that apple pie vibe.

While a fresh, raw apple will pack a stronger punch of vitamins and minerals, applesauce is still a positive source of nutrients. It’s known for being a particularly positive source vitamin C (up to 80 percent of your daily needs) and fiber.

When choosing your applesauce, make sure to aim for sweetened applesauce as it will be lower in sugar. Or you can learn how to make your own applesauce at home (it’s super easy and free of preservatives or added sugars).

Recipe for Healthy Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

Are you more of a visual learner? I’ve created a special video of this recipe just for you where I demonstrate how to whip up this apple pie smoothie in American Sign Language (find it below the recipe section!).

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 Cup frozen apple sauce
• 1 Teaspoon raw unfiltered honey
• 1 Cup Unsweetened almond milk
• 1 Tablespoon almond butter
• 1 Scoop SFH Pure Whey protein powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Ready for the easiest directions ever? Throw it all into a blender. Blend it. Enjoy.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• You can swap maple syrup or agave syrup for the honey as an easy vegan substitute.
• Don’t have applesauce on hand? Swap in one fresh apple (sliced up and frozen).
• 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!)
• If you’re not feeling the almond milk, any other kind of milk will do.
• 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: 363
• Carbs: 39g
• Fat: 12g
• Protein: 29g

Video: Apple Pie Protein Smoothie in American Sign Language

Final thoughts on the best healthy apple pie protein smoothie

Every sip of the apple pie smoothie takes me back to enjoying a big slice of apple pie. But even better, because I can enjoy it knowing I’m fueling my body with a low-calorie, nutrient-dense meal that’s full of vitamins, minerals, essential nutrients and protein.

Do you have a favorite dessert or comfort food you’d like to see made into a healthy protein smoothie? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below!

Related Smoothie Recipes and Articles:

• The Incredible Green Protein Smoothie

• Chocolate Covered Strawberries Protein Smoothie

• 3 Healthy Protein Smoothies for Fall

• 3 Healthy Holiday Protein Smoothies

More Healthy Recipes in American Sign Language:

• Pina Colada Smoothie in ASL

• How to Make Oat Milk in ASL

• How to Bake Asparagus in ASL

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All writing and images copyright © 2020 Rachel Elise Woods