Creamy, smooth, and with just a touch of sweetness, this Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Smoothie is so easy to make! With a handful of oats and creamy greek yogurt, this smoothie tastes exactly like pumpkin pie in a cup! Are you ready to have dessert for breakfast?
Why we love this Pumpkin smoothie
It’s officially fall, and we all know that a pumpkin spice latte is on everyone’s Starbucks order. Well if you love starting your morning with one of those, you’ll be obsessed with this pumpkin smoothie! It has all those warm flavors of the season everyone loves and tons of nutrients to boot! It’s a great way to use up leftover pumpkin puree and satisfy those pumpkin spice cravings. It’s the perfect way to start the day for the whole family, and great for mornings on the go!
Key Ingredients for this Pumpkin Smoothie
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is a great option for smoothies for so many reasons! It has been known to stimulate weight loss and lower cholesterol. It’s a great alternative to dairy milk. If you’re not a fan, you can substitute coconut milk for almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or whole milk for this delicious healthy pumpkin smoothie recipe.
Pure pumpkin puree
It’s pumpkin season, y’all! This fall squash actually has tons of amazing health benefits, like providing beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and folate — all of which strengthen your immune system! You can make your own pumpkin puree or use canned pumpkin!
Greek yogurt
Yogurt is an ideal ingredient for smoothies because it adds a good amount of protein, which makes it a filling breakfast or snack. Greek yogurt adds a whopping 12 grams of protein per half cup. It also adds live probiotics, which can aid in gut health, as well as calcium and vitamin B-12 (source). You can use plain Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt.
Banana
Frozen bananas are the perfect ingredient for a smoothie. Not only do they add natural sweetness and creaminess, but they also go well with pretty much anything you want to put in there. With all the other flavors in this smoothie, you won’t taste the banana flavor, but it will add great texture to this creamy smoothie! To freeze bananas for smoothies, simply peel them, slice them, and lay them on a small tray in the freezer. After they’re frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag.
Rolled oats
Rolled oats help to make your morning smoothie thicker, heartier, and more filling! They even add a subtle nutty flavor, which makes this nutritious smoothie all the more delicious! Just add them straight to the blender and blend away!
Additional ingredients
Vanilla extract
Step-by-step Instructions to make this Healthy Pumpkin smoothie
Combine the following in a blender:
- 1 cup coconut milk (almond, oat or regular milk is fine too)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tsp finely ground flaxseed
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ tbl maple syrup
- ¼ tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp tumeric (optional)
Blend until smooth and pour into your Jack-O-Lantern smoothie cups! Stick a cute green straw in and you’re good to start the day!
Still hungry? Check out my apple cinnamon steel cut oatmeal!
Want to pin this for later? Click on the image below!
The post Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie appeared first on The Windy City Dinner Fairy.