If you have extra pumpkin to use up, this Pumpkin Smoothie is my favorite way to enjoy it. It tastes like you’re drinking pumpkin pie, but it’s made with healthy ingredients, and takes just a few minutes to make.
Why Make a Smoothie?
This recipe came to me after making a recipe that didn’t call for the whole can of pumpkin. When you don’t want to store the leftover pumpkin puree for long, this smoothie recipe is an easy way to use it up!
Here are other ways to use leftover pumpkin puree:
- Make my famous Flourless Pumpkin Bars (calls for 1/2 cup)
- Try a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. (calls for 1 tablespoon per cup)
- Make healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins. (calls for 1/2 cup)
- Try Sweet Potato Noodles with Pumpkin Sauce. (calls for 1 cup)
- Make Vegan Tuscan Pumpkin Sauce for your next pasta night. (calls for 1 cup)
- Bake Vegan Pumpkin Scones. (calls for 1/2 cup)
- Don’t forget about my Double-Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins. (calls for 1/2 cup)
Check out all of my pumpkin recipes for more ideas!
Benefits of Pumpkin
Need more reason to eat pumpkin? This winter squash is packed with vitamins and minerals!
Here’s what I love about pumpkin:
- It contains antioxidants, like beta-carotene, which may help to protect against skin damage from the sun.
- Beta-carotene is turned into vitamin A in the body, and vitamin A may help to strengthen the immune system.
- Pumpkin also contains vitamin C, which is thought to help boost immunity.
- This orange veggie is also a source of iron, folate, and vitamin E, all of which can contribute to a healthy immune system.
- Eating beta-carotene, which is found in pumpkin, may help promote eye heath.
- Eating antioxidants, like alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, may help protect against certain cancers, including stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer.
What I also love about pumpkin, is that it tastes great in both sweet and savory recipes. If you haven’t tried my Vegan Pumpkin Pie yet, it’s a must this year!
How to Make It
To make this smoothie, you’ll just add everything, except for the ice, in a blender and blend until totally pureed.
You can taste the mixture to make sure it’s as sweet as you want it to be, then add the ice and blend again, to give it more of a slushy texture. This also dilutes the strong pumpkin pie flavor, so if you don’t plan on adding ice, you’ll probably need to add a little more liquid until the taste is perfect for you.
Prefer a green smoothie? You can definitely add a big handful of fresh baby spinach to this smoothie without affecting the flavor. It will just look green, rather than orange, in color.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie: Just Add Coffee!
Craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte, instead? You can turn this smoothie recipe into a frozen version!
Swap 1/2 cup of the almond milk in this recipe for a 1/2 cup of strongly brewed coffee. (Ideally, the coffee will be slightly cool when you add it.)
Make the rest of the recipe as directed, and you’ll have a slushy drink that tastes like it came from a fancy coffee house.
Sweetener Options
If you have a high-speed blender that can handle breaking down dates, that’s my favorite choice for this smoothie. They add a caramel-like sweetness that pairs perfectly with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.
If you don’t have a powerful blender, you can try using frozen banana as the sweetener, along with a spoonful of maple syrup to help boost the sweet factor.
This will change the flavor of the smoothie slightly, so if you don’t care for the taste of banana, you can also use only maple syrup as the sweetener. (Or try honey, if you’re not vegan.) In this case, you might need a couple extra ice cubes to thicken it up.
How to Make it More Filling
When you include the hemp hearts, this Pumpkin Smoothie may be filling enough to be used as a meal replacement, depending on your activity level and appetite.
Hemp hearts contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to build protein, so it’s one of my favorite plant-based sources. You can also add a spoonful almond butter, or a handful of pecans, to this recipe without changing the flavor too much.
If you want to add protein powder to this smoothie, just be sure to check the ingredients on the label– if there’s an added sweetener (even if it’s stevia or monk fruit), you will need to adjust the ingredients so your smoothie doesn’t taste too sweet.
Pumpkin Smoothie (tastes like Pumpkin Pie!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (89 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (2 grams)
- 4 to 5 soft Medjool dates , pitted (about 75 grams)
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts (optional; 18 grams)
- 3/4 cup almond milk (156 grams)
- 5 large ice cubes (174 grams)
Instructions
- Combine the pumpkin, spice, dates, hemp hearts (if using), and almond milk in the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add in the ice, and blend again until the smoothie has a slushy texture. Serve right away for the best taste and texture.
- Leftover smoothie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but the texture will be very runny.
Video
Notes
- If you would rather sweeten this smoothie with a banana instead of dates, I recommend using a frozen one. (Here's how to freeze bananas.) You'll also need to add maple syrup to taste, in that case, to boost the pie flavor.
- Alternatively, you can use only maple syrup to sweeten this smoothie. My guess is that you'll need 1 to 2 tablespoons total. You can add extra ice to thicken the smoothie, as needed, in this case.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for the whole batch, including hemp hearts. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you try this Pumpkin Smoothie, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to use pumpkin?
O WOW!!! I can’t wait to make this, maybe this afternoon!!!!
I tried something similar to this thinking it would taste good with the pumpkin but it was so so. Can’t wait to try this at lunch – I have all the ingredients – yeah! I think the dates added to this will make the difference. Thanks Megan! Continue enjoying your little one! Hope things are going well.
This looks great, but I’m allergic to avocados 🙁 Is there a substitute??
I used 1/4 cup soaked raw cashews. Do creamy and delicious!
I omitted the hemp hearts and it was awesome! I will try to add spinach next time I make this!
This is clever! Thanks for sharing!
Yum – ‘Nuff said!
This looks lovely. I just roasted and pureed a pumpkin last night and have spinach in the fridge. Perfect timing! Thanks for sharing!
YUM!! Love the addition of the avocado!
Looks AWESOME! I may just have to roast up a pumpkin tonight to give this one a try! 🙂
I just bought canned pumpkin and I now know what I am going to make first!! THANKS!
Hi, thanks for the delicious looking recipe. I have all the ingredients except for dates, so if I wanted to make this today could I substitute other dried fruit like plums or raisins? Thanks
I just made this and it was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it past my ultra-picky kids though (even in opaque cups with lids and straws). I will definitely make this again for myself though:-).
Hi – do you know of any substitute sweeteners I can use for the Medjool dates? Sadly, I have none on hand. Thx!
Maple syrup is good, however coconut sugar is better! Start with a tablespoon, then adjust for your taste buds.
Oh my sweet gracious this looks amazing!! I have been putting pumpkin puree in my smoothie lately too, but this recipe takes it to the next level!!! I can’t wait to try it!!
I just made this and it is super yummy! It really does resemble liquid pumpkin pie. I only had baby kale mix on hand so I did taste a tiny bit I the chard but can’t wait to try it again with just spinach.
Thanks M!!
I just made this and LOVE it. I love pumpkin pie! However, my significant other is a pecan pie man. Do you have a recipe for a smoothie as good as this that tastes like pecan pie?
Yummy even without dates! I made it with stevia and a little protein powder. Very good!
I’ve been making a smoothie like this all autumn long! SO good.
Glad to hear this is tasty even without the dates. I’m going to try it with stevia. Thx Theresa!
Finally tried this today…it’s delicious! I didn’t have avocado, but it was still great. Thanks.
Had no almond milk on hand, so threw in a couple handfuls of raw cashews with the water. Did the trick for the missing creaminess. Also, had no spinach, so picked fresh dandelion greens, chard & celery leaves from our garden. Yum! Even my three year old likes it!
I always have avocado…but, today I didn’t so, I made this with half a frozen banana instead and I didnt have spinach so I threw in kale. I had deglet dates instead… so basically this recipe inspired me to put greens and pumpkin in a smoothie together with some spices. 😉 It was tasty. My 20 month old fussed and cried when his straw cup ran out of smoothie. For that reason alone I’d make another…cuz he downed kale and other goodies. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration…and I just discovered your blog and I’m all over it right now! Great job!!
Just drank one. Didn’t have an avocado, still very smooth and yummy. Thanks!
Yum! I didn’t have any avocado…but it was good, regardless!
This looks so similar to the one I make, except I use a banana. I STILL haven’t used an avocado in my smoothies… I need to ASAP.
Migraines are tricky in that there are different triggers for each person. First, be sure that there are not particular foods you are eating that spark the pain (dairy, wheat, citrus, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, tannins in red wine, cheese, and nightshade veggies are a few examples of common culprits). Some nutrients, such as magnesium, calcium, and fiber can be used to relieve migraine symptoms by restoring the natural balance of brain chemistry. Some good ingredients to throw in your NutriBlast include beets, leafy greens, ginger, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds/flaxmeal, and some blackberries and/or blueberries. Top it with some calcium-rich almond milk to the MAX LINE and blast for migraine relief! Be sure to clear any alternative treatments with your doctor before beginning.
Loved this! I’ve been stalking your site for a while and everything you suggests is great. I am doing dairy,grain,soy,sugar free so many recipes work for me. I altered this by using vanilla stevia instead of vanilla and dates. I didn’t have spinach so i used my green powder. I miss my starbucks pumpkin lattes so this is a treat.
Yummy and healthy. I use chia seeds instead of the avacado and honey/agave instead of the dates. Delish!
I just made this smoothie, and it tastes SOOOO good! I love the addition of avocado– I would have never thought of that! I couldn’t taste it, and it made this shake a filling breakfast for me before work.
I don’t usually like to combine my fruits and veggies but this looks very good to me. I might even add some Fage greek yogurt to tighten it up and make a dessert of this.
Really yummy!! I had to make it with kale as that was all I had on hand. So good! I think this is going to become my new go-to smoothie for Fall.
I love this recipe. It is absolutely delicious! I love your blog. Thank you for sharing your delicious, healthy recipes with us! I modified this by adding slightly more spice than the original recipe calls for 🙂
Delicious. A family favourite when you’re craving some liquid pumpkin pie!
Wonderful! Thank you for this great recipe!
This looks delicious! Do the dates mean it’s not “properly combined”? Thank you!
Could you make a minty Christmas smoothie
1 large fugi apple
2 handfuls of spinach
5 – 8 dates
homemade hemp milk
1/4 advocadoe
pepermint oil
I just made this with added spinach and almond butter and my 2 year old, who usually NEVER drinks smoothies and who doesn’t like cinnamon, absolutely LOVED it! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I am not seeing where avocado comes into play that everyone puts in the comments. What am I missing??!
I used to put avocado in this recipe, but switched it to hemp hearts because it turns out more creamy.
Wow! This smoothie really does taste like pumpkin pie. I had to use almond butter because I was out of hemp seeds, and it still turned nice and creamy. Thank you for such a wonderful fall treat!
Loved this! so good, I subbed in regular milk-did not used hemp seeds, and added stevia as well as the dates for full sweetnes!
My girls had this for their snack today and enjoyed it. I really did think it tasted *just* like pumpkin pie. Yum!
I’ve been batch cooking a lot lately and left no room for ice in my freezer. 🤦🏻♀️ So, I subbed a frozen banana for the ice and reduced the dates by half to compensate for that change.
Thanks for keeping the great recipe inspiration coming!
Best Pumpkin Smoothie EVER!!!!!!!! Tastes like pumpkin pie! I felt so guilty, this is my now EVERYDAY INDULGENCE and it’s SO GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
I have 2 of the cookbooks and printed recipes that now live in a binder and I ONLY cook from them for my family.
Tomorrow Im trying the Hot Pumpkin Latte!!!
I’m so happy you love it!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
I used spinach instead of hemp hearts, tastes the same with a thicker consistency! I used a generous handful of baby spinach 🙂
This smoothie was ridiculously delicious and autumnal!
I got brave and added frozen zucchini (thanks to another post of yours!) and fresh chopped ginger. What a healthy treat. I’ll be making this for breakfast all winter…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And adding frozen zucchini to this one is genius; thanks for sharing!!
How do you do it?? I have tried so many of your recipes and they are All fantastic!! This one falls right in line. I am a pumpkin lover and especially around this season I love Pumpkin everything except I don’t love all the added sugar. This recipe is Perfect!! It’s literally one of the best pumpkin drinks I have had!! Thank you!!
I love this smoothie. I added 1/2 frozen banana. Delicious and creamy!
It’s a good one!!!
If I only have a good processor will it still turn out creamy with hemp hearts ya think?
OMG!!! SO GOOD! Really tastes like pumpkin pie.
One of my favorites. The smoothie is so thick. I put raw pecans on top and eat it with a spooon. Yum!
Delicious! I added 1/4 cup oats, kale, and a couple teaspoons of almond milk yogurt. So good! Thanks for the great recipes!