While this smoothie tastes like the holidays, you really can enjoy it any time of year! I’m using unique ingredients to perfect my gingerbread smoothie and I can’t wait for you to give it a blend.
Cozy gingerbread spice pairs with nutrient-packed veggies in this tasty gingerbread spice smoothie. Blend up a thick and creamy holiday-inspired smoothie with plant powered ingredients to fuel you through your morning. Everything you love about a classic gingerbread recipe is in this flavorful, nutrient-packed smoothie, adding it to my rawkstar list of holiday drinks.
Gingerbread Spice
The first recorded recipe of homemade gingerbread traces back to 2400 BC Greece (that’s a LONG time ago!). Modern versions of gingerbread can be found in England, France, Holland, and Germany. The classic gingerbread spice contains ground cinnamon, cloves, as well as nutmeg. Molasses is also almost always found in a gingerbread recipe, so I count that in the flavor profile as well!
Ingredients in my gingerbread spice smoothie
When adapting a cookie recipe into a smoothie, I have to get creative sometimes. This fun + festive smoothie delivers on flavor and texture with some unique (but perfect) ingredients:
- Tahini- This sesame seed paste is commonly found in savory dishes, yet has a mild, nutty taste that makes it perfect for a smoothie. You can also use regular sesame butter for this smoothie, if that’s easier to find.
- Molasses- While molasses is a normal gingerbread ingredient, it is not found in many of my smoothie recipes. Yet it’s a great addition! It helps tie in the gingerbread spice, as well as offering a good iron boost.
- Frozen cauliflower- This unique ingredient is a hidden gem in the smoothie world. It’s a veggie (win!) and when frozen, it has almost no taste (win, win!). It provides a creamy base to this gingerbread spice smoothie without overpowering it. I usually buy frozen, riced cauliflower from Costco, yet you can buy fresh and freeze it yourself.
How to freeze cauliflower
Freezing your own cauliflower is super simple. Rinse a fresh cauliflower head well, then chop into 4 sections. Cut each section into small florets, then place on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour (or until frozen). Once frozen, place florets in a freezer-safe container until ready to blend. Flash freezing them on a baking sheet first allows each floret to freeze individually, so that they don’t clump together. Smoothies blend best with at least 1 frozen ingredient.
Boosting your smoothie with protein
Between the cauliflower, tahini, and cashew milk this holiday drink is well on its way to becoming a protein powerhouse. Yet if you’re looking to make it a meal replacement without compromising on the gingerbread spice flavor, then adding homemade protein powder is the way to go. It is a plant based protein that is 100% organic, and made with only 3 ingredients. It will give you 10 extra grams of protein, turning this smoothie into a 19.5g protein shake! A classic gingerbread recipe’s got nothing on this plant based smoothie!
More holiday drinks
If this gingerbread spice smoothie is giving you some major holiday vibes, then you should check out some of my other plant based holiday drinks! I just love embracing the season through food, flavors, and fun combinations.
- Cranberry Smoothie
- Vanilla Fig Smoothie
- Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
- Maple Pumpkin Smoothie
- Wassail Green Smoothie
- Apple Pie Green Smoothie
- Butternut Pear Green Smoothie
If you’ve got a fun holiday drink to add to this list, leave a comment below and let me know!
Gingerbread Spice Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cauliflower frozen
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1-3 teaspoon maple syrup
- â…› teaspoon ground nutmeg
- â…› teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 inch ginger root
- 1 cup cashew milk
Instructions
- Blend cauliflower, tahini, molasses, maple syrup, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cashew milk until creamy and smoothie.
- Pour transfer blended smoothie to your fav holiday jar and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For a thinner consistency, add more cashew milk.
- If you want a creamy smoothie without nuts, opt for oat milk or coconut milk instead of cashew milk.
Delicious!! This gingerbread smoothie with some ingredients swapped was superb!! It hit the spot!! I used homemade almond butter instead of the tahini and almond milk for the cashew milk. I did only 1 Tblsp of Maple syrup and doubled the spices because that’s how I like it!!
DELICIOUS!!
I used 1 cup of cashew milk and it was very nice not too thick. Reminded me a bit of egg nog. Next time I’ll use less and get thicker.
Blended this today with almond milk and it was yum!!
The video shows cinnamon yet it’s not listed in the ingredients. How much cinnamon would you recommend? Thx! Can’t wait to try this!!
Elise
Hey Elise – Great question. Cinnamon is an optional ingredient, as the nutmeg is enough for some. I would just add cinnamon to taste. I just add a little dash into the blender. 🙂
would you add greens to this? Looks amazing!
We really enjoyed this smoothie. I doubled it and my hubby and I both had one for our Christmas morning breakfast. Thank you for sharing.
Any molasses substitutes? Don’t have any on hand. Thanks
I would do honey— a thick drizzle of honey on top would be pretty delicious. Or if you’re vegan, you can do extra maple syrup. You’ll def want the extra sweetener otherwise the cauliflower will show through more than I would like.
This looks so yummy, but I can’t have anything with sesame. Any suggestions on what would be a good replacement (and no almond or walnut)? Sunflower butter maybe?
Hey Megan— you could leave it out (and the gingerbread flavor would come through even stronger. Or you could do cashew butter… or sunflower butter (yet that’s pretty nutty). And if it does come out to nutty or “cauliflower-y” you can always add more molasses and maple syrup.
I blended this today and really liked it! The tahini threw a bit, but I like that it adds extra protein and fats so I call it a win. Thanks for pushing me to make healthier smoothies that are still fun and tasty!
So glad you gave it a shot and are learning all about making healthy-ish smoothies. You totally got this Theresa!
I was a little skeptical about the ingredient list on this at first, yet it is another winner!
So glad you went for it Erin! Woot! Woot!