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I love fall and I canโt wait to share this healthy pumpkin smoothie with you. You loved my Maple Pumpkin Smoothie and I’m sure you’ll love this one, too. Itโs a delightful blend of sweet and warming flavors, just like a pumpkin pie! Season it with my homemade pumpkin pie spice seasoning below and sip on joy in a cup. Yum!
I knowโ the weather might be getting cooler, but Iโm still sippinโ a daily smoothie. I love how smoothies make me feel and support my wellness goals. If you’re not a fan of cold smoothies on cold days, try blending my warm smoothies.
Pumpkin Smoothie Ingredients
Blending a variety of healthy ingredients can easily turn pumpkin puree into a tasty smoothie minutes. Here’s a breakdown of everything we’re blending in my healthy pumpkin smoothie:
- Unsweetened almond milk: There are a lot of creamy ingredients in this smoothie so I picked slightly less creamy milk. Feel free to swap it with coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk or any dairy-free milk of your choice. Nut-free options like hemp milk work great, too!
- Pumpkin puree: Use store-bought or homemade, either works great! Just make sure the can is pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. They arenโt the same.
- Spinach: I love sneaking spinach into smoothie to add extra fiber without changing the taste.
- Banana: This is where the sweetness comes in the pumpkin banana smoothie since pumpkin isnโt naturally sweet.
- Mango: I like to add this as another creamy ingredient. It might take the sweetness too far for you so if thatโs the case then swap it out for frozen cauliflower or avocado.
- Pumpkin pie spice: I make my own (recipe below) and keep it in the spice drawer so I can easily shake some into my Healthy Coffee or some Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes.
- Vanilla extract: Just a touch of vanilla is the icing on the cakeโฆ or smoothie in this case.
If you’ve never tried homemade almond milk you should give it a go! It doesn’t take much time, uses the same blender as your smoothie, and is 100% worth it.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Mix together the following spices in a small jar to use in this smoothie.
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Tip for Buying Pumpkin Puree
If youโve been around Simple Green Smoothies for a while, then you know what Iโm going to say about store-bought puree. Check the ingredients! Did you know that many cans of โpumpkin pureeโ can contain squash or even sweet potatoes as a filler?
Look for a brand that only has one ingredient, pumpkin. Also, make sure you arenโt accidentally buying pumpkin pie filling. The cans look similar and are often on the same shelf in the grocery store. While that would be tasty, it contains spices and sugar. All we want is pumpkin for this healthy smoothie recipe.
How to Blend a Pumpkin Smoothie
This is a great way to use the leftover pumpkin puree from your latest baked goods, so donโt throw it away! Instead, turn it into a fabulous pumpkin smoothie snack. While the ingredients might be a slight departure from the more tropical green smoothies I often share, the blending process is the same:
- Blend spinach and almond milk until no leafy chunks remain. Depending on your blender, this could take a bit, so be patient!
- Add the pumpkin pure, banana, mango, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Blend again until smooth. Stop and scrape down the insides of the blender as needed to ensure the creamiest texture.
HoW TO chill your Pumpkin smoothie
Use at least one frozen ingredient to get a refreshingly cool smoothie. I like to use frozen banana and frozen mango for smoothie recipes because they are easy to freeze and use in a wide variety of smoothies.
Common Questions
It’s easily to make a pumpkin smoothie! Grab that leftover pumpkin puree and your blender and letโs go. Iโm using spinach, banana, mango, pumpkin pie spice and almond milk with a touch of vanilla extract for one of the best pumpkin smoothie recipes.
You can blend pumpkin seeds into smoothies. They just might not grind up as smoothly as something like hemp hearts or chia seeds. Try instead to use a vanilla protein powder with pumpkin seeds as the main protein if thatโs what youโre looking for.
I love adding mango and banana to my pumpkin smoothies! They bring a natural sweetness and creamy texture that blend beautifully with the pumpkin, making it extra delicious.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you have extra pumpkin puree or just love pumpkin, here’s a few more recipes to try:
- Pumpkin Chia Pudding: One of my favorite snacks that is loaded with protein and healthy fat.
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup: Pureed soup is a delightful way to enjoy pumpkin.
- Maple Pumpkin Fall Smoothie: This is a sweet smoothie that makes a great healthy dessert.
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes: You won’t regret this pancake recipe.
- PCOS Smoothie: This smoothie uses ingredients that can help those struggling with PCOS.
Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- ยฝ cup pumpkin puree unsweetened
- ยฝ banana frozen
- ยฝ cup mango frozen
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- ยฝ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach and almond milk until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth.
Equipment
Notes
- Feel free to use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned.
- Swap the spinach with the leafy greens of your choice.ย
- To lower the natural sweetness, swap the mango with 1/4 an avocado or 1/2 cup cauliflower.
- If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice, use my homemade blend: 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, 3 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves, ground allspice and ground cardamom. You can keep this in a jar with your other spices and use in smoothies, cookies, pancakes, and more!
- Add in plant-based protein powder to turn this smoothie into a meal replacement.
- Swap almond milk with the unsweetened, dairy-free milk of your choice.
Almond milk is not allowed for me since I have a severe allergic reaction to almonds and other types of nuts. Would this smoothie still work with water instead of the almond milk? Any other suggestions that I could substitute for the almond milk? Thanks!
Hey Barbara.
Try hemp milk, rice milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. https://simplegreensmoothies.com/dairy-free-smoothies
I’m surprised the recipes don’t show more chia and flax as well as other seeds and nuts, like sunflower, pumpkin, almonds, cashew etc.
Hey Ron. We love adding proteins and superfoods to our smoothies. Here are two links to enjoy.
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-protein-powder
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/superfoods-list
I have to say I was a little dubious. I have only recently begun to appreciate the flavor of pumpkin (in pumpkin spiced lattes and in pumpkin cake rolls!) I have never liked pumpkin pie. BUT, I had leftover canned pumpkin from a pumpkin roll I made and decided this would be a good way to use it. I used 2 mangoes (a little more than a cup, perhaps, but I didn’t measure it after I cut it up) 1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup water, 1.5 banana (1 frozen, 1/2 room temp) and the recommended spice, vanilla and spinach. As someone else pointed out, the color was that of split pea soup, but I didn’t let that stop me from trying it. I told myself I couldn’t waste it even if I didn’t like it, mostly because I don’t like to throw food away, but also because I know it has amazing nutritional value. All that to say, I loved it! Unlike the comments from another post, I found this smoothie to be very filling, and full of flavor. I had to come out of my smoothie box to try it (I usually always go back to beginners luck-type smoothies), but am so glad I did! Thanks.
Hey Carol.
Thanks for the post. So happy to hear you stepped out of your comfort zone to try this one. We love Beginner’s Luck so much too and it can be hard to switch it up sometimes, even for us! ๐ Keep blendin’ those leafy greens, Carol. ๐
This was not my favorite out of all the recipes. I don’t like mangos either so I used frozen peaches and just a few pineapples. I couldn’t taste the pumpkin so I added a little extra pumpkin spice. Love everything you all do though!
Cheers Samantha! ๐
Obsessed. very filling!
I tried this today because I LOVE pumpkin but I have to say it was my least favorite. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have pumpkin spice so I used cinnamon & nutmeg or what…but I couldn’t drink it. Plus my blender overheated and it made the drink warm so that didn’t help. I think my smoothie blender is done in. But I have a back-up Ninja. So I dumped out the pumpkin because I couldn’t drink it and decided to
create something new (or maybe it’s a recipe here but I haven’t seen it). I’ll call it a Choco Coco Nutty I guess and here’s how I made it – it makes ONE serving:
1 cup fresh spinach
3/4 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond coconut milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries.
Add a serving of chocolate or vanilla protein powder if you want, or 1/2 cup soaked raw almonds.
Blend the milk and spinach first, of course.
Add frozen banana and blend well
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend til smooth.
I added protein powder this time because I forgot to soak almonds. Substitute the cherries for strawberries or whatever fruit you’d like with chocolate. Oh and I added 1 tsp of chia seeds as I always do. You can add cacao powder, too if you want it even more chocolatey.
I love it. Hope you do, too.
P.S. the vanilla almond coconut milk mentioned above is ALMOND milk, not coconut milk, I typed that backwards, just thought I should clarify that. I use Almond Breeze – they have an unsweetened vanilla coconut almond flavor, it’s yummy.
Hey Green Smoothie Fan!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe and your input on the recipe! Glad you found a recipe that you enjoy! Keep blending those leafy greens!
I accidentally emailed you yesterday with a blank email-my bad ๐
Please can you clarify for me the issue with dairy milk?are coconut and almond milk different? How?
Hey Robyn!
Great question! Weโve talked with a lot of nutritionists and milk isnโt all that itโs been hyped up to be. Dairy is one of the highest diet allergies (and often goes undiagnosed), yet can cause inflammation and infections. And if you arenโt buying organic milk, youโre also getting doses of antibiotics, hormones, etc that can tip your own body out of whack. So we just avoid milk for our family (and opt for almond milk). We get our calcium from plant-based sources mainlyโ broccoli, spinach and kale.
Itโs definitely a personal choice, and you just have to decide what works best for you and your family.
Coconut milk is squeezed from the meat of the coconut which produces a sweet and tasty liquid. Though it is high in protein, fiber, and other micronutrients, it is also high in calories and fat. For this reason we recommend using coconut milk as a liquid-base only for special indulgencesโmaybe for date night desserts. This milk does help to protect your heart, but it will cost you in other areas if used on a regular basis.
Almond milk is a lactose-free, warm flavored liquid that will provide you with vitamin E, protein, and fiber. Since it is lactose free it is easily digestible, and its even low in fat and cholesterol free. If possible, find an unsweetened kind of almond milk to stay away from the high amounts of sugar. Its a great base for those fall months!
I did not like it..
Hey Eric. Not a fan, not a problem. There are numerous other recipes to try and I am sure you will find many that you enjoy. ๐ Cheers! Here is one of my all time favorites: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/pineapple-banana-smoothie
Hi, first of all, LOVE LOVE LOVE you all. Thanks so much for all that you do! I just wanted to let you know that this recipe populated under banana-free recipes, although it includes banana. Anyway, I saw the comment about doubling the mango, so that’s great to know. Just wanted to let you know, thanks again for everything!
Hey Beka.
Thanks for joining us and for you excitement for green smoothies. If youโre allergic to bananas (or just canโt stand the taste), some great banana substitutes are:
Mango
Papaya
Pear
Chia seeds
Fresh dates
Nut Butters
Unsweetened applesauce
Avocado (wonโt add the sweetness, but will definitely add the thick and creamy texture)
Thanks so much for posting those subs. I needed to know that too!!!
You’re so welcome, Suzanne!
Hi, Im just quite not sure if pumpkin should be baked or not.
Hey Jiyu.
Thanks for the comment. We suggest using, unsweetened (canned or fresh). If you would like to cook it, here is a great link:
Thank you!! Since I live in Korea I couldnt find any puree or canned. Fresh didnt appeal to me neither. Thanks again for such a great link! X
Thanks for being an active part of our community. ๐
How about a chai-based smoothie? Warm, spicy with a kick of black tea?
You are just in luck! There will be a Chai-based smoothie on Week 5 of the 30-Day Challenge. ๐ If you would like the recipe before than purchase the recipes cards for $5. ๐ https://simplegreensmoothies.com/challenge
Sounds great! I’ll definitely be looking at those!
๐
what is pumpkin spice ?? thanks
what is pumpkin spice ? how to make it !? Thank you
Here is a great link for DIY pumpkin spice. ๐
Hey Janet.
Thanks for the comment. Yes. Next time try 1/2 or 3/4 cup instead of the 1 cup. Was your pumpkin in the can sweetened? Sometimes that can cause it to be overpowering too. ๐
What is a good substitute for the banana?
Hey Rachel.
Try doubling the mango or adding an avocado in place of the banana. ๐ Hope that helps.
LOVE THIS! I didn’t have banana handy so I used a cup of red apples instead. It was AMAZING!
๐ Wonderful, way to improvise.
I’d like to use sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin, and because I’m allergic to mango use peaches, kale instead of spinach (affects my gout).
This is going to be my Thanksgiving dessert!
Hey Barbara. Have you tried Thanksgiving in your Mouth?
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/sweet-potato-smoothie
I think you might enjoy it. ๐