‘Tis the season for pumpkin everything.
Yes, even though October is over I’m still going strong with my pumpkin addiction and will be for a while. (Don’t even get me started on pumpkin butter – oy).
I partly blame this pumpkin pie green smoothie. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
This smoothie comes together in 5 minutes, using 1 blender, and requires just 6 ingredients.
And guess what? It tastes like pumpkin pie! You know, without all the crust and coconut whipped cream. But still…
The ingredients are SO simple you likely have them in your pantry right now. Pumpkin purée is blended with frozen, ripe banana, almond + coconut milk, pumpkin pie spice and spinach!
Two things are optional: A greens powder and protein powder (listed below).
Seeing as I’ve just posted a Vegan Protein Powder Review, I suggest two of my favorites for this smoothie. However, protein is optional! The addition just makes it more of a meal than a snack.
I think you guys are going to LOVE this smoothie! It’s:
Creamy
Cold
Pumpkiny
Perfectly sweet
Healthy
Refreshing
& Insanely delicious
I couldn’t believe how delicious this smoothie was at first sip. It makes the perfect fall breakfast, post-workout recovery, or afternoon snack. If you aren’t into pumpkin, try it with Cinnamon-Sugar Apples, Matcha, or Mango instead!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see. xoxo!
NOTE: Recipe updated for simplicity and flavor on 9/19/19.
Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 small frozen ripe banana
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 large handful organic spinach*
- 3/4 cup dairy-free milk (we prefer light coconut milk or plain unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
- 2 Tbsp plain or vanilla protein powder (we like Vanilla protein by Nuzest or Tropeaka)
Instructions
-
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. If too thick, add more dairy-free milk.
-
Taste and adjust flavor as needed. For more pumpkin flavor, add more pumpkin pie spice. For more sweetness, add more banana, or a bit more vanilla protein powder - optional (or a bit of maple syrup, agave or stevia extract).
-
Serve immediately. Best when fresh, though will keep in the refrigerator well covered up to 2 days.
Notes
*We like buying bagged organic spinach and throw it right in the freezer! This way it keeps fresh for weeks and makes your smoothie cold and creamy. However, fresh spinach will work fine, too. You may just want to add 1-2 ice cubes to cool it down.
*DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without protein powder or greens powder.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 1 smoothie)
- Calories: 188
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 3.2g
- Sodium: 142mg
- Carbohydrates: 36.9g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Sugar: 16.4g
- Protein: 5.2g
This recipe is great! I teach nutrition classes that involve recipes and this was a big hit in my class today!
I chose to use vanilla oat milk instead of using a vanilla protein powder. The population I teach is lower income and this isn’t always available to them or something they can afford. It turned out great and everyone loved it!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Amanda!
Tastes delicious! I used soy milk and kale because that is what I had on hand. Also used hemp hearts instead of protein powder, which I don’t have. Perfect use for my very ripe banana and leftover pumpkin.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Denise! Thanks for sharing!
This is good, I had to modify my ingredients.Iput in 3//4 cup 2percent milk,1tbsp of plain yogurt,and added some water bc it was thick constitency .
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sharon. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Um… THIS WAS SO GOOD I AM FREAKING OUT. I used all the ingredient besides the protons powder just to keep it super natural and Before I mixed it I honestly was thinking “how is this going to be good?” With such simple ingredients and OH MAN.
That was the actual best smoothie I have ever had in my life and it felt like such a guilt pleasure but I know it was not!
The one thing I will say is that I think
About 1.5 cups of whatever milk alternative (I used unsweetened collagen free almost milk) worked out a by better for me.
The suggested 3/4th is wasn’t blending so well, but that could just be me ??♂️ So I’d suggest a splash more milk or even a splash of water just to get it moving.
But all-in-all this was completely wonderful and thank you!
haha YAY! Thanks for sharing, Garrett!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now and definitely will be making it many more times this Fall. I added three dates to the recipe and I use sunflower protein.
I appreciate the tip on putting spinach in the freezer, started doing that yesterday. ?
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Roxanne. We are so glad you enjoy the smoothie and found the spinach tip helpful! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
I whipped up your pumpkin pie green smoothie last year & adored it. This year, I replaced the “vanilla protein powder” with a powder-less combo that I got from one of your other smoothie recipes: 2 Tblsp hemp hearts + 1 Tblsp chia seeds + 1 Tblspn instant oats. It came out smooth & delicious!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Susan!
I love this smoothie. I used spurilina powder and added zucchini. Nice and thick and absolutely delicious! A keeper!
Thanks for sharing! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xoxo
I did not really enjoy this smoothie to much, I have to agree with the 1st comment and say that it was pretty bland and did not taste much like pumpkin at all. It had a very small bannana taste at 1st go, however since it wasn’t sweet enough I added an addl 1/2banna which did sweeten it but it also made the bannana the only main flavor I could taste, so then I added a tsp of cocoa powder and was happy with that. Tasted like a bannana chocolate smoothie and my 7 year old was happy at the end as well. All this being said… I used only coconut milk, I had no almond. I also did not measure anything but that’s because I’ve been baking forever and never measure anything. I’m pretty good at ‘eyeballing’ measurements so I don’t think that factured in too much.
Sorry, but I really didn’t like this recipe. It came out super thick and I feel the ingredients portions are way off. This didn’t taste like pumpkin at all and was very bland. I’m not a fan of protein powder so I didn’t add that, but it would have been super easy to make it tasty without all the optional ingredients.
Sorry to hear that, Karrin! Better luck on your next recipe :)
My sentiments exactly! It tasted a little bitter to me. Too bad, I wanted to like it
Any one who tried this: could you tell me how much 1 recipe makes? I am estimating 20-21 oz or 2 1/2 cups.
I was really skeptical of this, but it turned out FANTASTIC! It honestly tastes just like other pumpkin smoothies I’ve had, but with the benefit of spinach. My green didn’t come out as vibrant or pretty as yours (probably because I didn’t have the green powder), but it still tasted pretty good.
At one point, I doubled the recipe (I like to fill up a mason jar and have this as my breakfast at work) and forgot the second banana. BIG mistake. This needs the sugar from the banana. I liked someone else’s idea of using dates and coconut oil, so I may give that a shot just to see how it goes. But if you think you can just nix the banana, I’m here to tell you: don’t.
The only change I made was making my own pumpkin pie spice, but I had to grind my cloves (I only had whole cloves from a previous recipe) which was…too much clove flavor. Next time, I’ll just buy some pumpkin pie spice.
OMG! Soooo good! I used Kale and cucumber instead… delicious.
Made this while looking for ways to use up the pumpkin puree in my freezer. Added a huge chunk of frozen puree with everything else fresh. Beautiful flavor combination, this is my new go-to smoothie. Thanks for posting! So delicious!
Swapped out the spinach for kale and used cholrella/spirulina tablets in substitute of green powder. Love the flavor combo, thanks for the inspo dana!!
The pumpkin smoothie was amazingly filling! Smooth and creamy just like a custard. Thank you for that and all your recipes. They’ve been so helpful since going plant based!
Delicious, creamy and nicely spiced. I used fresh baby spinach and couldn’t taste it in the smoothie.
So delicious! Followed the recipe exactly with Vega Protein and Greens but no green powder. Yum! My two year old loved it and kept asking for more. Great recipe!
I lost my green smoothie virginity with this one today! I probably didn’t make the most seasonal choice, but I love everything pumpkin any time of year. It was absolutely delicious and very refreshing! Thanks for the recipe Dana!
I absolutely LOVED this smoothie this morning. I usually do banana, spinach, coconut milk, and PB powder and was looking for a change. Absolutely delicious, filling, and beyond beautiful!
I love this! I’m having it right now. The banana, pumpkin and spinach were frozen, so it turned out like frozen yogurt. Yummy! Had to add double the cashew milk to get it going.
I absolutely loved it! So yummy! My 8 year old loved it too! I think I added more spinach to the recipe too. Very good recipe! Thank you!
Nothing so creamy and dreamy as a pumpkin pie smoothie. I personally can’t ever detect spinach flavor in my drinks. It’s just so mild. Who cares if it’s a different color?
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing. The husband loves it too.
Thanks Cathy!
This was great! I was out of banana but used a few dates and some coconut oil to compensate from the sweetness/fat from the banana.
I love everything about this smoothie–creamy, pumpkin pie-ish, and really green and super healthy. I don’t have the green powder but it’s just as wonderful without it. Thanks Dana!
This looks absolutely amazing, to ad a bit more sweetness i would ad a tea spoon of honey as well, I’ll definitely give it a try this weekend!
Just made this and its AMAZING. Perfect for when I want dessert in the morning but need the energy a smoothie provides.
Love this! I’ve been on a pumpkin smoothie kick and I love that you added some green to it! Just as good with just almond milk and I added an extra 1/2 t of cinnamon :)
It seemed like a really interesting idea, but probably my execution was terrible because I didn’t really enjoy the taste. Oh well.
I have a tip on cooking whole pumpkins. A large pumpkin, stab all around the top with large knife. Place on a plate, microwave on high for 25 minutes. Let cool, then easily slice, scoop away seeds, peel comes away easily, and the flesh is not soggy like boiled type.
This is amazing- so yummy! Banana spinach smoothie is already my favorite- & I love all things pumpkin- so you can imagine how excited I am about this! Tastes like I’m drinking pumpkin pie! The kids loved it as well- once they got past the glowing green color :)
I added wheatgrass and maca powders.
Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe!
Loved this, I used more almond milk instead of coconut milk, and hemp seeds instead of protein powder. Didn’t try the green powder. For those who didn’t like it, just change up the measurements to your liking. I don’t like super sweet smoothies, but you can always add more fruit or other sweeteners if thats what you want. The pumpkin makes this smoothie a lot more satisfying than a basic green smoothie, great idea
I just whipped this up in a few minutes using variations on ingredients and the amounts and it turned out great! I didn’t have spinach and was worried the kale I had would be too bitter but I used a small amount and it was fine. Here’s what I used: kale, frozen banana, almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, and double the pumpkin pie spice. Yum!
This is actually such a great idea
Great recipe. My toddler soon and I have been drinking this this smoothie for breakfast. I prefer thicker smoothies, so I swapped 1/4 cup Greek yogurt for the coconut milk and added 1/4 cup oats and a tablespoon your fantastic pumpkin butter for a little extra sweetness :) thank you!
I love smoothies but recently learned that I need to avoid bananas. What is a good substitute for bananas? And don’t say dates, they don’t work well in a blender.
I think you are a genius but sadly this recipe for me was horrible. I love pumpkin pie but not this :(
I couldn’t agree with you more!
Drinking away my sorrows with this smoothie. It is amazing! So creamy and well balanced with the flavors.
I’m loving this pumpkin pie green smoothie, Dana! The recipe looks simple and easy; gorgeous photos as always :)
This looks amazing! When it comes to pumpkin drinks, I often think of hot. I would have never thought about a smoothie! I can’t wait to try this one out. Thank you for sharing!
Made Pumpkin Pie Smoothie – only had to hand frozen minced spinach, and no mace. Used more liquid and it was more than adequate for two portions – absolutely delicious, very different. Thank you so much. Will try mango next!
best breakfast option…glutenfree…delicious.
Easily made within 5 mins.
Made the pumpkin bread this weekend and used the leftover over pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice for the shake this morning. Used Juiceplus Complete Vanilla Powder with Organic Burst wheatgrass powder and kale instead of spinach and it turned out great :)
I made it exactly as written with the protein powder and greens Powder. Delicious!
Hmmm, look great. Im running and I will taste this 100%
LOVE this pumpkin pie smoothie recipe and have used it before, THANKS for reminding me how good it is! Canned pumpkin puree is equally tasty, and nutritious per my Registered Dietitian wife, and I use it to keep my prep time under your designated 5 minutes. I threw a few frozen mango chunks in last time which made it even creamier without masking or dominating the pumpkin flavor.
Pumpkin everything is my favourite season :)
YES PLEASE !! I would totally down this as everyone else is down their pumpkin pie slices!
Hi, well I had the ingredients so gave it a try and Yikes! This was a big miss for me, so sorry… I even tried adding the vanilla powder and then tried the green powder but not able to get past this flavor combo. I am sure it is super healthy and hope others enjoy it and have better luck?! I may try deleting the spinach and adding apple if I dare again…
Hi there! Not sure why it didn’t work out! Love this flavor combo.
Perhaps I was expecting a different taste profile… I appreciate many other recipes you’ve given me so no harm in this rare mis-step. Thank you for the chance to make something new; I’ll never stop trying and learning!
Yes, I agree, a big miss. I’m thinking more pumpkin and less spinach MIGHT improve this recipe.
Love everything else I’ve made from the Minimalist.
Yes, someone else said maybe a fruit ( chopped apple, pear or orange juice) instead of the spinach? Reminds me of the Sesame Street song “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong…” and spinach is an odd inclusion. You are right though, this site has provided me with so many awesome recipes, the law of averages allows a miss!
Have you ever tried pumpkin seed butter? It’s GREEN and rlly yummy.
Can’t wait to try this! :)
hello how do you make the pumpkin puree? Is it cooked or just raw?
Dana can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m betting it’s canned pumpkin. There are lots of them on the market, but I like this organic brand: https://www.amazon.com/Farmers-Market-Foods-Organic-Pumpkin/dp/B000VK5VQW/
You just want to make sure that it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which will be sweetened and have extra spices added.
I cleaned the seeds and strings from a pumpkin. I roasted it in halves face down in the oven. Then I scooped it out and froze it. Wonderful to use in recipes
puree!
Gorgeous color and photos!
I also make such smoothies)) Also like to add a green apple) Delecious!
xo
This is actually such a great idea, thanks for posting!
Sounds amazing, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!