Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Welcome back to the final week of the Healthy Greek Eats blogger challenge!

This week’s featured ingredient is Greek yogurt.  Healthy Greek Eats Greek Yogurt is made with whole milk so it is richer than the yogurt I am used to, but it’s so creamy and delicious that I was tempted to eat the entire container with just a spoon!

But I was able to resist, so just in time for Halloween, I bring you my pumpkin pie smoothies.

They are creamy, sweet and perfectly pumpkin-y.  This smoothie can be enjoyed for breakfast (hey, it does have Greek yogurt and a frozen banana in it!), as an afternoon snack or as a dessert treat.  You can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it to make it more of a milkshake, too.

I love anything pumpkin and anything to do with Fall.  I’d never made anything other than pumpkin pie, pumpkin oatmeal and pumpkin butter before, so I had to play with this recipe a few times to get it right.  The color didn’t show up incredibly bright in the pictures, but they have a nice mellow orange tint to them.  Not overpoweringly orange like a pumpkin pie or PSL.

The first couple of times I made the smoothies they just weren’t sweet enough or thick enough.  I found that the secret to a thicker smoothie is freezing the pumpkin puree, and adding maple syrup provided the perfect touch of sweetness.

I had this great little heart-shaped silicon ice-cube tray from Ikea that was perfect for this.  Because the silicon is flimsy you can easily pop the pumpkin cubes out once they are frozen.  A plastic ice-cube tray might be tricky to remove the frozen pumpkin from, but it’s worth a shot!

What you’ll need: pumpkin puree, banana, almond milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, walnuts, maple syrup and salt.

The only prep work involved is that you need to freeze your pumpkin puree and banana overnight.  It’s not completely necessary, because you can still achieve the yummy taste with room-temp ingredients.  However it won’t be nearly as thick and creamy if you don’t freeze them first.  If you really don’t have time, then you could add some ice cubes to help make your smoothie colder and thicker.

Once you’re ready to go, just add everything to your blender and mix until smooth!  If it’s too thick and it won’t blend well, add more milk as needed to thin it up.  Taste for seasoning and add more maple syrup to your liking.  Then top or garnish with crushed graham crackers, Cool Whip, sprinkles, candy corn, Peeps or whatever topping tickles your fancy!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Original Recipe from Lauren at Hugs ‘N Kitchen

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 15oz can pumpkin puree, frozen in ice-cube tray
• 1 large banana, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 2 Tablespoons walnuts
• 2-3 Tablespoons good maple syrup (or agave nectar, honey or sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• optional garnishes: crushed graham crackers, Cool Whip, whipped cream, marshmallow Peeps, candy corn

Prep Work:

1. Freeze half a can of pumpkin puree in a silicon ice-cube tray overnight.
2. Peel and slice a large banana and freeze overnight in a ziplock bag.

Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in your blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. If the mixture is too thick and won’t blend, add more milk as needed.
4. Taste and adjust sweetness to your preference by adding more maple syrup.

Hugs, kisses & yummy dishes… xoxo
Lauren