This pumpkin smoothie was one of my first experiments with pumpkin purée TEN years ago. I had a little bit of pumpkin leftover from another recipe and thought, “Hey, can I put this in my smoothie?” Yes, Beth, yes you can. And it will taste like a pumpkin pie milkshake. Forget the PSL, this is the pumpkin drink I want to be drinking. Especially if you live in the south and it’s still 80 degrees outside in October. :P
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What’s in A Pumpkin Smoothie?
The ingredients for this smoothie are incredibly simple: pumpkin purée, frozen banana, ground flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice, milk, sweetener of choice, and vanilla extract. The frozen banana gives the smoothie an ice-cream-like texture and the ground flaxseed almost makes the smoothie taste like a graham cracker crust has been blended right into the drink. It’s magical!
Use the Milk of Your Choice
I used whole milk because it is the richest and creamiest, but you can use any non-dairy milk substitute in its place. If your non-dairy milk is already sweetened or vanilla flavored, you can reduce the added sweetener and or skip the vanilla extract listed in the recipe below.
Sweeten to Taste
The best part about making your own smoothie is that you can add as much or as little sugar as you want, and use whatever kind of sugar or sugar substitute that you like. I used brown sugar because it has a rich flavor that makes the smoothie even more pie-like, but you can use honey, white sugar, agave, stevia, or whatever you like. The frozen banana does offer some sweetness on its own, but I found the little extra sweetness really made a difference.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
If you don’t have store-bought pumpkin pie spice, you can use my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice here, or just sub in ¼ tsp cinnamon if needed. It’s such a small amount in the smoothie that it won’t make or break the smoothie.
Pumpkin Smoothie
Servings 1 16oz.Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pumpkin purée ($0.18)
- 1 frozen banana ($0.20)
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice ($0.02)
- 1 cup milk* ($0.42)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract ($0.07)
- 1 tsp brown sugar* ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the pumpkin, frozen banana, flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice, milk, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar (or sweetener of choice) and blend again. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Enjoy cold.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Small Blender
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make a Pumpkin Smoothie – Step By Step Photos
Add ⅓ cup pumpkin purée, 1 frozen banana, 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 cup milk, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract to a blender.
Blend until smooth, then give the smoothie a taste and add the sweetener of your choice to your liking. I added one teaspoon brown sugar.
Briefly blend again to dissolve the sweetener into the drink, then enjoy!
I thought it was delicious! One thing is that it turned out a little more banana tasting than pumpkin. I tried to fill out the flavor with other fall flavors, but the banana wouldn’t go! Overall super delicious!
Thanks so much for this recipe! It was the perfect festive after school treat for my middle schooler. We like our smoothies a little bit thicker, so we cut down on the milk a bit and added a 1/2 scoop of whey protein power (vanilla flavor). I think this is a new favorite!
Made this this morning (it’s not autumn, but pumpkin sounded pleasant regardless) and it was great!
I added 1 tsp. of agave nectar instead of the tablespoon of honey because it’s what I had on hand and it was still plenty sweet.
Next time I’m going to try only 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk and 1/2 cup cottage cheese to see if that helps cut some of the sweetness while also making it a bit more filling.
Thanks, Beth!
Okay so it looks like the internet is conspiring against me this morning. If it doesn’t work this time, consider my rating to be 5 stars.
Delicious! I love how thick and creamy this was. I topped this with some pumpkin spice granola and it was incredible. Thank you!
Mmmmm, yeeeees! I added about a tablespoon of almond butter because my flax has become dedicated to my dog – this is delicious! I could also see myself using some oats soaked in the almond milk overnight. This will be one of my regulars, thank you!
I used some Allspice instead of pumpkin spice….end result was delicious! The vanilla soymilk is key though.
I use real, cooked pumpkin for it (instead of canned) and it is downright my favourite smoothie! What a terrific use of pumpkin!
This sounds amazing! I have a can of pumpkin puree just waiting to be used, but do you have any ideas for substitutions for bananas? I’m allergic and have a hard time getting the same “meatiness” in a smoothie without them. I may put some almond butter in to bulk it up, but I’m trying to think of other ingredients.
Unfortunately, I really haven’t found anything that even comes close to the texture of a frozen banana in smoothies.
avocados have the same consistency in smoothies. I often use them
I bet you could freeze a banana sized portion of the pumpkin and use that for a similar effect; even potato in smaller quantities could work, but it would lack sweetness, sweet potato maybe?…
I freeze my pumpkin in ice cube trays, then pop them out and store them in a baggie in the freezer. I haven’t tried this specific recipe – but I often make pumpkin smoothies without bananas and the texture is great!
I know this is super old, but it might help someone else. You could try adding some white beans. It sounds weird, but the flavor is pretty neutral. Bananas are more sweet, so you may need a little extra sweetener.
Where does one get pumpkin pie spice? iv’e looked at bulk stores and grocery stores.. can’t find it anywhere!
Maybe the stores near you only carry it during the fall season, when people are baking pumpkin pies. But, because I know it can be hard to get a hold of, I made a post a while back about how to make your own pumpkin pie spice! :)
Hey you think of everything! Thx!
Loves it!
I wanted to make this for dessert tonight but I am completely out of milk! If I substitute water will it be too thin??
Yeah, I think you really need the milk to make it nice and creamy. But hey, maybe I’m wrong! You never really know until you try…
I love this, but I’m wondering what I could replace the flax seeds with. The last time I drank a smoothie containing flax seeds..we’ll just leave it at I don’t think my GI track is a fan. :\
You could maybe try some almonds, oats, or graham crackers.
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Today I made this with an addition of about 1/2 c. of cottage cheese. Holy moly, was that a great idea! It made it unbelievably creamy and filling, and the cottage cheese adds extra protein to keep you full longer. It almost tasted like a pumpkin cheesecake!
LeAmbre – I bet it would be good with sweet potato! After all, people make sweet potato pies just like they make pumpkin pies and they’re delicious!