Nutritious Smoothies with Pumpkin

Smoothies are a great option when you want a quick breakfast, something you can take
on-the-go, or an easy way to put together fruits, veggies, and other superfoods without
cooking. In the fall, there are many ways to incorporate seasonal produce in your
smoothies, including with some fresh pumpkin. Try out one of these healthy and
delicious pumpkin smoothies.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This first pumpkin smoothie option is one that caters to those who really want a
breakfast smoothie that tastes just like a pumpkin pie. You can also have this smoothie
as a healthy alternative when others are having fattening pumpkin pie for dessert, but
you want to eat something a little on the more nutritious side. To start this smoothie, you
should have one frozen banana so that you don’t need added ice, along with pumpkin
puree or canned pumpkin, Greek yogurt, and some milk. You can choose regular milk,
almond milk, or even cashew milk. To make it taste like pumpkin pie, add some
pumpkin pie spice, a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg, and some pure maple syrup.

Blend it all together and enjoy.

Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

This next smoothie is very similar to your traditional pumpkin pie smoothie, but it adds
some extra ingredients to help increase your protein. You can go ahead and start with
the same ingredients as the previous smoothie, including your banana, milk, yogurt,
pumpkin, and the spices. The difference here is you want to change up how you get you
protein. Milk and bananas are good for protein, but you can go one step further by
adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder. You might even be able to find pumpkin spice
protein powder this time of year. Add that as well and it turns into a protein smoothie.

Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie

If you are a vegan or simply want a dairy-free option, it is really easy to do. All you really
need to do is get rid of the regular milk and yogurt, and go for dairy-free options.
Replace your milk with almond milk or coconut milk to start with. Instead of the regular
Greek yogurt, you can either use a type of vegan yogurt, or add in another banana or
two to get the same consistency. The rest of the pumpkin smoothie ingredients can be
the same as the previous two options. This is a really easy way to make it vegan.