After hauling all of our furniture and hundreds of heavy boxes into our storage unit, my guy and I said good-bye to our tiny place and turned in the house keys to the rental agency. Because he immediately had to fly out for a business trip—and apartment hunting is no fun alone—I drove south to visit my parents for a few days until he returned.
Once I lugged 17 more boxes of baking ingredients, cake pans, and photography equipment into my childhood bedroom (food bloggers never stop working!), I collapsed onto the soft mattress and slept soundly until morning.
When I awoke, my legs ached for a run, so I pulled on shorts, laced up my shoes, and headed out the front door… Where a crisp and chilly overcast morning greeted me. Nothing like the blazing hot 105° weather 80 miles north in our town! After rubbing my palms together to get blood flowing into my fingertips again, I took off down the street, constantly thinking about baking fall pumpkin-y treats while I pounded my way around half the town.
But by the time I spotted my parents’ driveway over an hour later, the sun had started peeking out between the clouds. After I showered and snacked on a banana, warm summery weather had completely replaced the fall fog… And suddenly pumpkin muffins and cookies stopped sounding so appealing.
Yet since September marks the unofficial start to pumpkin season in my mind, I still wanted to make something with it! After a little bit of creative thinking and a tiny bit of tinkering, I came up with this…
A Skinny Pumpkin Pie Smoothie! Full of spices and sweet fall flavor, it literally tastes like the traditional Thanksgiving dessert in a glass. But with its cold and creamy texture, it’s much more refreshing than that heavy slice of pie! Made with just a few simple ingredients, this low-calorie smoothie is gluten free, vegan, and clean-eating too—the perfect guilt-free drink!
This easy smoothie starts with my favorite canned vegetable: pumpkin. We want the regular pumpkin purée, not the pie filling. The pie filling contains spices and lots of added sugar. Although it’s an easy shortcut when strapped for time on Thanksgiving, it’s not what we want for these healthy smoothies!
By using regular pumpkin purée, you get to decide how much sweetener and spice you add! I like to mix the pumpkin, milk, Truvia, and spices together in a bowl before pouring it into the blender. Some days I’m on a huge cinnamon kick; others, not so much. Taste as you go, and remember… The ice will dilute the spices, so it’s better to err on the side of just barely too much!
Once you find the perfect balance, just add that mixture to the blender along with the ice, and pulse until it’s smooth. My parents own a blender from the Stone Age, so I looked like a clown making mine, constantly bending down to peer at the base where the blades were hidden and stopped it every 15 seconds to move around the ice with one of my 13 spatulas.
But when I eventually finished, I offered my mom a taste of this Skinny Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. As soon as she swallowed, she exclaimed, “This is SO good!! It literally tastes like pumpkin pie!” before polishing off half of the smoothie.
It was totally worth sharing to see her so excited… Especially since I’m positive we’ll make lots more! ♥
This refreshing smoothie tastes exactly like the traditional Thanksgiving dessert! Feel free to adjust the amount of spice to suit your tastes. The recipe is easily doubled to serve more!
- Add everything except the ice to a blender, and pulse until combined. Add the ice, and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes: Any milk (1%, 2%, whole, almond, rice, etc.) may be used.
Substitute your favorite sweetener in place of the Truvia. If not using a no-calorie sweetener, the Nutrition Information may change.
I make a similar recipe. I divide the pumpkin puree into half cup portions and freeze in zip lock bags. No ice necessary and no watering down the flavor! I LOVE pumpkin smoothies and happen to be drinking one just as I came across your post. After all…it is September!
Great tip Chris!
Hi Amy, me again. I just noticed that you have the WW PointsPlus figured with your recipes! Thank you as I am an active WW member and greatly appreciate seeing the points. I forgot to mention that I add a half cup of plain fat free Greek Yogurt to my smoothie which makes it a great meal replacement with the added protein from the yogurt. That brings the recipe to 4 PointsPlus. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
That’s a great idea to add Greek yogurt to your smoothie. I really hope you enjoy the recipes that you try Chris!
Yummy! I love all things pumpkin, and I love cinnamon any day of the year! I usually use either a good meal replacement powder or a protein powder in my smoothies – BUT at 75 calories (including 5 grams protein), I could use this for a healthy snack anytime!
I completely agree about pumpkin and cinnamon! I hope you like the smoothie Shawna! 🙂
It looks very delicious. But can I use cow milk? With good wishes ?
I actually answered that already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the smoothie Kristina!
Oh, thank you. I’m not good in navigating English text
You’re welcome Kristina! I think you’re doing wonderfully with your English! 🙂
Amy;
Hi,your skinny pumpkin pie smoothie looks so good and I am going to make it in my magic bullet blender at the end of this month after I go buy the ingredients to make your smoothie.
Can I freeze the pumpkin puree to make the smoothie thicker?my blender is perfect for making smoothies for 1 person but it isn’t strong enough to crush ice cubes?
Can I put crushed ice cubes in your pumpkin pie smoothie if I don’t want to use crushed ice cubes?
Kim
You’re so kind Kim! I’m excited to hear what you think of this smoothie! 🙂 I don’t have any experience with freezing the pumpkin for this recipe, so I don’t know how that will turn out. But crushed ice is fine to use in place of the ice cubes!
Amy;
Hi,mom and I just made your skinny pumpkin pie smoothie with vanilla milk,and we followed your recipe and we decided to add vanilla yogurt it your smoothie even though it didn’t call for yogurt.we both love and enjoy drinking your smoothie and tastes really good.do you have an immune boosting smooth for diabetics,I am home sick with a cold that is affecting my asthma and my diabetes blood sugar,which is a common reaction with people with asta and diabetes.I am on meds and insulin for my diabetes but it can be challenging sometimes to control my blood sugar when Iam sick but it is much better ccontrolled when I am healthy.
Kim
I’m so glad you and your mom enjoyed this smoothie Kim! Vanilla yogurt sounds like a lovely addition. 🙂 The best way to find a specific recipe of mine is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Amy;
Hi,mom and I are going to make your skinny pumpkin pie smoothie for the third time,we can’t get enough of your smoothie,it tastes so good and it is filling and it lasts quite a while until we eat our dinner.I noticed that it didn’t bother my blood sugar at all as I am a diabetic,in fact it lowered my blood sugar.
Kim
Oh my goodness Kim!! The third time already?? WOW! That’s the best compliment I could’ve asked for — I’m SO thrilled you and your mom are enjoying this smoothie so much! And I’m even more excited that it didn’t raise your blood sugar. That’s wonderful!! 🙂 Thank you so much for your sweet comment!