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Pumpkin Pie Collagen Smoothie
If you want to taste pumpkin pie in a glass, this pumpkin smoothie is the perfect autumnal drink for you.
But with no whipped cream, dairy, or sugar-laden ingredients, this healthy pumpkin smoothie recipe will not have you feeling sluggish and glued to the couch for several hours after eating it.
We added healthy ingredients like frozen banana, canned pumpkin, oat milk, and collagen powder for an extra boost of gut, joint, and immune support.
If you love the flavors of pumpkin pie but don’t love the sugar crash, this satiating pumpkin smoothie is the perfect breakfast or snack that will help to keep you full and keep your blood sugar stable for hours.
How to Make a Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Healthy smoothies typically are low in sugar, moderate in carbs, and contain some form of protein.
In this healthy pumpkin smoothie, we added collagen powder for protein—however, you can add any protein powder that you like (a vanilla protein powder would be especially tasty).
If you make a smoothie that’s all fruit and no protein, you will likely cause a blood sugar spike that leaves you feeling hungry (or even the dreaded hangry) in an hour or so.
The goal of a healthy smoothie is to stabilize your blood sugar and leave you feeling full for at least a few hours.
Even if the ingredients sound healthy, some smoothies simply use too much of a sugar-forward food, which cranks up the carb and sugar content.
For example, the 20-ounce “Pumpkin Vegan” smoothie from Smoothie King has seemingly healthy-sounding ingredients (oat milk, bananas, dates, pumpkin pie spice, stevia, and protein powder), but it contains 44 grams of sugar and 70 grams of carbs.
Even worse, their “Pumpkin D-Lite” smoothie contains 52 grams of sugar from vanilla frozen yogurt—which is essentially ice cream and not what we want to start our day with.
And if you get the large (40-ounce) size, it’ll set you back 680 calories, 128 grams of carbs, and 105 grams of sugar—yikes.
Rather, in this healthy pumpkin smoothie recipe, we emulated the ingredients of a pumpkin pie (or pumpkin spice latte) but significantly cut down on the sugar content by using one small banana and eliminated the dairy (no fro-yo or ice cream here!).
If you love regular dairy or another type of nut milk (like unsweetened almond milk), feel free to use them instead of oat milk—the good thing about this smoothie recipe is that it’s customizable!
Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie Ingredients
- Canned Pumpkin: When made solely of real pumpkin, canned pumpkin is a healthy ingredient for any smoothie. It’s high in vitamin A and fiber, making it beneficial for immunity and gut health. We use a half-cup serving of pumpkin puree per pumpkin pie smoothie, but feel free to use more if you love pumpkin! As each half-cup only contains about 45 calories and 10 grams of carbs, you can add a bit more without breaking your caloric bank.
- Frozen Banana: We love adding frozen bananas instead of ice cubes because it makes for a cold and creamy smoothie. If you don’t love banana flavor, you can use less—try ¼ to ½ of a frozen banana instead. Keep in mind that the size of the banana you choose can alter the nutrition facts of this smoothie—a large banana can have almost double the amount of sugar and carbs as a small one.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. To make this smoothie taste like pumpkin pie (or a pumpkin spice latte), you must add pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice can be purchased as a blend, like this one from Simply Organic, or you can get the spices separately. Typically, pumpkin pie spice includes cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and ground ginger (not raw ginger root!).
- Pure Maple Syrup. Maple syrup adds a quintessential fall aroma and flavor to this pumpkin pie smoothie—but feel free to eliminate it or use less if you want to reduce the sugar content in this smoothie. Additionally, you can use a monkfruit-based maple syrup, like this one from Lakanto.
- Oat Milk. You can use any type of non-dairy milk that you prefer, but we love oat milk for its extra creaminess. However, it can vary widely in sugar and fat content—one of our favorites is Minor Figures Oat Milk Barista Blend, as it doesn’t contain added sugar or canola oil.
- Vanilla Extract. A smidge of vanilla extract brings out the pumpkin spice flavors without overpowering anything—yum!
- Collagen Powder. Last but not least, you need some protein to make this smoothie more satiating. Collagen powder is beneficial for skin, gut, joint, and immune health, making it perfect to add to your breakfast during the fall and winter months. Learn more about our favorite collagen powders here, including our top pick, Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein, which contains a whopping 10 types of collagen and 20 grams of protein per scoop.
Pumpkin Pie Collagen Shake
If you want to taste pumpkin pie in a glass, this pumpkin smoothie is the perfect autumnal drink for you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat milk
- ½ cup canned Pumpkin Puree
- ½ scoop of collagen powder
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- Frozen banana
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkle of cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Throw it all in a blender, blend, top with cinnamon, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 6gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.04gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 124mgPotassium: 432mgFiber: 6gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 19562IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 412mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie FAQs
How Many Calories Are in a Pumpkin Smoothie?
It depends on the ingredients used.
Our homemade pumpkin smoothie contains 280 calories, but pumpkin smoothies from smoothie bars may be in the 300-500 calorie range. For example, the regular (20-ounce) pumpkin smoothie from Smoothie King contains 340 calories, while the large (40-ounce) has 680 calories.
Is Pumpkin Puree Just Canned Pumpkin?
Yes, pumpkin puree is canned pumpkin—as long as you are checking the label to be sure it says “100% pumpkin.” You can also look at the ingredient list to see if there are additional ingredients—it should only say pumpkin.
Are Pumpkin Smoothies Healthy?
Pumpkin smoothies can be healthy—especially if you make them at home.
Many smoothies from smoothie bars are higher in sugar and carbs than homemade versions—like the pumpkin smoothies from Smoothie King, which have 52 grams of sugar in 20 ounces.
To make a healthy pumpkin pie smoothie, simply mix non-dairy milk (like almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk), real pumpkin puree (canned is fine), a protein source (like collagen or vanilla protein powder), pumpkin pie spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves), and frozen banana.
You can also add a bit of maple syrup or honey (no more than one tablespoon) if you want it to be a little sweeter.
Is Canned Pumpkin Healthy?
Yes, canned pumpkin puree is healthy—as long as it is 100% pumpkin. Be sure that you are not buying pumpkin pie filling, which includes sugar, dairy, and other ingredients.
Your canned pumpkin puree should say simply “pumpkin puree” or “100% real pumpkin.” A good option is Farmer’s Market Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree.
Canned pumpkin has a lot of health benefits, including being high in beta-carotene (the precursor to vitamin A), with one cup containing 245% of your recommended daily intake.
Vitamin A is crucial for immune function, making it perfect for eating in the fall and winter, and beta-carotene is a vital antioxidant for fighting oxidative stress and supporting eye health and vision.
Pumpkin also contains vitamin C, potassium, fiber, vitamin E, and iron, and is low in calories, making it a supremely healthy food.
What Is the Healthiest Thing to Put in a Smoothie?
Healthy ingredients for a pumpkin smoothie (or any smoothie) are foods high in protein, healthy fat, and fiber and low in sugar.
We love adding frozen bananas (just one small banana or half of a large banana) to smoothies to increase the creaminess, but adding other sugar-rich foods (like dates) can take the sugar content up too high.
Other healthy ingredients for smoothies include plain Greek yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt if you prefer), almond milk, coconut milk, almond butter or another nut butter, frozen berries, collagen powder, protein powder, chia seeds, or hemp seeds.
What Can You Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree?
If you have leftover pumpkin puree after making this pumpkin pie smoothie, you can save it in a glass container in the fridge for your next smoothie (which we’re sure will be soon).
You can also freeze the leftover puree, use it in fall soups, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, or add it to a pumpkin spice latte (check out our homemade and healthy PSL here!).
