Pumpkin smoothie with kale

If the changing leaves and sweater weather have you craving all things fall, look no further than this pumpkin smoothie.

It includes:

• Filling pumpkin
• Nutrient-dense kale
• Frozen bananas for creaminess
• Chia or flaxseed for whippy viscosity & omega 3 fatty acids
• Maple syrup for autumnal sweetness
• A splash of vanilla
• A dash of cinnamon
• And a pinch of nutmeg

With pleasing pumpkin plus the spices the season is known for, this smoothie makes an excellent breakfast, mid-afternoon snack, or post-apple orchard pick-me-up.

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Room temperature bananas work just fine in a smoothie. But adding them frozen really takes your drink up a notch.

Frozen bananas are often used for nice cream, because when that frozen fruit is blended, it becomes beautifully creamy. So it stands to reason that adding them to a smoothie gives the drink a wonderful thickness.

To freeze bananas, peel them first. Break them into chunks. Then freeze in a freezer safe resealable bag or glass container.

When you’re ready to use the frozen banana, just pull out as many pieces as you need.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Blend the following in a high-speed blender:

• Non-dairy milk
• Canned pumpkin
• Kale
• Flax seed or chia seed
• Frozen banana chunks
• Cinnamon
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla
• Nutmeg

Blend until smooth.

Add several ice cubes for a mellower, thicker, icier smoothie.

Blend until the ice cubes are fully broken down.

(Have pumpkin leftover? Use the rest in pumpkin oatmeal!)

You can make this smoothie your own by varying the ingredients and amounts.

• Not a fan of kale? Use spinach instead, or leave out the greens completely.
• Use vanilla non-dairy milk instead of plain, and you can omit the vanilla extract.
• If your non-dairy milk is sweetened, you can omit the maple syrup.
• Add a pinch of dried ginger for more fall flavor. Or use pumpkin pie spice to taste instead of cinnamon & nutmeg.
• Don’t want to use canned pumpkin? Make pumpkin purée from scratch instead.

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you’ll want to make a few adjustments.

First, I recommend blending the kale alone with the non-dairy milk before adding the other ingredients.

It’s easier to fully break up the kale when there aren’t other elements involved. That way you aren’t chewing on a salad while sipping your drink.

Second, you’ll want to use ground flaxseed or ground chia seed.

Or you can grind whole seeds first in a coffee grinder before adding them to the blender.

Here are more smoothie recipes I know you’ll love:

• Mango banana smoothie
• Sweet potato smoothie
• Chocolate peanut butter smoothie
• Peanut butter banana smoothie
• Blueberry banana smoothie