Pumpkin smoothie with kale

This autumnal pumpkin smoothie is packed with kale, bananas, non-dairy milk, and warming spices. It’s a delicious breakfast or anytime snack. Vegan & gluten-free.

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.

Tips for freezing bananas

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.

How to make a pumpkin smoothie

Here’s what you’ll need.

Blend non-dairy milk, canned pumpkin, kale, flax seed or chia seed, frozen banana chunks, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, and nutmeg in a high speed blender. 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!)

Make it your own

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.

What if I don’t have a high-speed blender?

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.

More smoothie recipes

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

Pumpkin smoothie with kale

This kale & pumpkin smoothie is just the beverage to get you in the autumn spirit. It's perfect for breakfast or an anytime snack.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beverage

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: dairy free, green smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup non-dairy milk
• ▢ 2 to 3 leaves curly kale stems removed (about one big handful)
• ▢ ½ cup canned pumpkin not pie filling
• ▢ 2 to 3 bananas frozen in chunks
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons flaxseed or chia seed*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ Pinch nutmeg
• ▢ 6 ice cubes

Instructions

• ▢
  Put non-dairy milk, a big handful of kale, canned pumpkin, frozen banana chunks, flaxseed or chia seed, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg into a blender. Blend until fully blended.
• ▢
  Add ice cubes to blender. Blend until the ice cubes are fully broken down.

Notes

Depending on the size of your bananas, you can use either 2 or 3 frozen bananas.

Canned pumpkin is not the same as pumpkin pie filling. The ingredients should read 100% pumpkin.

If your non-dairy milk is sweetened, you may want to omit the maple syrup.

If you're not using a high speed blender, I recommend blending the kale alone with the non-dairy milk before adding the other ingredients. It helps to fully break down the kale. You'll also want to use ground flaxseed/chia seed, or grind it in a coffee grinder before putting it in the blender.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 1052mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 15766IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 290mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Content, recipe, and photos updated October 2020. Originally posted December 2011.