Pumpkin Protein Shake to Spice Up Smoothie Routines

Don’t fret about pumpkin spice lattes. Instead whip up your own dairy-free pumpkin protein shake. It’s far healthier, but still boasts a sweet, delicious flavor that beckons to pumpkin pie in a glass! The consistency of this pumpkin smoothie is cool, creamy, and even spoonable, if you wish. While the taste is rich with comforting fall ingredients, like pumpkin spice.

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Protein Shake with Pumpkin Pie Spices

This easy, rich and nutrient-dense pumpkin spice smoothie combines the wonderful flavors of pumpkin pie with less sugars and more wholesome ingredients. We like it for breakfast or as a post-workout snack. I first shared the recipe about ten years ago, but am updating it with the newer version from my book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. I have also added nutrition facts and answers to FAQs below, so you can customize your dairy-free pumpkin protein shake!

Can I Use Almond Milk or Oat Milk instead of Coconut Milk?

You can definitely substitute almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or whatever plant-based milk you choose. Lite canned coconut milk just adds more creaminess to this dairy-free pumpkin protein shake. It’s also a little thicker, so your pumpkin smoothie will be a touch thinner and less rich without it.

How Can I Reduce the Fat and Saturated Fat?

Most of the fat and almost all of the saturated fat is from the lite coconut milk. If you substitute a low fat milk alternative, like unsweetened almond milk, it will reduce the calories to 243, the fat to 3g, and the saturated fat to just .2g.

What Type of Dairy-Free Protein Powder do you Recommend?

My favorite dairy-free protein powders for smoothies are usually pea protein powder or collagen peptides (not vegan). I find these provide the smoothest and creamiest consistencies with minimal taste. However, I like to use pumpkin seed protein powder in this dairy-free protein shake to go with the theme. It’s also quite good. I usually keep it simple with unsweetened single-ingredient protein powder. But a vanilla protein powder or even pumpkin spice protein powder would be great. If using a flavored protein powder, you might not need to add sweetener.

Where Can I Get Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Protein Powder?

There are actually several brands! I usually buy vegan protein powder on Amazon. Naked Shake and Orgain Organic Vegan Protein are two popular brands with pumpkin spice flavors. Neither contains pumpkin, but rather pumpkin pie spices or flavor. You’ll still need to use pumpkin in the recipe for pumpkin pie flavor. If using one of these plant-based protein powders, you might want to reduce the spices in the recipe, and might not need to add any additional sweetener.

Can I Add More Protein?

You certainly can, but keep in mind that protein powder does affect the taste and consistency of smoothies. The more you add, the more you will notice it in the texture and taste. When I want a seamless pumpkin pie smoothie, I just add 1 tablespoon protein powder. When making a dairy-free pumpkin protein shake, I add 2 tablespoons or a scoop, which is usually 2 to 3 tablespoons. Any more, and it does start getting quite “powdery.” Another option is to add a tablespoon or two of nut or seed butter. These add protein, fat, and fiber, and maintain the rich, creamy vibe.

Do You Have a Banana-Free Option?

I seem to get a lot of requests for banana-free smoothies! Banana lends a creamy texture and hint of sweetness to this protein shake recipe. If you can’t do bananas, I recommend increasing the pumpkin purée a bit (perhaps to 1/2 cup) and adding a couple pitted medjool dates along with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and ice to reach your desired consistency. You might not need any stevia or additional sweetener in this version of the pumpkin spice protein shake (beyond the recommended touch of maple syrup). Dates are quite sweet in their own right.

Can I Just Use Cinnamon instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice?

It’s true that you can get too much of a good thing. This pumpkin spice protein shake is already on the somewhat high side for cinnamon. Depending on weight, it’s recommended that people cap their cinnamon intake at 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per day. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can omit it, make the version in the recipe notes, or add up to another 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus a pinch of nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and/or cloves. Feel free to use whichever spices you enjoy most.

What are the Health Benefits of this Dairy-Free Pumpkin Protein Shake?

In addition to 18 grams of protein, it’s quite high in fiber from the fruit. It’s also rich in several vitamins and minerals. One full smoothie the following RDA percentages: 400% vitamin A, 48% iron, 30% vitamin B6, 14% potassium, and 13% vitamin C. It also contains notable amounts of other B vitamins and magnesium. As is, it naturally contains 64mg of calcium, which you can increase to over 200mg with a calcium-fortified milk alternative in place of the coconut milk.

Special Diet Notes: Pumpkin Protein Shake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, vegetarian and paleo.

Alisa Fleming

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Protein Shake

5 from 2 votes

This cool, creamy smoothie tastes like pumpkin pie filling in a glass! It's nice and thick, so you an savor it with a spoon. You could even use it as the base for a smoothie bowl. But feel free to thin it if you want a more drinkable consistency. Please note that the stevia in this recipe isn’t purely for adding sweetness. It also helps brighten the spices and other flavors.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings: 1 big smoothie

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Calories: 296

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• ½ cup lite canned coconut milk
• 1 frozen banana broken into chunks
• ⅓ to ½ cup pumpkin puree to taste
• 2 tablespoons plain dairy-free protein powder
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla flavoring or extract
• ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe below
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or more pumpkin pie spice
• 2 to 4 drops stevia optional
• Pinch salt

Method

 

1. Put the coconut milk, banana, pumpkin, protein powder, maple syrup, vanilla, pie spice, cinnamon, stevia, and salt in your blender and puree until smooth.
2. If the shake is too thick, you can blend in more lite coconut milk or water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 1smoothieCalories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 40.9gProtein: 18.1gFat: 8.8gSaturated Fat: 6.7gSodium: 440mgFiber: 6.8gSugar: 20.6g

Notes

Protein Variation: If you don’t have a favorite protein powder handy, you can substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons of nut or seed butter. This will result in a slightly richer and very delicious shake.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe: In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon ground allspice. You can optionally add up to 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves for a spicier kick. This makes about 1/3 cup.

This recipe is from my flagship book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook.

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