Protein-packed Carrot Cake Smoothie! Made with 2 whole carrots and many other wholesome ingredients it's healthy, satisfying, tastes like dessert, and contains 17 grams of plant protein!
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A smoothie for when you'd love some carrot cake but it's breakfast time and you don't have any carrot cake...
This Carrot Cake Smoothie is luxuriously thick and creamy, deliciously wholesome, protein-packed, and sustaining. Inspired by my Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, and reminiscent of carrot cake with all the same flavors (minus the cream cheese frosting!) but in a healthy and just the right amount of sweet way, it's here for you when you have a carrot cake crisis.
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Carrots - 2 whole raw carrots! Don't worry. It doesn't taste like salad or even overly carroty. Just sweet, delicious, and perfectly spiced!
- Banana - Frozen banana to make it extra thick and creamy. You can use a fresh banana if that's all you have but add a handful of ice when blending to compensate.
- Pineapple - I love pineapple in carrot cake so it had to make an appearance here. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned. If you don't have any use some mango, orange, or apple instead.
- Milk - Any such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, or cashew milk is fine. My preference in smoothies though is always soy milk because it's way higher in protein, increasing the satiety of your smoothie.
- Oats - They add starch and substance making your smoothie thick and filling. They also make it taste a bit cake-y!
- Nut/seed butter - This adds great flavor and healthy fats. You can use any nut or seed butter such as peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter, or tahini. If you don't have any nut or seed butter you can use raw nuts instead. Pecans, almonds, and walnuts work particularly well. You could even use pumpkin or sunflower seeds if you're nut-free.
- Medjool date - For sweetness and caramel flavor. If you don't have a date use a little maple syrup or agave instead.
- Cinnamon - I love cinnamon but you could use apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, or a combination.
- Flax - I used flax but you can use chia or hemp seeds. Or all 3! I like to add these to smoothies because they add extra healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
- Vanilla - It adds a little layer of background flavor. Not essential but nice if you have some.
- Salt - Just a pinch. It enhances all of the lovely flavors in your smoothie!
Make It A Smoothie Bowl
This smoothie is really thick so works well as a smoothie bowl. Make it as per the directions but use ¼ cup less milk so it's extra thick. Spoon the smoothie into a bowl then top with all the delicious toppings you can think of. Fresh fruit (this one works well with sliced banana, pineapple, or diced apple), dried fruits (like raisins, figs, dates, and dried pineapple), vegan granola, nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, date caramel, chocolate shavings/chips, caramelized bananas, drizzles of nut/seed butter, etc are all great additions.
Recipe FAQs
Frozen cauliflower is a great alternative. I know it doesn't sound appetizing but it really works to thicken and add creaminess and you can't pick up the flavor at all. I'd use a heaping cup in this recipe. I think some canned chickpeas would probably work well too. About half a cup should do it.
If your blender isn't a high-powered one like a Blendtec or Vitamix I recommend blending the oats up on their own first so they are a coarse flour-like consistency. I also recommend using cooked or partially cooked carrots.
Steaming or boiling veggies for dinner? Add some extra carrots (you can peel, trim, then add them whole). Or microwave some carrots. Slice the 2 carrots and add them to a medium microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Top with a plate and microwave for 3 minutes. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Very carefully remove the plate (steam can burn). Let them cool down before making your smoothie.
The carrots don't need to be completely soft. As long as they are partially cooked it will help your blender to blend them smoothly.
Cooked carrots can be kept for 4 or 5 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Recipe
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Author:Ingredients
- 1 medjool date , or 1 tablespoon of maple syrup/agave
- 2 medium carrots , peeled and sliced (about 1 cup or 120g)
- 1 frozen banana
- heaping ⅓ cup (40 grams) rolled/old fashioned oats , certified gluten-free if necessary
- ½ cup (100 grams) pineapple , canned, fresh, or frozen (or mango, orange, or apple)
- 1 tablespoon flax, chia, or hemp seeds , ground or whole
- 1 tablespoon nut or seed butter , or raw pecans/walnuts/sunflower/pumpkin seeds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk of choice , I use soy for the extra protein
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- First up remove the stone from your date and pop it in a mug or small bowl. Run a little hottish water, cover the date and leave it to soak for a couple of minutes while you get the rest of the smoothie underway. Even if you have a high powered blender I recommend doing this. It really helps it to blend up super smoothly.
- Add everything to a high-powered blender (don't forget to drain and add the date) then blend until smooth. Check the thickness and add a little more milk to thin if necessary. If you use fresh or canned pineapple it should be ok, but if you use frozen it will definitely need a little more milk.
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Lisa says
Yum! I skipped the vanilla extract but added a scoop of my vanilla protein powder and ended up with 21 grams of protein. So filling! Thanks for sharing!
Melanie McDonald says
Great idea! So pleased you enjoyed it Lisa!