I saw Maggie’s gluten-free pumpkin pie smoothie last week and, being pregnant and hungry, I couldn’t resist making a version of my own.
Not only do I love pumpkin, but this smoothie is packed with good-for-the-baby foods. Orange foods contain the phytonutrients carotenoids and bioflavonoids that can boost immunity, promote heart and eye health, and lower the risk of some cancers.
When I make a smoothie, I generally opt for almond milk or water as the liquid. I haven’t been able to touch almond milk or almond butter since I got pregnant. Many of my food aversions left after the first four months but I still have some hanging on.
I decided to use a little Greek yogurt in my smoothie, which gives just the right amount of tang to balance out the sweetness from the stevia, banana, and orange. For me, the flavor is a little more interesting and less one dimensional.
If you’re a pumpkin fan like I am, check out some of these gluten-free recipes:
- CrockPot Pumpkin Pie Pudding
- Almost Pumpkin Pie
- CrockPot Pumpkin Chili with Ground Beef, Black Beans, and Kidney Beans from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie from The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Much love,
Amy
A healthy smoothie rich with fall seasonal flavors.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1/2 of a frozen banana
- 1/4 of an orange, peel removed
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 10 - 12 swipes of nutmeg across the grater
- 6 ice cubes
- 1/2 - 1 cup of filtered water
- powdered stevia to taste
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients except the stevia into your Vita-mix in the order listed, starting with the pumpkin.
- Start on low, increase quickly to high, until thoroughly blended.
- Sweeten to taste with stevia.
- Serve immediately.
Jan J
posted on October 12, 2011 at 9:36 am
Sound delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
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Candi
posted on October 12, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Oh, I just have to make this. I am craving it right now. Wondering about chia seeds. I see them in some recipes around the net. Is it for protein or does it take the place of a binder?
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Amy Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:00 am
@Candi, Chia seeds are a superfood, containing in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc.
They are used for different purposes in recipe. Here, they add a nutritional punch and I find that they keep my smoothies from separating as they sit.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Jennifer Trias
posted on October 12, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Chia seeds have good fiber, good fats, and also some protein. I don’t know if they work as binders or not, but that is probably why they are in here. I use them, along with ground flax seeds, ground pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds in my morning smoothies.
Also, for a non-dairy version I would recommend coconut milk or coconut cream or even some almond milk would be tasty.
[Reply]
Heather @Gluten-Free Cat
posted on October 12, 2011 at 8:50 pm
There are pumpkin smoothie recipes all over the web right now, but I love how creamy yours sounds the the combo of Greek yogurt, pumpkin, and banana. Yum!!
[Reply]
Gail
posted on October 12, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Hi Amy,
Oh Boy! As soon as this recipe came through my e-mail I went to the kitchen and gathered all the ingredients to make this as I had some pumpkin puree in the frig that needed using up from a pumpkin bread that I made this morning. I am wondering as I followed everything in this recipe to the letter except for the 1/4 orange which I did not have, and I added the other half of my frozen banana in its place. It was a small to medium sized banana. It wouldn’t move in my Vitamix. It just sat there and I used the tamper too. I was afraid that I was going to damage my machine because I had it on high at the variable speed and it wouldn’t move the ingredients even using the tamper. I then added about 1/2 cup water and there still wasn’t enough liquid to get it really mixing, and so then I added some almond milk–probably 1/2 cup. It still was quite thick, but I drank it. Why do you suppose it is not turning into a smoothie as it was as thick as a milkshake. My Vitamix machine was just purchased in June and I believe there is nothing wrong with it. It just wouldn’t move the above ingredients without the addition of more liquid. It was very tasty when I did get to try it.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes Amy!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:55 am
@Gail, Well, that’s because I left the water out of the recipe.
Thanks for reminding me. Yes, add some water to get it moving. I updated the recipe so that it’s accurate.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Kathy
posted on October 12, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Would this work in a regular blender (as I don’t have a vita-mix YET lol)?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:51 am
@Kathy, Yes, but you may have to do some extra scraping down and stirring to get it really smooth. It’s why I love my VitaMix.
Hugs,
Amy
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Janel
posted on October 13, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Looks so good!
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InTolerant Chef
posted on October 17, 2011 at 3:52 pm
It’s so different from anything I’ve ever tried with pumpkin before, I might have to wait until my pumpkins are harvested though.
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Ann
posted on October 18, 2011 at 10:04 am
Hi Amy,
Can’t wait to try this on my husband. He will love it. I noticed you used Chia. We were just introduced to this yesterday and am glad to see you using and approved them. We want them for the Omega and fiber. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
@Ann, Yes, I love chia! I get mine in bulk because it’s so much cheaper.
You might also want to check out my Lemon Coconut Bar recipe – it uses Chia. http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/lemon-coconut-bars-dairy-free/
What other recipes are you using with chia? I’d love to know.
[Reply]
Ann Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 10:31 am
@Amy, Thanks for the information. I’ve always loved Lemon bars! I think I’ll check on line too, we only have one ‘health food grocery’ here!
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Christina
posted on May 16, 2012 at 2:28 am
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Is whip cream on top g-free?
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Amy Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at 12:36 pm
@Christina, Yes, whipped cream is gluten-free.
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Cyrvy Christina in Colorado Reply:
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:35 am
@Amy, Wow, yay! This seriously looks great, would replaceing breakfast with it be nutritional? Do yo know how many callories/fat is in 8 ounces of it? Or is this just for like a cheat day (I am trying to lose weight)…
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