Pumpkin & Fig Smoothie

This healthy pumpkin smoothie is creamy, includes a serving of orange vegetables, and to be honest, kind of tastes like dessert. What’s not to like?

Apparently I’m all about the seasonal recipes lately and I’m totally owning it. Isn’t it funny how sometimes the most unplanned things end up turning out the best?

Truth: this smoothie was never meant to make it on the blog.

I randomly made it for breakfast one day because a) we were low on food and b) I remembered that I still had two cans of pumpkin in the pantry from last fall and wanted to use it in something besides a baked good.

Cans are perfect for when you need some produce in a pinch. I think they get a bad rap for being nutritionally sub-par, but in reality some vegetables are actually more nutritious after having been cooked/processed.

Favorite Canned Vegetable Staples

• Beans (garbanzo, black, and pinto)

• Diced tomatoes for soups, chilis, marinara sauce, and a stand-in for pizza sauce

• Corn (when out of season) for burrito bowls and Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes

• Pumpkin for adding to oatmeal, smoothies and muffins/quick breads

What else would you add to this list?

I’m a huge proponent for keeping a well-stocked pantry because it makes weeknight cooking a million times easier and can be a lifesaver when you run out of fresh produce but still want to make a balanced meal.

Related | Get my free Kitchen Inventory Checklist! 

How to Make a Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie

I knew I had made something similar to this in the past, but I cannot for the life of me remember exactly what I put in it. I rummaged through the fridge to find anything that I thought would pair well with the pumpkin and here’s what I came up with:

• Milk for the liquid component. Use your favorite! I used 1%.

• Frozen banana, because in my opinion, no smoothie is complete without it. This is what makes smoothies extra creamy and it also adds a little bit of natural sweetness.

• Fresh figs because I needed to use these up ASAP before they went bad (do not procrastinate with your figs)

• PB Love Co cinnamon almond butter for fat, protein and flavor. You can certainly sub almond butter + extra cinnamon!

• Hemp hearts for more protein, texture and because in all honesty, smoothies are the opposite of photogenic without something on top (especially when they are pale orange in color)

• Cinnamon because I love it and seem to put it on almost every breakfast food out there

The final result is thick and creamy, has a serving of orange vegetables (always impressive at breakfast) and to be honest, kind of tastes like dessert.

Let me know if you give it a try!

Pumpkin and Fig Smoothie

This healthy pumpkin smoothie is creamy, includes a serving of orange vegetables, and to be honest, kind of tastes like dessert. What’s not to like?

• Author: Leanne Ray, MS, RDN
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 serving 1x
• Category: Breakfast

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1/2 large frozen banana
• 3 fresh figs
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon almond butter (see notes)
• 1 cup milk (of choice!)
• 2–3 ice cubes
• 1 Tbsp hemp hearts, plus more for topping
• Extra cinnamon to garnish

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except hemp hearts and cinnamon to a blender and and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour into a glass, then top with hemp hearts and cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Notes

• If you can’t find cinnamon almond butter (or don’t want to buy it for just this one recipe), feel free to substitute plain almond butter + 1/4 tsp cinnamon. 
• Frozen bananas: I keep a gallon size zip top bag of peeled (overripe) bananas in my freezer at all times. Just break in half before adding to you blender. It makes for a really creamy consistency and adds natural sweetness to smoothies. 

Keywords: healthy pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin recipes, smoothies