Thick, creamy, and healthy Pumpkin Protein Shake is sure to satisfy your pumpkin pie cravings! It’s made with good-for-you ingredients and is so delicious!
Looking for more breakfast shakes or smoothies? Try this Green Smoothie Recipe, this Cherry Smoothie, or this Mango Smoothie next!
Pumpkin Protein Shake
This Pumpkin Protein Shake is thick enough to pass for a milkshake but healthy enough for breakfast! And that’s because there’s pumpkin, vanilla protein powder, and even a frozen banana in the mix. The banana adds creaminess and creates the consistency of a real milkshake.
And one of the greatest things about this Pumpkin Protein Shake? It’s the perfect way to use leftover pumpkin. A lot of pumpkin recipes call for only part of a can, so instead of wasting the rest, save it in the fridge and whip up this shake the next morning!
Pumpkin purée is made from cooked pumpkin and nothing else. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, is made from pumpkin purée AND sweetener, milk, and seasonings. Just pour it into a pie shell and bake. They’re both wonderful products, but they fill different needs. This recipe requires cooked pumpkin, not the pie filling. Be sure to check the label and get the correct product. Quick Tip
How to make Pumpkin Protein Shakes
- Freeze the banana: While Pumpkin Protein Shakes are quick and easy to make, you’ll need to do a bit of planning to make sure the banana is fully frozen when you need it. I like to prep the bananas right after bringing them home from the grocery store so I don’t forget. Remove the peel, slice the banana into coins, place in freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze overnight. It’s not hard; you just have to remember in advance to do it. (Remembering is the hard part!)
- Measure: While it might seem silly to actually measure out ingredients for a shake instead of just throwing everything in the blender, I highly recommend doing so the first few times you make this, or until you have a feel for the quantities. Throwing random ingredients in a blender can often end up giving you WAY too much Pumpkin Protein Shake or it can taste, well, off. It’s also a good idea to measure if you’re tracking macros or calories.
- Blend: If you have a high-powered blender (I recommend a Vitamix® or Blendtec® blender), you can add in the ingredients and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a powerful blender, however, follow manufacturer instructions for what ingredients to add first to avoid cavitation. (Who knew so much science was at play here?)
Healthy ways to use leftover pumpkin:
After making this pumpkin protein shake, you’ll have quite a bit of leftover pumpkin. Below are our favorite healthy recipes to use it in!
More pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars reader favorite recipe!
- Chewy and NOT cakey Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Carrot Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
![A cup filled with a creamy pumpkin protein shake, topped with a swirl of whipped cream.](https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Pumpkin-Protein-Shake-1-300x300.jpg)
Pumpkin Protein Shake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/2 cup frozen banana (sliced into coins and frozen beforehand)
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree (I recommend Libby's)
- 1 scoop (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (32g) vanilla protein powder See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1/8 teaspoon EACH: pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon
- 8 ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Optionally, garnish with graham cracker crumbs and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any recipes that have pumpkin please send to me!
Thank you
Hey Clare! If you follow this link: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/site-search/?fwp_keywords=pumpkin you can look through my pumpkin recipes! Enjoy! 🙂
Made this shake and it is GOOD! Just the right amount of pumpkin purée and spice to give the shake a hint of pumpkin but not over power it. I’ll definitely make this again – a very quick meal to have on a busy day.
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Mary! 🙂
Hi I love this recipe but I’m wondering if I can substitute peanutbutter for the almond butter as I’m allergic to almonds. walnuts and pecans.
Yes!
I made this today. I have a friend who
drops off a shake for me every week day. I wanted to surprise her with one.
This was so good. I’m excited to see what she thinks. I use soy milk so I added
some almond extract to the milk.
So happy to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks Debbie!
I made this tonight, and it was so good! I can’t have bananas, so I used some honey instead. It was awesome! Thank you!
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Tiffany! 🙂
Thanks! Ive made it per the recipe and a tweaked version, skipping the almond butter, added 1/4 oats for a bit more fiber, and doubled the pumpkin purée. Both versions are great 10/10.
So happy to hear this! Thanks Sal! 🙂
Wow. So I have this protein powder I hate and so I’m always looking for recipes to mask the taste. This recipe is amazing!! It’s subtle pumpkin. Not too sweet. Would/will definitely make this again through the fall season!!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Caitlyn! 🙂
Great recipe to take protein shake to a new level! I love it.
So thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks Jill! 🙂