Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

The plan was to make a pumpkin smoothie, something seasonal, wholesome, nourishing, and yes, delicious. I pulled out the ingredients that I figured would, in some combination, result in the smoothie of my imagination: pumpkin puree, plain yogurt, low-fat milk, almond milk, honey, maple syrup, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, whole oranges, and frozen bananas. But all didn’t go down as planned. What started as a creative endeavor turned into a wrestling match yielding frothy concoctions that tasted “good for you,” but not especially “good.”

A Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

After several attempts, I abandoned my best intentions, grabbed the car keys, and high-tailed it to the supermarket for the one ingredient that I was sure would lead to success: a quart of vanilla frozen yogurt. Once back home with my frozen treat, it was only a matter of minutes before I hit the smoothie jack pot. But it wasn’t really a smoothie anymore, it was a shake. And when topped with crumbled graham cracker, it became a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake.

On the Lighter Side

The whole exercise was a reminder that sometimes there’s no substitute for sugar and cream and egg yolks. Even so, my shake comes in at under 200 calories and just 1 gram of saturated fat. And although it may not be quite as “good for you” as I’d planned, it certainly is very very good.

5 from 1 vote

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Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

This creamy shakes fits the bill for a luscious, pumpkin treat, but comes in at under 200 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 milkshakes

Calories 195 kcal

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 generous cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt (or favorite dairy/non-dairy vanilla ice cream)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk (or favorite plant milk)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 6 small (from refrigerator ice machine) or 3 conventional (from an ice cube tray) ice cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash nutmeg
• 1/2 graham cracker, broken into pieces

Instructions

1. Put the milk, pumpkin puree, frozen yogurt, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ice cubes, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a blender. Run the blender until the ingredients are frothy and smooth. Add a second tablespoon of maple syrup if more sweetness is desired. Blend again.
2. Pour into two glasses. Top each shake with crumbled graham cracker.