Customize Your Own Paleo AIP Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

How to Customize Your Own Paleo AIP Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

With fall arriving, you’re likely thinking all things pumpkin spice! If you’re like me, you’re probably craving more treats with pumpkin, but also want to keep it Paleo or Autoimmune Protocol friendly.

One good option is to combine treat with healthy and have a pumpkin pie smoothie! This includes the seasonal flavor of pumpkin and seasonings, while you can use the smoothie as a meal replacement, snack, or even nourishing milkshake-like dessert.

Here are some tips to Customize Your Own Paleo AIP Pumpkin Pie Smoothie!

Decide on Your Smoothie Base

To start with, the smoothie base is going to be similar to any other smoothie you make. If you are adding ice, you can use fresh and ripe bananas. However, if you don’t want to add ice to the smoothie, go ahead and use sliced frozen bananas instead.

You then want to choose your creamy components, including coconut milk, tigernut milk, or coconut milk yogurt.

If you have reintroduced drupes, seeds, or nuts, you can go with other dairy substitutes that use almond, cashew, or hemp milk instead.

Avocado is another good option for a pumpkin pie smoothie since it is full of healthy fat and adds a nice velvety texture!

Sweeten it up with either pure maple syrup or raw local honey, and add collagen for protein and gut support.

Add in the Pumpkin and Spices

The fresh route

Once you have your basic smoothie base, you then want to add in your pumpkin and other seasonings.

To Customize Your Own Paleo AIP Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, you could make your own fresh pumpkin puree from scratch if you have the time.

You can do this by first roasting your pumpkin or pressure cooking it in an Instant Pot to soften it up, then cut it into pieces. Next, remove the seeds, then scoop the flesh from the rind into a food processor or blender. Discard the rind, then blend the flesh to make a puree.

The fast lane

If you’re short on time (like yours truly), you can also use BPA-FREE canned or packaged pumpkin puree.

This is my favorite brand!

Spice it up

For the spices, my favorite reintroduction/Paleo friendly spice is this Primal Palate Pumpkin Pie Spice or their Apple Pie Spice (or even their yummy Gingersnap Spice) are all wonderful choices and come bundled in their Sweet Pack. They all contain seed and/or fruit-based spices, just be aware, so they are not AIP.

Though if you need to keep it AIP, you can create your own AIP pumpkin pie spice blend with equal parts ground ginger, ground clove, ground cinnamon, and ground mace.

Pure vanilla extract is a Paleo option to add in, and ground vanilla bean powder is a luxurious and delicious AIP way to ‘nilla up your smoothie!

Follow Standard Smoothie Directions

Now any blender will do, though my favorite is the Vitamix for ultimate velvety creaminess. (This baby can turn raw celery into a thick, creamy emulsion!)

Adding ingredients to the blender can make a difference if you have a standard blender though! Simply add the heavier / thicker ingredients to the bottom of the blender and end with your liquid ingredients.

Blend until smooth, adding more liquid as needed to get the blender to pulsate properly. You might also want to give it a taste before you pour it into a glass, this way you’ll know if more sweetener or more pumpkin spice is needed.

Customize your Pumpkin Smoothie

The OG Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

If you like the taste of pumpkin pie, but are looking for a healthier way to enjoy it, why not give a pumpkin pie smoothie a try? This is really easy to make with many of the same ingredients that would go in a pie, except for a few variations.

You can really use any ingredients you want, as long as you are adding some canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice to your smoothie. Use your favorite dairy-free milk to thin. If you like a thicker Paleo smoothie, add some almond butter – or for AIP add some tigernut butter to the blender.

You can also add a frozen banana in lieu of ice for a creamier texture. When you are done blending, just top it with some cinnamon.

The Choco Pumpkin Smoothie

Another way to enjoy a pumpkin smoothie is by having it with chocolate – or for AIP, carob!

This is the perfect dessert smoothie or to enjoy on days when you just want something a little sweeter. Combine with canned pumpkin or your own pumpkin puree with dairy-free milk or yogurt, ice, and cocoa or carob powder.

You can make it even richer with a handful of allergy-friendly chocolate chips or homemade carob chips as well.

Blend well and top it with some chilled coconut cream.

You can also make a choco-sauce to swirl around the inside of the glass by mixing together equal parts melted coconut oil, cocoa/carob powder, and pure maple syrup.

Apple, Cranberry, or Fig Pumpkin Smoothie

Pumpkin can also be combined with other fall fruits and veggies for a seasonal smoothie to enjoy for breakfast, such as apples, cranberries, or figs! Pumpkin and apple especially combined makes you think you are drinking in fall.

Like other pumpkin smoothies, you want to start with a base of pumpkin puree. You can then add some cubed apples, preferably roasted, or whichever fruit suits your fancy. Add in your spices of choice, dairy-free milk or yogurt, along with ice.

Blend it together, top with fresh fruit and sliced almonds for Paleo – or sliced tigernuts for AIP – and sip on your yummy custom seasonal concoction!