This delicious vegan Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie is made with nutritious ingredients like raw carrots, frozen banana, creamy oat milk, plant-based protein powder, flaxseed meal, dates, and the perfect blend of spices. This healthy smoothie is a great for when you’re craving all the carrot cake flavors but in a protein-packed healthy breakfast instead!
Last week I planned to make carrot cake bars… I bought all of the ingredients based off of my gluten-free, vegan carrot cake recipe included in my baking book The Beginner’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Baking and started recipe planning. But then I wasn’t in the mood to bake, and I had a craving for a smoothie… Ooo! What about combining my two cravings into one? A carrot cake smoothie!! I need more healthy smoothie recipes on the Healthy Little Vittles blog, so, that’s what I decided to do 👍🏻.
This carrot cake protein smoothie is easy to make and it tastes so good! Even if you’re not a carrot lover (which I’m really not, actually!), I think you’ll enjoy this smoothie. And it’s a great way to get more raw carrots into your diet.
Carrot cake smoothie ingredients
Oat milk. I chose to use oat milk because it’s a bit thicker and creamier than other plant milks, but you can use whichever non-dairy milk you’d like. Coconut milk would also make this smoothie super creamy and add some healthy fats!
Shredded carrots. I like to buy shredded carrots to top my salads with and keep them stocked in my fridge. They worked out perfectly for this smoothie recipe too. Shredded carrots blend up very nicely in my Vitamix blender. You could grate or shred your own carrots if you can’t find store bought shredded carrots.
Banana. You’ll want to use a frozen banana for this smoothie. I recommend using a frozen banana in most of my smoothies because banana not only adds a natural sweetness, but it also helps make smoothies thick and creamy. Be sure to freeze the banana the night before.
Tip: I like to keep a bag of peeled bananas (actually a variety of frozen fruit) in my freezer at all times for smoothies! It helps to peel and then break the bananas in half and freeze them that way to make blending easier.
Protein Powder. In this high-protein smoothie recipe I added an unflavored complete protein powder to give this healthy breakfast a generous boost of protein 💪🏻. You may also use vanilla flavored plant-based protein powder, but if you do, I would omit the added pure vanilla extract.
Flaxseed meal. To boost the fiber content in this carrot cake smoothie, I decided to add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal.
Dates. I love dates! Adding 2 pitted dates to this recipe also adds some nutrients and natural sweetness.
Spices. Just like in a traditional carrot cake, we’re going to add ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger to this smoothie recipe to really bring out those carrot cake flavors 🤗.
Vanilla. I added 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to this smoothie. Make sure you use pure vanilla and not imitation vanilla, as that’s not gluten-free.
Tip: if you use vanilla flavored protein powder, I would omit the vanilla extract.
The toppings
I wanted to include more ingredients of what you might find in a traditional carrot cake, so I topped my carrot cake protein smoothie with oat milk whipped cream, chopped raw walnuts, and toasted coconut chips. You could also use shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
What does this healthy carrot cake smoothie taste like?
Blending up carrots in a smoothie might sound kinda weird, but I actually quite enjoyed this smoothie and so did my kids! #winning! Hey, we add spinach to fruit smoothies too, right?! 😉 Like in my Blueberry Spinach Spirulina Smoothie!
This carrot cake is perfectly sweetened without added sugar, all the while not being too sweet. I LOVED the oat whipped cream on top too- I highly recommend that and the other yummy toppings.
What Equipment do I need to make this breakfast smoothie?
To make this carrot cake protein smoothie you will need a high quality blender, especially because we’re blending up raw carrots.
Tips for making this carrot cake smoothie
Having a quality blenderis helpful in making sure all of the ingredients are fully blended. I understand they can be pretty pricey, but if you enjoy smoothies, I definitely think splurging a tad on a good blender is worth it!
The order of adding ingredients matters! I like to start by adding a cup of the oat milk, then add the carrots and other ingredients and then pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. This helps the carrots to blend better so you don’t end up with a chunky smoothie consistency.
You may need to add more liquidif it’s just not moving along. BUT do this in small increments! The size of your carrots (if not using shredded), and the size banana you may make a difference, so just see how it’s going.
We’re not adding ice cubesto this smoothie. Instead, that is why we use frozen banana. Unfortunately, I have only seen frozen bananas available in the frozen fruit section at my grocery store once! So you most likely will have to freeze your own the night before. I like to take the really ripe bananas that nobody wants to eat, peel them, break them in half and freeze them for smoothies! I always have frozen bananas in my freezer. It cuts back on food waste while also putting them to good use! So be sure to have frozen bananas before you make this smoothie recipe. The night before is great.
Thick vs. thin smoothie. So if you like thicker smoothies, the recipe will satisfy that for you. If you like thinner smoothie consistency add a bit more liquid. This part is all your own preference.
More smoothie and smoothie bowl recipes to try:
Cookie Monster Smoothie Bowl
Anti-Inflammatory Vegan Green Smoothie
Pina Colada Smoothie (Dairy-Free)
This Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie is so easy and delicious I think you’re going to love it just like my family and I! Let me know how it goes down below in thecomments section, as well asgiving it a rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this powerfully healthy breakfast smoothie recipe! Tag me onInstagram,Facebook, orPinterest!
Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie
Yield: 1-2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
This delicious vegan Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie is made with nutritious ingredients like raw carrots, frozen banana, creamy oat milk, plant-based protein powder, flaxseed meal, dates, and the perfect blend of spices. This healthy smoothie is a great for when you're craving all the carrot cake flavors but in a protein-packed healthy breakfast instead!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat milk (or other plant-based milk of choice) plus more if necessary
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 frozen ripe banana*
- 1 scoop unflavored or vanilla plant-based protein powder** (see recommended below)
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 2 dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings (optional but recommended)
- Plant-based whipped cream
- toasted coconut chips
- chopped walnuts
Instructions
In a large high-speed blender, add all the ingredients, starting with 1 cup of the oat milk and ending with the other ½ cup of oat milk (this helps the smoothie blend smoother). Blend on high for a few minutes until all the ingredients are well combined. If necessary (or if you desire a thinner smoothie), add in more plant milk to thin the smoothie. Makes 1 large smoothie or two smaller smoothies.
Top with toppings if desired and enjoy!
Notes
* Be sure to peel and freeze the banana the ahead of time. I always keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer for smoothies and smoothie bowls!
** If you use vanilla flavored protein powder, I would omit the additional pure vanilla extract.
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