Keto Protein Pumpkin Smoothie

This is keto protein pumpkin smoothie is a delicious way to get more protein in your morning breakfast. This pumpkin shake is a low carb, high protein drink that is also high in fiber. Each keto smoothie has 164 calories, 4.6 grams of net carbs and 15.9 grams of protein. It also has 7.1 grams of fiber!

You might also love this low carb salted caramel pumpkin smoothie!

I’m not much of a breakfast person. I’m just not hungry in the morning. So on days that I’m going to the gym I try to make a protein smoothie to get me going.

It’s fall and to me that means pumpkin season. I thought I’d create a keto protein pumpkin smoothie recipe. Pumpkin in an excellent source of vitamin A, fiber and other vitamins and minerals so I like to use it when I can. (source)

I love this healthy pumpkin pie smoothie recipe because it’s filling, low carb, high protein, high fiber and just tastes great. It’s the perfect way to start your day if you are on a low carb diet. It’s full of healthy ingredients and yet only 164 calories.

Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.

The 6 simple ingredients for this recipe are: unsweetened almond milk, vanilla whey protein powder, chia seeds, canned pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and vanilla stevia.

Canned Pumpkin & Chia Seeds
These two ingredients add flavor and nutrition. Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling as it has added sugar. The ingredients should only list pumpkin

The chia seeds make the shake thicker consistency and adds a boost of fiber too. If you pulverize the seeds in a high speed blender, they will give your smoothie a thicker texture like pudding. You could substitute with flax seed meal for the boost of fiber if you want or even try some avocado which is high in fiber and will add some thickness.

Vanilla Protein Powder
I like to use IsoPure ZeroCarb Protein powders because they don’t have carbs and I like the taste of them. I’ve bought them in a variety of flavors and have liked them all. You can use your favorite protein powder but I would suggest using a low carb one and that it’s a vanilla flavored one. And while I used whey protein you could also use a plant-based protein powder.

Sweetener
I used to use a ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and sweetener but now I use Sweetleaf Vanilla Stevia which is a liquid stevia and has both the sweetness and vanilla flavor. It works much better in my opinion. 

I don’t like my protein shakes super sweet but you could easily add some extra stevia, Swerve or your sweetener of choice. The vanilla protein powder has enough sweetness for me but you might want more. And if you don’t like artificial sweeteners you can try a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup, honey or even coconut sugar. However I didn’t want the carbs.

Unsweetened Almond Milk
I use almond milk because it has very little carbs but you can use other plant based or low carb milk if you want. Some canned coconut milk or coconut cream which are products very low in carbs too. And if you don’t care about carbs you can use regular milk or your milk of choice. Many people like non-dairy milk products like oat milk or cashew milk. Even water would be fine.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
I use this spice blend in most of my sweet pumpkin recipes and it’s just a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can use any of these warm spices or just ground cinnamon if you want. I buy this pumpkin spice blend at Aldi so you can get it anywhere probably.

Some other healthy ingredient options I sometimes put in my shakes and moothies are ground flax seeds, avocado, nut butter, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, maca powder, Great Lakes gelatin, powder greens or fresh greens, ground nuts or almond butter, hemp seeds, and so on.

My favorite low carb protein powder.

UPDATE* I changed the protein powders I use now because the following are available in many flavors and have 0 or 1 net carbs. They are Isopure Zero Carb protein powder, CarbThin, Quest, and Lite Protein. You can find these and most of the ingredients for this smoothie on my Amazon page (click here).

Isopure has been my favorite vanilla protein powder lately and I use it in a lot of low carb high protein recipes. It has 25g protein and 0 net carbs. I recently see that they sell this at Target now too so that is convenient.

My trick for using pumpkin in smoothies.

I always seem to have leftover pumpkin puree when I use it in my healthy recipes so this is what I do.

My trick for using pumpkin in smoothies and protein drinks is to freeze pumpkin puree in 2 tablespoon increments. The frozen texture is great for smoothies, giving it a thick consistency and making it cold so you don’t have to use ice cubes. It’s similar to using frozen bananas but it has less carbs and sugar.

Just measure out 2 tablespoons per puck, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or two. Then I take the pucks off the cookie sheet and plop them into baggie or freezer container to store in the freezer. Now you have some on hand whenever you need it. Try it in smoothies, frozen drinks or even make blender ice cream with it!

How to make a keto protein pumpkin smoothie.

1. Do this ahead of time: Make the frozen pumpkin puree pucks by making 2 tablespoons of pure pumpkin mounds on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for a hour or so until frozen. You need 2 pucks (¼ cup) per smoothie. Place the extra pucks into a baggie and store in the freezer.
2. Add the frozen pumpkin puree, milk and other ingredients in blender. I love my Vitamix which is a high speed blender for recipes like this. Blend on high until you have a creamy and smooth consistency. You could probably use a food processor as well.
3. Pour this healthy pumpkin protein shake into a glass and enjoy! Note the chia seeds will thicken the drink a little bit more as it sits. (Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.)

If you want to make this more of a dessert than a delicious breakfast you can add a bit of whip cream on top along with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

More low carb smoothies and healthy drinks.

Here are a few more of my favorite breakfast ideas such as healthy low carb smoothies, shakes and bowls.

• healthy strawberry, chocolate protein or peanut butter smoothies
• mango matcha, vanilla mint matcha or ginger coconut green smoothies
• keto eggnog breakfast shake
• low carb mint green smoothie bowl or turmeric chai smoothie bowl

This keto protein pumpkin smoothie is my favorite morning breakfast right now. Try it and I think you will make it your new breakfast smoothie too! This healthy shake is a great for a quick breakfast on busy morning but can also be a post workout treat. Enjoy!

The nutrition for 1 serving is: 164 calories
6.3g fat / 11.7g carbs / 7.1g fiber / 15.9g protein = 4.6g net carb

You can find most of these products in my Amazon store.