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 it 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.

Smoothie ingredients I used.

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

I don’t like mine 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.

By the way I used to use vanilla extract and sweetener but now I use Sweetleaf Vanilla Stevia which has both the sweetness and vanilla flavor. It works much better in my opinion. 

But you could use your favorite sweetener and just add a ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if you want. 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.

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 products are very low in carbs too. And if you don’t care about carbs you can use regular milk or your milk of choice.

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.

 Why I use chia seeds in my smoothies.

I also like to add chia seeds to my smoothies because they add fiber and a thick consistency. If you pulverize the seeds in a high speed blender, they will give your smoothie a thicker texture like pudding.

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

My trick for using pumpkin in smoothies.

First of all it’s best to use plain, pure, canned pumpkin in this recipe … not pumpkin pie filling. The ingredients should only list pumpkin. 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!

How to make a keto protein pumpkin smoothie.

1. Do this ahead of time: Make the frozen pumpkin 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 all the frozen pumpkin puree, milk and other ingredients to a high speed blender like a Vitamix and blend on high until you have a creamy and smooth consistency. 
3. Pour 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.)

You can add anything you like your own smoothies, but this keto pumpkin pie smoothie is my favorite right now. Try it and I think you will make it your new morning smoothie too! This healthy shake is a great for a quick breakfast on busy morning. 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

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Pumpkin Protein Smoothie (Low Carb)

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

This is a delicious low carb pumpkin pie protein smoothie that is perfect for getting in that protein for your morning breakfast.

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup pumpkin puree, (I freeze mine - see Note)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like IsoPure Zero Carb Vanilla)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla stevia, liquid
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

1. Note: I freeze my pumpkin ahead of time because it makes it both cold and thick. Just place the pumpkin puree in 2 tablespoon increments on a cookie sheet. Freeze for an hour or two then grab 2 "pucks" and place in the blender. You don't have to freeze it but you might want to add 2-3 ice cubes to make it thicker.
2. Put everything else in the blender and blend on high for 1 minute until nice and smooth. The chia seeds really need to be blended to make the shake thick.
3. Please note if you need to find any of these ingredients you can find them on my Amazon page.

Notes

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

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 164Unsaturated Fat: 0g