Pumpkin Smoothies with Homemade Granola

I think it’s pretty clear at this point that we are really into smoothies. Now that it’s fall, the pumpkin craze is reaching its peak for the year, and we figured we might as well get involved. Since it was over 100 degrees in San Diego last week (!), baking pumpkin goods was less ideal, but we figured why not incorporate some fall flavors into our daily smoothie routine?

We recently started using Thrive Market to order some of our pantry staples, and they have some awesome organic pumpkin puree. See below for an opportunity to check out Thrive with a discount!

Although we do buy a lot of Purely Elizabeth, it’s definitely best to make your own homemade granola so you can control the amount of added sugars and leave out any preservatives. It’s so easy to do on a weekend morning, and one batch is enough to last us about 2 weeks of smoothies.

We started with this recipe for the granola from one of our favorite blogs, Cookie and Kate, then made a few changes to customize it.

We love making smoothie bowls because we can top them with granola and eat them with a spoon. Although you can always make the smoothies with a little more liquid so they are drinkable, the pairing of these sweet pumpkin smoothies with the savory granola is so delicious and really calls for a nice, thick smoothie bowl.

The key to getting your granola to form nice clumps is to press the oats together with the back of a spoon at the midway point during cooking, then letting it cool completely on the pan before serving.

Pumpkin Smoothie Bowls
Serves 2

– 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
– 1/3 cup butternut squash puree
– 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 frozen banana
– 1 medjool date
– 2 scoops vanilla collagen powder
– 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
– 1 tbsp peanut butter
– 1 tsp vanilla
– Handful of ice

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into bowls and top with homemade granola.

Coconut Granola
adapted from Cookie and Kate

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 cups pecans + pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (we used a little less than she calls for)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup  unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts + seeds, salt, cinnamon and shredded coconut.

Pour in the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Spread out the granola onto your prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir the granola, press the oats together firmly with the back of a spoon, and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.

Let the granola cool completely before breaking it into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thrive Market Opportunity:

If you’re interested in trying out Thrive Market, you can sign up today and get 20% off your first 3 orders! Just click the link below to check it out. We signed up this month and are loving it because they have so many of our favorite products for amazing prices and getting everything shipped to our door is pretty priceless.

*Note that we are an affiliate partner of Thrive Market, so if you sign up via the link above, you’ll be supporting All the Eats!