Creamy, cold, perfectly spiced, and packed with THREE servings of fruits/veggies, this carrot cake smoothie literally tastes like carrot cake….in smoothie form!!! This carrot cake smoothie is absolutely delicious on its own, and can easily be customized to be a drinkable on-the-go option, or a thick, creamy bowl that is perfect to add toppings too! In case you can’t tell by the pictures…my preference will always, 100% be a smoothie bowl. GIMME ALL THE TOPPINGS <3 But seriously, smoothies in bowl form are much more satisfying to me as they aren’t slurped down in a matter of minutes. And the toppings make it a much more filling meal or snack! I love topping these carrot cake smoothie bowls with this homemade cinnamon maple grain-free granola…you should check out that recipe too. ?

In case you can’t tell, I’ve been having QUITE the moment with carrot cake flavors this spring! First we had these amazing carrot cake muffins (seriously, looking back at those pictures makes me want to make them again ASAP), and now a carrot cake-inspired smoothie! I’ve most recently been crushing on these delicious, seriously cake-like texture healthy energy bites from here. I’ve also recently made these carrot cake energy bites  as well as these! I topped these smoothie bowls with crumbled carrot cake energy bites which was DELICIOUS. Carrots are one of my all-time favorite veggies…but I realized recently that I’ve never tried adding them to a smoothie before!

I definitely like to add some frozen spinach or zucchini to smoothies, like in this chocolate cherry smoothie bowl. I was excited to try adding carrots…and LOVED the results. Carrots are a naturally sweeter veggie than the afore-mentioned spinach and zucchini, and it makes for SUCH a fun bright orange color!

Recipe testing and Ingredients

Pineapple.

Smoothie recipes shouldn’t be difficult (it’s hard to go wrong), but in order to ensure this was the BEST possible carrot cake smoothie for you all I tested this recipe MANY different ways. I played around with different frozen base options, including banana, zucchini, pineapple, etc…and the clear winner was pineapple! I actually didn’t think of using pineapple at first, but many carrot cake recipes use crushed/canned pineapple so I thought I’d try it. IT WAS AMAZING. The frozen pineapple provides a deliciously thick, creamy texture and naturally sweet flavor and was just perfect.

Carrots.

In addition to the base of frozen pineapple, we have carrots in not one but TWO different forms: as carrots (duh) AND…carrot juice. I used Bolthouse brand carrot juice in this recipe, which was a fun new purchase for me to try. I found it in refrigerated produce section at my local grocery store! HOWEVER. Since I’m sure many of you may not regularly buy carrot juice LOL (or are too nervous to try a vegetable in juice form), you can definitely 100% substitute any milk of your choice in place of the carrot juice with great results. I do think the addition of carrot juice adds a stronger flavor, and love the fact that adding just ½ cup of carrot juice provides an additional serving of veggies!!

Greek yogurt.

Since I often am having smoothies as a meal (usually breakfast), it’s important to make them well-balanced and including the 3 main macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) to make for a satisfying and nourishing meal. This will also keep you from feeling hungry soon after like a smoothie made with just fruits (carbs) is bound to. The pineapple (and carrots/carrot juice) provide carbohydrates, the Greek yogurt provides protein (and carbohydrates too, especially if it’s vanilla and sweetened), and the toppings (loving my grain-free granola) provide healthy fats! I tested this recipe using vanilla protein powder in place of the Greek yogurt, but honestly for this recipe you just can’t beat the creaminess that the Greek yogurt provides! I’ve used both vanilla and plain Greek yogurt in these smoothie bowls…and both work well! The vanilla will obviously be a bit sweeter.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

Pretty simple pantry staples…and helps add the classic spiced carrot-cake taste! Feel free to adjust/omit based on your preferences. Many carrot cake recipes may call for ginger or allspice, but I personally do not enjoy the taste of either spice as much (especially in a sweet carrot cake smoothie recipe).

Toppings.

As mentioned, I LOVE adding this granola to these carrot cake smoothie bowls! Other ideas include: shredded coconut (especially if it’s toasted!), raisins or cranberries, shredded carrots, chopped nuts of choice (pecans, walnuts, etc.), and nut butter drizzled on top! You really can’t go wrong. I’ve also added diced apple on top too. I love how many of these toppings are classic carrot cake ingredients/add-ins as well!