If you follow me on my Instagram stories you might have seen this pumpkin spice frappuccino before….and I am SO excited to officially share it with you all today on the blog!! I’m honestly surprising myself; as much as I absolutely love chocolate, I am enjoying all things pumpkin here lately. This pumpkin spice frappuccino is actually a recipe I came up with last year….and it never actually made it to the blog, so I tweaked the recipe (it’s really very simple) until it was perfect and here we are! This pumpkin spice frappucino is made with just FOUR main ingredients…plus spices.
I present to you the second pumpkin recipe of the season! (Sidenote: have you made these pumpkin pie donut holes yet?! They are amazing). Have you been doing any fall baking yet? What have you made? I’d love to hear!
Not only does it take just minutes to make, this is shockingly made with NO added sugar (promise it still tastes plenty sweet!), and is high in protein too. And…it actually has a FULL serving of vegetables (or is pumpkin a fruit?! Serious question here). No need to spend your money on Starbucks when you can make this DELICIOUS and healthy version at home!!
This recipe (obviously) doesn’t require any baking since it’s a no-bake recipe; you’ll just need a blender! This pumpkin pie spice frappuccino pretty much tastes like pumpkin pie. I can’t wait for you to try it!!
Here’s a bit more about the ingredients you’ll need:
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pumpkin.
Definitely needed for a pumpkin smoothie. 😉 Canned pumpkin works great. Make sure to buy 100% pure pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling with added ingredients and sugars. The pumpkin provides a full serving of fruits/veggies too!
Coffee.
Now, this recipe does require a tiny bit of planning ahead of time. You’ll want to take your coffee of choice (you can use leftover brewed hot coffee, I used cold brew) and then freeze it overnight (or at least a few hours) in ice cube trays until completely frozen. I often use frozen fruit in smoothies for the best taste/texture, but since the pumpkin is room temperature and no frozen I highly recommend using frozen coffee ice cubes for the frozen/frappuccino taste. You’ll need one cup of coffee to make into ice cubes.
Milk.
I alternate between buying almond, cashew, and coconut milks…but I’m also having a moment lately with oat milk in my morning coffee. 🙂 It’s delicious and SO creamy. That being said, you can definitely use skim, 2%, etc. here as well!
Spices.
You will need pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon for the pumpkin pie taste! Pumpkin on it’s own is actually a very mild/bland taste. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Here’s a recipe to try making homemade. To be honest, I just buy it from the store as it’s easier!
Protein Powder.
I love how using protein powder makes this recipe SO sweet without needing any sugar! My go-to is a vanilla protein powder that is sweetened with Stevia. I would encourage you to make sure you like the taste of whatever protein powder you are using here! You can use a plant-based or whey protein powder. Really any kind should work! However, if you don’t have protein powder or prefer not to use it, you can add 1/2 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt and/or add pure maple syrup (to desired sweetness). Lots of flexibility here!
How to Make a Homemade Frappuccino
Honestly, as long as you have a freezer and a blender you can make healthy, delicious homemade frappuccinos at home!! Simply freeze 1 cup of leftover brewed coffee (or cold brew, which is what I used) and pour into an ice cube tray mold. Then a few hours later (or the next morning), you will add the frozen coffee ice cubes with all of the other ingredients in a blender and you are good to go!
The great thing about making homemade frappuccinos is that you can choose what ingredients you add and customize it!! I do not count or track calories or macros, but this frappuccino has ZERO grams of added sugar (assuming your protein powder doesn’t have sugar added), and is high in protein. It’s a delicious and nutritious coffee drink for busy mornings, an afternoon pick-me-up, etc.
- ½ cup pure pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin)
- 1 cup coffee, frozen into ice cubes
- ½-3/4 cup milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 scoop/serving vanilla protein powder (or sub ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt and/or pure maple syrup, to taste)
- Simply add all ingredients together in a high-speed blender and mix until combined! You can also make this entire smoothie the night before and keep in the fridge for the next morning (I've discovered), although it tastes best fresh.
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