Creamy Sweet Potato Smoothie with Protein
This vegan creamy sweet potato smoothie recipe tastes like sweet potato pie. This delicious and nutritious smoothie is perfect for a quick breakfast, snack or even dessert.
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make it and it’s high in protein and nutrients thanks to sweet potato, vanilla protein powder, zucchini and banana.
About this Recipe
The flavour of this sweet potato shake is so delicious and the hearty ingredients make it so filling. I love scooping the creamy mixture into a bowl and topping it with granola. It’s so good!
The smoothie has just a hint of spice and is perfectly sweet thanks to frozen banana and vanilla protein powder.
The texture is smooth, rich and creamy with the addition of frozen sweet potato, banana, plant-based milk and almond butter (optional).
I love adding vegetables to smoothies and sweet potatoes are one of my favourites. They add healthy complex carbohydrates and substance without adding extra sugar, plus they’re loaded with antioxidants and other health-promoting nutrients.
For more veggie-packed smoothies, this Vegan Carrot Cake Smoothie, Green Monster Smoothie and Beet Orange Smoothie are all wonderfully nutritious.
Recipe Highlights
- Vegan and gluten-free.
- High in protein.
- High in fiber.
- 3 kinds of fruit and veggies.
- Thick, creamy texture.
- Tastes like sweet potato pie!
- No added sugar.
Ingredients
- Milk: You can use your choice of non-dairy milk. I suggest unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk or soy milk though you can use sweetened milk if you like. You could also use coconut milk but I’d suggest no more than 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk and 1 1/4 cup water or 1/2 cup light coconut milk and 1 cup water. Carton coconut milk is ok to use for the full 1.5 cups.
- Sweet Potato: You’ll need cooked sweet potatoes. I like to freeze it so the smoothie is extra creamy but if you only have fresh sweet potato that works too. It can be canned, mashed or cubed or sliced and roasted, steamed or boiled.
- Banana: Frozen banana is best for creating a thick, creamy smoothie. If you don’t want to use banana, you can substitute extra zucchini or a few pieces of cooked cauliflower. Note that the smoothie won’t be as sweet in this case.
- Zucchini: This can also be added fresh or frozen. Substitute with an extra 1/2 a banana.
- Protein Powder: You can use any vanilla vegan protein powder. You could use chocolate protein powder but I prefer it with vanilla.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: I like these two spices to make it taste like sweet potato pie. If you only have cinnamon, that’s ok. You could also substitute 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Flax Seed, Chia Seeds or Hemp Hearts: Add up to 1 tbsp for healthy fats. Flax and chia seeds will also thicken the smoothie. You could also sprinkle these on top if you’re making a smoothie bowl.
- Almond Butter: I like the flavor and creaminess a spoonful of nut butter adds. You can use almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.
- Cauliflower: Frozen cooked cauliflower or riced cauliflower makes a good substitute for zucchini.
- Extra Spices: Try a pinch of turmeric, ginger, cardamom or allspice. A small piece of peeled fresh ginger would also be yummy! You could also try masala chai spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg for a variation.
- Cacao Nibs: Top your smoothie with cacao nibs or pulse them right in after blending for a bit of crunch and extra antioxidants.
- Yogurt: You can add up to 1/2 cup vegan vanilla or plain Greek yogurt for extra creaminess and in some cases protein (the Silk non-dairy Greek yogurt is a source of protein).
- Smoothie Bowl: To enjoy as a drinkable smoothie use 1 1/2 cups liquid, for a thicker ice cream-like smoothie bowl, reduce the liquid to 1 cup then slowly add more until you reach your desired texture.
How to Freeze Sweet Potato
You can cook the sweet potato a few different ways before freezing:
- Use this method for How to Bake Sweet Potatoes to bake them in the oven.
- Poke whole sweet potatoes with a fork and pop in an air fryer for 30 minutes at 370F.
- Peel and cube before boiling or steaming sweet potato until fork tender.
If you baked or air fried the sweet potato, let them cool then discard the skin and cut the sweet potato into pieces. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and freeze until solid before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container.
If you steamed or boiled cubed sweet potato, place the cubes on a baking sheet and freeze until solid before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Another option is to add mash cooked sweet potato into ice cube trays, freeze them and then pop them out and into a container for storage.
This does make a great option as the sweet potato cubes don’t stick together after freezing and you’ve got handy frozen sweet potato cubes to toss into any smoothie. Silicone ice cube trays work well for this.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Use about 3/4 cup of canned sweet potato puree instead of 1 cup cubed sweet potato. Be sure to use frozen banana if you’re using canned sweet potato straight from the can. You can also freeze the sweet potato in ice cube trays in advance for a thicker, creamier texture.
No. You can use leftover cooked sweet potato or freshly cooked sweet potato. I recommend pairing this with frozen banana and zucchini for a thick, creamy texture.
You can substitute the zucchini with 1/2 a frozen banana or cooked cauliflower
Yes but you’ll need to add an additional sweetener. To replace the protein powder, try a few pitted dates, 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or any other sweetener you prefer.
You don’t have to but I prefer to use peeled sweet potato for sweet potato smoothies for a smooth texture and brighter orange color.
Recipe Tips
- Meal Prep in Advance: Portion the vanilla protein powder, spices, frozen banana, sweet potato and zucchini into freezer bags so all you have to do is dump them in the blender and add liquid. You can also blend it ahead of time and store it in the fridge overnight it just won’t be quite as thick in the morning.
- Add Liquid First: I find smoothies blend best when you add the liquid first then the solid ingredients.
- Start Slow: Start blending your smoothie on slow speed then slowly increase to high, blending briefly until it’s completely smooth. Avoid over-blending as the heat from the blender will start to warm your smoothie.
- No high-powdered blender? If you don’t have a high-speed blender like Vitamix or Blendtec, you might only want to use frozen banana with fresh sweet potato and zucchini, or vice versa, frozen sweet potato with fresh banana and zucchini, etc. Using all the frozen solid might be too much for your blender to handle.
Delicious Smoothie Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This delicious sweet potato smoothie tastes just like sweet potato pie! It’s healthy, filling, easy to make and so yummy you’ll be craving it every morning.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond or cashew milk
- 1 cup cubed, peeled cooked frozen sweet potato (125 g)
- 1/2 frozen banana (60 g)
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen zucchini pieces (75 g)
- 1 serving vanilla plant-based protein powder (30 g)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, optional
- 1 tbsp almond butter (15 g, optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender in the order listed in the ingredients section.
- Start blending on low then slowly increase speed and blend for about 30 seconds until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition facts include almond butter, without almond butter it’s 336 calories with 48 C/5 F/27 P.
To enjoy as a drinkable smoothie use 1 1/2 cups liquid, for a thicker ice cream-like smoothie bowl, reduce the liquid to 1 cup then slowly add more until you reach your desired texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 427
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 30 g
Originally published July 2018.
This is so delicious!
Even my kids who are not usually veggie fans are on board.
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
You’re welcome, Erin!
SO. GOOD!!!!
Hi Deryn!
Surprise! My meat eating, traditional meat and potatoes man loved this.
He will never eat any of the smoothies I make. Too green, too “healthy tasting” and so on. Well It reminded me of Pumpkin pie. So today after finishing most of it, I once again asked if he would like a taste. He said it was the first decent smoothie he had tasted. It was comforting to him because it was close to a Pumpkin pie, something he liked and was familiar with. So I have meal prepped – frozen bags ready to blend for my meal. I also prepped the Beet Orange. I love Beets and have a tree full of Oranges. I can hardly wait till tomorrow to try it. (I don’t think I’ll try my husband on that one. He doesn’t like beets.)
Total decadence! I love to have found your veggie based smoothies. I now freeze leftover potatoes/squashes, plus freeze raw zucchini, oranges, etc so that I can whip up one of your delicious smoothies when rushed for a meal. Thank you Deryn! 🙏🏼
Sounds Great. I will try it!! 🙂
Yum, this is terrific! Very delicious and filling. Thanks for another great recipe!
This is the first time I am seeing a smoothie made out of sweet potatoes, it can be a perfect substitute for those protein shakes!
Wow this sounds so good! If I were to leave out the protein powder, do you think I should make any other adjustments for the flavor?
Yes, I would add another sweetener such as dates, pure maple syrup or additional frozen ripe banana and maybe some pure vanilla extract, and you might want to start with a bit less liquid and then add more as needed. I haven’t made it without protein so I’m not sure how the taste and texture will compare but I’m sure it will still be good.
Okay nice! Thanks for the advice! I’m sure it’ll still be great. I only have one protein powder right now and I haaaate how it tastes haha, so I don’t want to ruin a smoothie with it.