Carrot Cake Smoothie

This recipe is not one that I would ever in a thousand years ever expect to make. EVER. My loathing of carrots is way too strong. But, I had some matchstick carrots that I used for hiding in another recipe. And, the back of the bag had a recipe for a carrot cake smoothie on it. Don’t ask me why, but I was totally intrigued.

All I could hear was Gordon Ramsey yelling in my head “Are you ok????”

So, I took what I know about carrot cake, took what I know about smoothies, and made some tweaks to that bag recipe based on what I had on hand and what I liked. And shockingly enough, the smoothie was actually pretty good. Like couldn’t wait to make another one, good.

So, here we are!

Our smoothie starts the same way that pretty much every smoothie starts…with a super ripe frozen banana. To the blender we’re also going to add a whole cup of matchstick carrots. I like using store bought matchstick carrots for a couple of reasons. One, it’s easy. All the work of peeling and breaking down the carrots is already done for you. And two, the smaller size is a little easier for the blender to process. If you want to make this with a regular carrot, just shred it first.

Now I made carrot cake once for a friend, and I remembered adding crushed pineapple to the batter. So immediately, I knew for my own good that I needed to add some pineapple to this smoothie. About a half cup of frozen pineapple chunks goes into the blender, and it is absolutely the right move.

To hide the carrot flavor…I mean sweeten up the smoothie…we’re going to use some vanilla Greek yogurt, some unsweetened vanilla almond milk, some pumpkin pie spice (which in my mind is the closest blend of spices to what’s used in traditional carrot cake), some cinnamon, and a splash of maple syrup. Then, we’ll add some ground flaxseed for a little extra protein. And, we’re just about ready to blend.

You could blend your smoothie right now, but it comes out a little thin. So, I like to add some ice to help thicken up the drink. Hit the button on the blender, and it’s time to enjoy.

All I have to say is thank goodness for cinnamon. The warm spices, the vanilla kisses, the sweet pineapple…these are all the things that help to tame down that earthy carrot flavor. If I tell you that the number one carrot hater on the planet actually, dare I say, craves this smoothie; that should really be all you need to know about how delightful this actually tastes.

I want to be clear here. I AM NOT a carrot convert. We are still not friends. I will never say, “mmm lemme at that carrot”. But this carrot cake smoothie? We can hang, for sure!

Alright, everyone! Let me know if I have any other carrot haters out there drooling too!

In the meantime, enjoy! And, let’s eat!