This Caramel Apple Protein Smoothie has all the flavors of a caramel apple, packed into a nutritious and healthy protein fruit smoothie.
One of the best things about the Fall is the combination of rich flavors that become more prominent everywhere. Yes, there's the whole pumpkin spice trend, but I prefer all the apples and cinnamon.
Every year as a child, my parents would take my brother and me to the County Fair in Ventura, California. I loved getting the sour green apples dipped in sweet, chewy caramel. This Caramel Apple Protein Smoothie is a much healthier way for me to still enjoy those delicious flavors, but in a high-protein smoothie instead.
This smoothie can also be made ahead and frozen like my PB&J Smoothie, which I discuss more in this post on Make-Ahead Smoothie Packs. Then, you would just add the contents from our freezer bag into the blender, along with the milk and protein, and you're good to go.
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Ingredient Notes
Unsweetened Almond Milk: You can use any milk of choice, but I recommend looking for milk that has not been sweetened with added sugars.
Apple: The apple is very key to the flavor of this smoothie. If you like a sweeter apple, I'd recommend a honeycrisp. For a more sour apple, I'd recommend a granny smith. No need to remove the peel, either -- that adds texture and nutrients to the fruit smoothie.
Rolled Oats: Keep the rolled oats uncooked. For GF diets, make sure to find GF rolled oats to avoid any potential gluten cross-over. I use Quaker or Bob's Red Mill rolled oats most of the time. Avoid quick-cooking oats as they go through additional processing (more on the healthiest oatmeal).
Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are a nutritional powerhouse, as they add omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber to your smoothie. Check out my article on the benefits of chia seeds.
Cinnamon: I love the addition of cinnamon to this smoothie, as it adds just the right amount of spice. Plus, adding cinnamon will make the entire smoothie taste sweeter without adding any additional sweetner.
Dates: Dates are the real stars in this smoothie, as they add a delicious, rich sweetness that can mimic even that of caramel. They also contain many beneficial nutrients, like copper, magnesium, and fiber. I recommend using pitted Medjool dates.
Protein Powder: I recommend using a minilaly processed protein powder that is flavored vanilla. My favorite protein powder is Cleanish Vanilla Bean Plant-Based Protein Powder.
Pro Smoothie Tips
If you're new to smoothies, it can be easy to veer off and make a few simple mistakes that can take your smoothie from delicious to meh. I discuss more in my post on How To Make a Smoothie, but here are the basics:
- Choose a high-quality blender that can blend everything well. I've used my same Vitamix blender for the past five years for 1000s of smoothies, and it's such a game changer. While you don't need a Vitamix, having a high-speed blender that doesn't get caught up on ice will make a big difference in the smoothness of your smoothie.
- Start with the liquid and end with the ice.
- Don't add too much ice in the beginning. Blend first with just a little ice, and then add a little bit, then blend again. You can always add more ice, but it's hard to take to away.
- If the caramel apple protein smoothie is too thick, add a little almond milk to loosen it up.
More Protein Smoothie Recipes
Caramel Apple Protein Smoothie
Equipment
- Vitamix
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp. chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 dates pitted
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder , I use cleanish protein
- ice , as needed
Instructions
- In a kitchen blender, start by adding the unsweetened almond milk, followed by the remaining ingredients.
- Now, blend everything until it’s very smooth.
- If too thin, add ice, ¼ cup at a time, to thicken. If too thick, add additional almond milk, 2 tablespoon at a time, to loosen.
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