Pumpkin Banana Protein Smoothie Parfaits with Apple Pie Granola {vegan + gf}

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin & apple! These autumn parfaits feature a pumpkin banana protein smoothie with apple pie granola.

Hello, hello!

Now that we’re over a week into October (how?!), I am full force into autumn recipes. Forget the fact that it was 85 degrees in the San Diego area all weekend, I made pumpkin pancakes and am craving hot chocolate.

And speaking of recipes, between traveling for half of September with little kitchen access to experiment, being busy with freelance recipe development, and being out of town last weekend camping (more on that later this week!), I somehow haven’t posted one on the blog in a couple of weeks. Well that changes today, and I have an autumn goodie to share with you guys!

October can be a funny month. Most people are gearing up for the things that come along with autumn temperatures – scarfs, boots, long pants, cravings for all things pumpkin – yet somehow Mother Nature has her own plans sometimes. While we don’t have extreme seasons like most areas, SoCal does get a mild change in seasons (ya know, from 85 degrees to 65 degrees). But since it’s been summery warm here, and I know that it’s also been warm on much of the east coast, it’s most definitely still smoothie season for some of us! Enter: pumpkin smoothies.

This smoothie is kind of a cross between banana nice cream and a protein shake, as I made it with frozen bananas, vanilla protein powder, pumpkin puree, nut milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Just throw it all in the food processor for a protein-packed fall smoothie.

The smoothie is delicious on its own, but we kick it up a notch with some delicious granola. You can use your favorite store-bought granola as a recipe shortcut, but I made these parfaits with a homemade apple pie granola that tastes like the epitome of autumn. I followed a recipe very similar to my original apple pie granola recipe, but I made a few tweaks – including leaving out the dried cherries so as to not get too crazy with the fruit.

The granola base is made of wholesome oats + hemp hearts + pecans. Then we’ve got a Granny Smith apple, which we peel and finely dice. The granola gets a really yummy pie-like taste to it from a combination of cashew butter + maple syrup + vanilla + cinnamon. It smells amazing as it’s baking!

I also like adding layers of banana slices + cinnamon to these parfaits. While the smoothie kind of mixes into the other layers, when you dig into these babies with a spoon, you get these awesome mouthfuls of pumpkin smoothie, creamy banana + banana slices, and crunchy, flavorful apple pie granola. I hope that you try it sometime soon!

Pumpkin Banana Protein Smoothie Parfaits with Apple Autumn Granola {vegan + gf}

Foodie Loves Fitness

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin & apple! These autumn parfaits feature pumpkin banana protein smoothie with apple pie granola.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 2

Calories 425 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the smoothies

• 2 frozen bananas {ideally broken into chunks}
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 scoop/28g plant-based vanilla protein powder
• 2/3 cup cashew milk or milk of choice
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• 1 TSP cinnamon + more to sprinkle
• 1/2 large fresh banana thinly sliced
• 1 cup of granola - can either follow the recipe below & keep the leftovers for later on or use your favorite store-bought granola

For homemade granola*

• 2 cup dry oats
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts
• 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and finely diced
• 1/3 cup pecans chopped
• 1/4 cup cashew butter you want it to be creamy, not the bottom of the jar
• 1/4 cup + 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• 1/4 TSP salt

Instructions

 

• First, make the granola: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• In a small pot, combine cashew butter, maple syrup and vanilla over low heat. Cook until warm and bubbly, stirring occasionally until mixture is well combined and smooth.
• Meanwhile, combine the oats, hemp, apple, pecans, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Toss to combine well.
• Once the syrup mixture is ready, pour it on top of the oats mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined well.
• Spread the granola onto the baking sheet, forming a single layer.
• Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, toss evenly, then bake again for about another 10 minutes, or until oats are lightly browned.
• Remove from heat and allow the granola to slightly cool before breaking into clusters and tossing around with a spatula. Use 1 cup of the granola for the parfaits, and store the rest in an airtight container for use at another time.
• Once the granola is cooling, make the smoothie: Combine all ingredients in a food processor, processing on high until the mixture is smooth.
• Spoon 1/2 of the smoothie evenly into two cups or bowls. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of granola into each cup, and arrange some banana slices on top. Next, spoon the remaining 1/2 of the smoothie mixture on top of each cup. Add another 1/4 cup of granola into each cup, and arrange the remaining banana slices on top, sprinkling with cinnamon.
• Enjoy immediately!

Notes

*A batch of granola will make 4 1/2 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 21gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gFiber: 8gSugar: 30g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me… What’s the weather been like by you? If you had to choose, would you pick apple or pumpkin to eat for all of autumn?