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This sweet potato smoothie is thick, rich, creamy, and tastes like sweet potato pie in a healthy, drinkable form – A perfect nutritional breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up ready in under 30 minutes!
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Rich and Creamy Nutrient-Dense Sweet Potato Smoothie
Sweet potato pie for breakfast? Yes, please! This sweet potato smoothie blends sweet potatoes with banana, nut butter, oats, plant milk, and several spices for a naturally sweet, warmly spiced, thick, and creamy smoothie made silky and velvety thanks to the addition of potato. It tastes just like sweet potato pie and is wonderfully filling yet contains no added sugar, is far healthier, and is ready in minutes.
In fact, although it tastes like decadent holiday pie, this banana sweet potato smoothie recipe is also nutrient-dense and well-balanced with protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. It also contains several beneficial vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C, B6, manganese, copper, and potassium, along with several beneficial plant compounds and antioxidants.
Looking for more dessert-like smoothies? Try our pumpkin pie smoothie, cherry chocolate smoothie (like black forest gateau), and orange creamsicle smoothie.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Sweet potato: You’ll need a cup of cooked sweet potato, fresh or frozen (or ¾ cup canned/ mashed sweet potato). Pumpkin or butternut squash works, too.
- Banana: Use overripe banana with dark spots for the sweetest flavor. We prefer frozen bananas for a thick smoothie. Refer here for how to freeze bananas for smoothies.
Don’t like banana? Replace it with avocado, vegan yogurt, or frozen cauliflower.
- Nut butter: To add richness. We used peanut butter, but almond butter, cashew butter, or a nut-free option like sunflower seed butter will work.
- Spices: A simple combination of pantry-friendly ginger (fresh or ground), cinnamon, and nutmeg make a smoothie with sweet potato that tastes like sweet potato pie. Alternatively, pumpkin pie spice complements the flavor.
- Oats: While technically optional, old-fashioned oats (aka rolled oats) make a thicker, heartier, more filling smoothie. Use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
- Plant-based milk: Use any dairy-free milk based on your desired creaminess and flavor. I.e., almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc.
- Ice: (Optional) For a thicker, colder smoothie. Just note it will dilute the flavor.
What To Add To A Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie?
- Sweetener: Either add an extra ½-1 small banana, 1-2 Medjool dates, or a drizzle of maple syrup/agave, etc. A sugar-free option will work, too – like erythritol.
- Plant-based protein powder: Add 1 scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder.
- Vanilla extract: ½-1 tsp adds even more pie-like flavor.
- Turmeric: Add about ¼ teaspoon of turmeric for wonderful anti-inflammatory benefits. Make the most of the benefits with added black pepper.
- Cloves: Just a tiny pinch for added warm depth.
- Vegan yogurt: For a creamier smoothie, replace some of the plant milk with vegan yogurt.
- Cocoa powder: Add 1-2 tbsp for a chocolatey twist.
- Ground seeds: Add 1 tbsp flaxseed, chia seeds, or hemp seeds for fiber, plant-based protein, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids to fight inflammation.
How to Make a Sweet Potato Smoothie
- First, if you haven’t already, cook the sweet potato. We prefer to steam it by peeling and slicing it into 1-inch pieces, then placing it in a steamer basket with boiling water beneath. Steam it for 15 minutes, or until tender.
Alternatively, boil, microwave, or pressure cook it. Bake or air fry it for a sweeter, more caramelized flavor. It’s best to do this in advance to allow it to cool.
- Leave the sweet potato to cool down naturally or speed up the process by running cold water over them.
- Once cooled, add all the ingredients to a blender, placing the liquids and softest ingredients closest to the blades.
- Blend on the highest setting for about a minute until smooth and creamy. Then taste and adjust any of the ingredients (spices, adding sweetener, etc.)
If the smoothie is too thick, add more plant milk to your desired consistency.
- Divide the sweet potato pie smoothie between two glasses and enjoy!
Pro Recipe Tips
- To adjust the consistency: For a thinner smoothie, add more plant milk. For a thicker smoothie, either use less plant milk, use frozen sweet potato (which makes a soft-serve-like texture), add more oats, etc.
- Add the plant milk incrementally: This allows you to better control the thickness of this recipe for sweet potato smoothie.
- Tweak to taste: The potato and banana are naturally sweet, but add more sweetener to taste, if preferred. Also, adjust any spice or other ingredient.
- For easy blending: It’s best to add the liquids and softest ingredients closest to the blender blades, then the harder/frozen ingredients.
Storage Instructions
To meal prep sweet potatoes in smoothies, prepare a double or triple batch of sweet potatoes and freeze some in individual bags with the banana for future smoothies. Flash-freezing it on a tray to avoid sticking can help with the blending process.
Once assembled, consume the sweet potato pie smoothie immediately, especially when it includes ice. If ice-free, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a day.
You can also freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months in Ziplock bags (spread flat into a thin layer) to re-blend from frozen with a splash of extra liquid – or thawed first.
More Smoothie Recipes
- Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie
- Spiced persimmon smoothie
- Pineapple kale smoothie
- PB & J smoothie
- Easy raspberry smoothie
- Banana beet smoothie
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Sweet Potato Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ large ripe frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon of ginger powder or fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- â…› teaspoon of nutmeg
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 ¾ cups of plant-based milk
- ½ cup of ice
- Plant-based protein powder, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Add the sweet potatoes to a steamer basket in a pot with a lid and add water to meet the bottom of the basket.
- Place the lid on and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until the sweet potato is very tender. Test by inserting a fork into the biggest chunk.
- Drain the water. Leave the sweet potatoes in the steamer basket to cool down or run cold water over them to cool them faster. Optionally, you could freeze them in meal prepping for future smoothies.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooled, add them to a blender together with the rest of the ingredients. Blend for one minute and taste. Adjust any of the ingredients as needed and blend again. If it is not sweet enough, add another banana or sweetener of your choice.
- Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- To adjust the consistency: For a thinner smoothie, add more plant milk. For a thicker smoothie, either use less plant milk, use frozen sweet potato (which makes a soft-serve-like texture), add more oats, etc.
- Add the plant milk incrementally: This allows you to better control the thickness of this recipe for sweet potato smoothie.
- Tweak to taste: The potato and banana are naturally sweet, but add more sweetener to taste, if preferred. Also, adjust any spice or other ingredient.
- For easy blending: It’s best to add the liquids and softest ingredients closest to the blender blades, then the harder/frozen ingredients.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Such a yummy smoothie!