Dishing Up the Dirt

Carrot Cake Breakfast Smoothie

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too! Notice the bowl? I actually “ate” my smoothie this morning while Taylor chose to drink his. Personal preference here! Regardless of how you choose to enjoy this smoothie you are in for a treat.  It’s thick and creamy with the perfect amount of spice. It really hits the spot if you are experiencing a carrot cake craving (which we were!) Carrot cake has always been a favorite of ours and these smoothies did not disappoint. The addition of homemade almond milk was icing on the cake (no pun intended.)

Almond milk really is a breeze to make and I’ve been whipping up batches a couple of times a week for months now and I love it! The only two things you will need are a high speed blender and a nut milk bag (oh yeah, and almonds!) Since fresh almond milk doesn’t have a shelf life longer than about 4 days I make just enough for 4 smoothies. On the last day of my current batch I soak more almonds and make more milk. It has worked out so well and I haven’t been without fresh almond milk since! Head over here for the method I follow.

Alright, enough almond milk talk. We have carrot cake smoothies to discuss.

If you are a carrot cake lover then I think you have just found your go-to morning shake. We packed as many good for you ingredients into these shakes so we would avoid mid morning hunger.  Worked like a charm. Imagine carrot cake ice cream (not sure if that even exists) but healthy. Grab a straw/spoon and dig in.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Cook Time: o minutes    Serves: 2

  • 1 1/2 large ripe bananas
  • 2 cups almond milk (homemade or store bought)
  • 1 cup chopped carrots, (if you don't have a very good blender I suggest boiling your carrots until fork tender so they are easier to blend. If you do this make sure to cool them before making the smoothie)
  • 5 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water for 30 minutes (you can also sub 2 TBS pure maple syrup)
  • 2 TBS almond butter
  • 1 TBS chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • pinch of ground cloves
  • a few ice cubes
Toppings:
  • a few walnuts/pecans for garnish
  • shredded coconut for garnish
  • a small drizzle of pure maple syrup (optional)

Preparation

  1. Place all ingredients (except shredded coconut and nuts) into a high speed blender and whirl away until smooth. Taste test and then top with nuts, coconut, and pure maple syrup if desired.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.


Leave a Reply

30 thoughts on “Carrot Cake Breakfast Smoothie

  1. Amy says:

    Oh yum! I just made a chocolate raspberry smoothie for breakfast this morning 🙂
    I am always craving carrot cake so this one looks like a winner for a future breakfast!

  2. Kate says:

    I never thought to add carrots to a smoothie! This is brilliant, Andrea!

    1. Andrea says:

      Thank you Kate! This shake has turned into our new favorite morning shake!!!

  3. Francesca says:

    This looks wonderful. I <3 carrot cake, and I love the idea of adding DATES! + eating it for breakfast. Cheers!

    1. Andrea says:

      Let me know how you like it!

  4. I loveee carrot cake, and I could totally see eating this out of a bowl, especially with some chopped nuts on top. Maybe even a little icing too, eh? Love that first photo Andrea!

    1. Andrea says:

      Thanks Grace!

  5. Kait says:

    Drool!!

  6. Looks delicious! Adding dates sounds amazing.. Must try. Pinned and tweeted!

    1. Andrea says:

      Let me know if you give it a whirl!

  7. Look at you making homemade almond milk! So domestic. I’ve never tried it, mostly out of laziness 🙂 This smoothie look sooooo delicious. I love incorporating vegetables into our breakfasts, and this is next on my list!

    1. Andrea says:

      haha! It really is super easy. I thought it would require a lot of prep/work but it’s been the easiest recipe ever!

  8. Becci says:

    This sounds delicious! Will definitely be trying in the next few days. I also love making my own almond milk. It really is quite simple and tastes so much better than store bought!

    1. Andrea says:

      Agreed. I’m over the store bought stuff now. There is no comparison!

  9. Carrot cake is my faaaavorite. I’ve never tried it in smoothie form but I can already tell I would love it!

    I’ve also been curious about making my own milk…with a nut bag, teehee.

    I tried making my own almond butter recently and I felt like I aged ten years waiting for it to turn to butter. It literally takes forever!! Almond milk sounds much easier so I’ll definitely give it a try.

    1. Andrea says:

      Hahah! This is easier than almond butter I swear!

  10. I love that straw. Random and true. This smoothie looks incredible! Drinking carrot cake sounds like a very good plan. Pinning!

  11. I love the sound of carrot cake smoothie! I am with you – I love to “eat” my smoothies out of a bowl, I think they somehow feel a bit more nourishing this way 🙂 Love your photography here too.

    1. Andrea says:

      Cheers to eating smoothies out of a bowl!

  12. I am craving something sweet and healthy tonight and I just wish that we hadn’t just returned from vacation and I had what I needed to create this. Looking forward to trying it for sure! 🙂

    1. Andrea says:

      Let me know how you like it!

  13. This is so creative. I happen to love homemade almond milk. I’ve also made homemade chocolate almond milk with cacao nibs–so good.

    1. Andrea says:

      I cannot wait to try the homemade almond milk with cacao nibs!! sounds fantastic!

  14. This looks absolutely delicious! I love the way the pictures look, too. Thanks for sharing

  15. Good for you for making your own almond milk, and this smoothie looks and sounds amazing! Fantastic photos, too!

  16. This is phenomenal! Hearty, grounding, and delicious. I don’t even necessarily love carrot cake in dessert form so anybody out there in the same boat, if you’re skeptical don’t be. I also soaked steel-cut oats overnight in place of raw rolled oats. Thank you Andrea, so glad I found your blog!

  17. Tia says:

    this sounds SO yummy! i have to try it because I love carrot cake. However, I don’t like bananas in smoothies. I love eating them but don’t like the taste in smoothies (weird). what can i use to substitute the bananas? or would the smoothie still be somewhat the same if i just used more oats?

  18. Jennifer says:

    Wow! I made this for breakfast post-workout this morning and it was so tasty! I used flax milk and added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and 2 tablespoons of non-fat Greek yogurt. Yum!

  19. Carolyn says:

    Andrea, I love smoothies and carrot cake. I have made this 3 ways so far using my Ninja blender. First one I used leftover roasted carrots. Ok but not fab a little too oilly.Then I tried grated raw carrot. A little to raw tasting. Today I grated the carrots and tossed in microwave for one minute and then let cool. This worked well the heat mellowed the raw flavor just like cooking a carrot cake ( I am too impatient to boil carrots). THANK you for your you hard farming work and inspirational recipes. They are like no other.

    1. Andrea says:

      thanks for the lovely comment! I’m so happy you are loving the smoothie and found the perfect method that works for you!

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