Vegan Cook Books: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake

This overnight Vegan Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake recipe has oatmeal added to it so this shake will keep you full all morning long.

Early Fall and Pumpkin Spice

Even though fall doesn’t start until the end of September, somehow as soon as August ends, it feels like fall to me. Maybe it’s wishful thinking? Being ready for cooler weather and apple picking? Of course, it doesn’t help that as soon as Labor Day ends, stores are full of pumpkin-flavored everything.

So I figured that even if it isn’t fall yet, I could do a Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake. I was going to post this later in the month, but deliciousness of this magnitude cannot wait. It cannot!

About the Recipe

Like my Mexican Chocolate and Banana Chai overnight breakfast shakes, this one has three main components: oats, banana, and milk. Adding oats to a smoothie makes it thicker and more filling; allowing them to soak in the milk overnight makes the resulting shake smoother and less gritty, although you can definitely make this without the overnight part if you’re in a time crunch. This shake is a complete breakfast in handy drink form!

The first time I tested this recipe, I used a whole banana, but the shake was too banana-y. When I took it out altogether, the shake wasn’t creamy enough. A half banana was the perfect balance. There’s still a little banana flavor in this shake, but the creamy consistency it adds is definitely worth it!

What really makes this pumpkin-y is the addition of pumpkin pie spice. The flavor we often associate with pumpkin isn’t pumpkin at all; it’s that homey combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice that makes pumpkin pies and lattes so irresistible.

This is officially my favorite fall breakfast. (Even if it’s still summer.)

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake

With the addition of oatmeal, this Vegan Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Shake will keep you full all morning long.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1

Ingredients

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice (optional)
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup plain or vanilla almond milk (any milk is fine though!)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 small banana, frozen
sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

Whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and almond milk in a resealable container. Stir in oats, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, combine frozen banana and pumpkin mixture in blender or food processor. Process until smooth; add more milk for a thinner consistency if desired.
Pour into glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.

This post was originally published on 6 September 2012.