Hello, my wonderful chickpeas! This year I wanted to create a Halloween-inspired recipe for you, so I took some inspiration from the deliciously sweet caramel apple and made you this Caramel Apple Smoothie! This smoothie is sweetened with medjool dates, making it a more nutritious version than most caramel inspired treats. It screams fall and is the perfect treat when you want something sweet but also a bit refreshing.
The fall flavors from the apples and dates in this smoothie really shine through, and I can't wait for you to try it out! Let's get into the recipe.
Inspiration for Caramel Apple Smoothie
I've never really published a Halloween-inspired recipe, so this year I wanted to branch out a little! I thought a fun and light Halloween-inspired treat would be nice before we really dive into the heavier upcoming Thanksgiving recipes.
I don't know about you, but to me "caramel apple" screams Halloween. It's sweet and fall-inspired, and although it reminds me of Halloween it could also be enjoyed all season long! It's especially nice for those of us who are still in 90 degree weather, because it gives cozy vibes while also being cold and refreshing.
I have always loved the natural "caramel" flavor that medjool dates have, and I knew I wanted to utilize that for this recipe! We are going to be combining dates with a few other delicious and naturally sweet ingredients to pull in those caramel vibes, and create the perfect fall smoothie. Be sure to come back to this one when you are ready for a sweet smoothie treat!
Ingredients
Apples and dates are really the star of the show here. But they've got some other great ingredients helping them out as well! Let's get into it.
- Frozen green apples: Obviously one of our biggest flavors today! These are great for smoothies because they are sweet and sour at the same time, giving our smoothie a great balance.
- Dates: as mentioned above, these naturally have a "caramel" flavor, making them perfect for this recipe!
- Frozen banana & nondairy milk: these are mainly to keep our smoothie creamy!
- Maple syrup & almond butter: these add a bit more sweetness, plus some extra fall vibes.
- Oats: to make our smoothie a bit heartier & even more nourishing!
- Vanilla & cinnamon: the final little flavor boosters to really pull in those sweet autumn flavors.
How to Make Caramel Apple Smoothie
Smoothie recipes should typically be pretty simple, and this one is just that! As always, keep scrolling for the full recipe.
- Throw everything into blender and blend!
- Drink up & enjoy.
Tips & Tricks
Here are some of my thoughts on this recipe and how you could make it your own.
- Green apple is the more traditional option here since that is the typical choice for a caramel apple. However, if you prefer a sweeter option and don't enjoy the slight sourness of a green apple, feel free to use a sweeter red apple instead! Just know that the overall flavor profile and color will be a bit different.
- If you're a fan of smoothie bowls, I think this could also be such a fun smoothie bowl base! For this I would use less nondairy milk so that it is thicker, and top it with anything you might find on a caramel or candy apple! Some fun ideas are chopped nuts, almond butter, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows (Dandies Vegan Marshmallows are my favorites), chocolate drizzle, extra slices of banana or apple, or whatever else you desire!
- If you have some extra smoothie that you aren't going to drink right away, it's super easy to freeze and re-blend later! Just pour the extra into any silicone mold and set in the freezer until frozen. When you want to re-blend, just toss the cubes into your blender with a bit more nondairy milk. It will have a slightly diluted flavor since you have to add more liquid, but it gets the job done and is still delicious!
- For some other yummy drinks, check out my Blueberry Coconut Smoothie and Creamy Chocolate Vegan Milkshake next!
Enjoy!
Caramel Apple Smoothie (Sweetened with Dates!)
2
servings5
minutesThis Caramel Apple Smoothie is the perfect fall or Halloween-inspired treat! This smoothie gets its "caramel" flavor from naturally sweet medjool dates, and is the perfect treat when you want something sweet but also a bit refreshing.
*Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate and does NOT include the time it takes to freeze your apples and banana before making this recipe.
Ingredients
1.5 frozen green apples*
½ a frozen banana*
1.5 - 1.75 cups nondairy milk (soy milk is my favorite)
4 pitted medjool dates
½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ Tbsp almond butter
¼ cup oats
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: pinch of cinnamon
Directions
- Toss all ingredients into a high speed blender, making sure to start with just 1.5 cups of the nondairy milk. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more nondairy milk if needed to reach desired consistency. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Notes
- *Frozen green apples AND frozen banana: you often can't find these in the prepackaged frozen section of the grocery store, so I typically just freeze them myself. Just roughly chop and then let them sit in the freezer for a few hours or over night until fully frozen!
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your smoothie-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Diane says
Made this for breakfast! My Walmart sells frozen bananas, so I just had to freeze the apples. It was really creamy and kind of different for a smoothie in a good way! Thanks for the recipe!
Delaney Marie says
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed it! I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for frozen bananas at Walmart, I can't usually find them at my regular grocery store!
Michael Taylor says
I love caramel and tge addition of dates sounds like a winner! Well done!
Delaney Marie says
Thank you! Hope you try out the recipe!