Caramel Apple Smoothie (Date-Sweetened!)

Hello, my wonderful chickpeas! Today's recipe is inspired by the deliciously sweet caramel apple and is the perfect Halloween-inspired treat. It's the Caramel Apple Smoothie! This smoothie is sweetened with medjool dates, making it more wholesome than most caramel treats, and is perfect for fall.

The fall flavors from the apples and dates in this smoothie really shine through, and it's the perfect sweetness. 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 dive into the heavier upcoming Thanksgiving recipes.

I don't know about you, but to me "caramel apple" screams Halloween. It's sweet and somewhat candy-inspired, but also generically fits the fall vibes. 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 love the natural "caramel" flavor of medjool dates, and I knew I wanted to utilize that for this recipe! Combined with a few other delicious and naturally sweet ingredients, this is the perfect caramel-inspired 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 both sweet and sour, 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: 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.

1. Throw everything into blender and blend.
2. 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, 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 to get it thicker. I would also top it with anything you might find on a caramel or candy apple! Try chopped nuts, almond butter, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, chocolate drizzle, or extra slices of banana or apple.
• 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, toss the cubes into your blender with a bit more nondairy milk. It will have a slightly diluted flavor since you added more liquid, but it is still delicious!
• For some other yummy drinks, check out my Blueberry Coconut Smoothie and Creamy Chocolate Vegan Milkshake next!

Enjoy!

📖 Recipe

Caramel Apple Smoothie (Sweetened with Dates!)

Delaney Marie

This 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.

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From Start to Finish5 minutes mins

Servings2 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 frozen green apples*
• ▢ ½ frozen banana*
• ▢ 1.5 - 1.75 cups nondairy milk (soy milk is my favorite)
• ▢ 4 medjool dates - pitted
• ▢ ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ▢ ½ tablespoon almond butter
• ▢ ¼ cup oats
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ optional: pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

• 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!

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Stay joyfully balanced!