Carrot Cake Smoothie
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
A delicious carrot cake smoothie with carrot juice, a frozen banana and protein powder. This combo tastes like liquid carrot cake!
If you do a quick search for “carrot cake” on my blog, you’ll see that I am a full blown carrot cake lover! I’ve made carrot cake baked oatmeal, carrot cake bars, carrot cake breakfast cookies and more… I’ve been on a serious smoothie kick lately so set out to create a carrot cake smoothie recipe, because who doesn’t want to eat carrot cake in all forms?!
When I stumbled across 100% carrot juice in the store, I knew it would be the perfect base for my carrot cake smoothie. If you’ve never tried carrot juice, don’t let that scare or intimidate you! The juice has a hint of earthiness, but it’s quite sweet and paired with a few other simple ingredients, it tastes delicious in smoothies.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Smoothie
- Tastes like dessert – It’s got all the warm, spiced flavors of carrot cake but in a creamy, refreshing smoothie!
- Packed with nutrients – Carrot juice, banana, and protein powder make this smoothie naturally sweet and loaded with vitamins, fiber, and protein.
- Quick & easy – Toss everything in a blender, blend, and it’s ready in under 5 minutes.
- Customizable – Adjust the sweetness, swap the milk, or add extras like chia seeds or shredded coconut.
- Dairy-free & protein-packed – The combo of almond milk and protein powder keeps it creamy without the need for dairy!
Carrot Cake Smoothie Ingredients
- 100% carrot juice – I used Bolthouse Farms but if you can’t find any, I’m sharing two options below!
- banana – adds natural sweetness and makes the smoothie thick and creamy. Frozen banana works best!
- almond milk – I prefer unsweetened vanilla almond milk but feel free to use any milk of your choice.
- vanilla protein powder – adds protein and enhances the cake-like flavor.
- cinnamon – a touch of warm spice to bring the carrot cake vibes!
- ice – helps thicken and chill the smoothie for a refreshing texture.
Substitutions
I love the way this smoothie comes together as is, but there’s always room to make it your own! Here’s some inspiration:
- No banana?: Try frozen pineapple or mango for natural sweetness and a creamy texture.
- Milk options: Any plant based milk works here! Cashew, oat, or coconut milk are perfect options. Regular milk is great too if you don’t need a dairy free smoothie.
- Protein boost: I love using vanilla protein powder to enhance the cake-like flavor, but if you don’t have any, try adding Greek yogurt, hemp seeds, or a scoop of almond butter for extra protein.
- Extra carrot cake spice: Amp up the flavor with nutmeg, ginger, or a pinch of cloves for even more cozy, spiced goodness.
- Sweetness: If you love sweeter smoothies, try adding a touch of maple syrup, or even a date or two!
How to Make Carrot Cake Smoothie
This creamy carrot cake smoothie comes together in just two simple steps!
1. Blend – Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little extra milk or carrot juice to reach your desired consistency.
2. Serve – Pour into a glass, sprinkle with extra cinnamon, shredded coconut, or even my homemade granola and enjoy!
That’s it! A delicious, spiced, and refreshing smoothie in minutes.
Pro tip!
- Swapping the protein powder? If you’re using Greek yogurt or another substitute, add a dash of vanilla extract to keep that warm, cake-like flavor that the vanilla protein powder brings.
Carrot Smoothie Health Benefits
Have your (carrot) cake and eat it too! This smoothie is packed with healthy ingredients. Let’s walk through them!
Carrots – Besides being delicious, carrots are packed with amazing nutrients as well! They’re high in antioxidants, fiber, vitamin K and potassium. They have shown to help with heart and eye health as well as digestion. (Source)
Banana – Bananas are another top health food – packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants. They have also shown to help with heart health. (Source)
Almond milk – Almond milk is low in calories, naturally high in vitamin E and is often fortified with calcium and vitamin D. It is not a great source of protein which is why I like to add protein powder to my smoothies to make them a complete meal or snack. (Source)
Protein powder – Every protein powder is different but here is a round of my favorites! Adding protein powder to a smoothie helps to keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon is basically the OG superfood. It’s loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been shown to improve blood sugar issues and to reduce heart disease risk factors. (Source)
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have carrot juice on hand or can’t find it in your local store, you can still make this smoothie. If you have a juicer you can make your own fresh carrot juice, which is so delicious. I love my Hurom slow juicer for this! Another option is to use a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) to process the carrots. That said if you choose to use your blender, the carrots will turn into a puree rather than juice. Your smoothie will be quite thick and you’ll likely need more milk to thin it out.
A sprinkle of cinnamon, shredded coconut, chia seeds, chopped nuts, or even granola makes this smoothie extra delicious!
Yes! This smoothie is packed with nutrients from carrots, banana, and protein to keep you full and energized. Carrots provide vitamin A and antioxidants, while protein powder adds a boost of protein for satiety. Plus, it’s naturally sweetened with fruit!
More Smoothie Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie
- Orange Banana Smoothie
- Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Green Protein Smoothie
- Butterfinger Smoothie
More Carrot Cake Inspired Recipes
- Oatmeal Carrot Cake
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
- Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Be sure to check out all the smoothie recipes here on EBF.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ cup carrot juice, I used Bolthouse Farms 100% carrot juice*
- 1 frozen banana, in chunks
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, any non-dairy milk works
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4-5 cubes of ice
Instructions
- Blend: Place all ingredients into a high powdered blender and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, add an additional splash of milk or carrot juice.
Notes
- Carrot juice: I used store-bought carrot juice in the recipe, but feel free to make your own fresh carrot juice as well. See my notes above.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I omit vanila protain powder as I didn’t have in my stock, but vanila extract I substitute worked well. It was delicious! Thanks for great recipe:)
Woo! I’m so glad you enjoyed this carrot cake smoothie, June! Thanks for the review and the star rating. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Made it tonight and both my husband and I enjoyed it very much. Tastes just like drinking a carrot cake! Next time we’re going to add coconut to see how it tastes.
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe, Anne-Mary. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
Ok, this is officially my favourite smoothie ever!! Seriously, who doesn’t want dessert for breakfast?!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Natasha. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
This dish is really very attractive. What do you think if I use them continuously every week
Hi Brittany–this looks delicious! About how many carrots would you suggest if I plan to “juice” them in my Blendtec?
Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Hey Molly – about 4-5 medium-sized carrots should equal out to 1/2 cup of juice.
Seriously, SO yummy! Thanks for sharing!🥰
I LOVED this smoothie so much. I was getting bored of the same old chocolate/PB smoothies I was making and this was the perfect change up. Really tastes like a slice of carrot cake!!!! LOVE ALL YOUR SMOOTHIE RECIPES
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Christian! I’m so glad you enjoyed this smoothie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Even my boyfriend who is super picky about smoothies loves this one! Who doesn’t want carrot cake for breakfast? I didn’t have vanilla protein powder or almond milk so I used some coconut oil and raw honey to add some sweetness to the unflavored protein powder and oat milk. Worked brilliantly!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Gina!! So glad this smoothie was a hit. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
This is AMAZING! I used angel cake protein powder and it turned out absolutely delicious. I was skeptical with the carrots but this smoothie is so sweet and delicious. Will make this a thousand times more! Great healthy staple in my life
Ahh yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Amelia! I’m so glad you enjoyed this smoothie. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate you. 🙂
I have to admit I didn’t expect this shake to be delicious but I tried it because so many of your recipes are. I’m so glad I did!!! This is my first homemade protein shake and I love it. Thank you!!