This Carrot Cake Smoothie Tastes Just Like Your Favorite Treat
Like oatmeal cookies and banana bread, carrot cake is one of those treats with a deceptively healthy-sounding name. Since we can still enjoy our sweets without the heaps of added sugar, we’ve put a healthier spin on one of our favorite baked goods with this carrot cake smoothie.
This carrot cake shake, created by Chef and Food Stylist Megan Mitchell, has all the flavors of the original, including the creamy frosting, in a perfectly portioned serving (like our low-carb chocolate mug cake). It’s ideal for a sweet afternoon treat before or after a workout or those days when you crave cake for breakfast.
Instead of the empty calories and sugar crash of a traditional slice of cake, Megan’s carrot cake smoothie provides 6 grams of fiber and 41 grams of protein to keep you feeling full longer. Now that is a real sweet treat!
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Carrot Cake Shake Ingredients
- 2¾ cups water, divided
- 1 cup baby carrots, approx. 12
- 1 cup ice
- ½ cup reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop LADDER Vanilla Whey or Plant Protein
- 2 pitted dates
- 3 Tbsp. dry rolled oats
- ¼ tsp. + 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice, divided
There are so many great flavors in carrot cake — and you don’t need to sugarcoat them. In our recipe, we really wanted the headlining ingredient — carrots — to shine. Carrots are naturally sweet, loaded with fiber, and filled with nutrients like vitamin A. Plus, they only have around 49 calories per cup!
To amp up the natural sweetness, we’ve added dates, an easy swap for refined sugar. Dates also add a caramel/brown sugary flavor to this shake — yum.
Pumpkin pie spice blends can vary slightly, but they typically contain cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and allspice. You can buy a ready-made one or DIY your own, adding a little extra of your favorite spices. For vanilla flavor and protein, we’re using LADDER Vanilla Whey or Plant Protein— and we’ve tossed in some rolled oats to create the cakey flavor of flour, but better.
Finally, in place of the slightly tangy cream cheese frosting, we’re using plain Greek yogurt as a healthy swap. Once it’s all blended up, our carrot cake shake is a tasty treat any time of year.
Carrot Cake Shake
Satisfy your sweet tooth without tons of added sugar with this carrot cake shake! It's naturally sweetened with dates and pumpkin spice and packs 41 grams of muscle-building protein.
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups water divided use
- 1 cup baby carrots (approx. 12)
- 1 cup ice
- ½ cup reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop LADDER Whey Protein or Plant Protein - Vanilla
- 2 pitted dates
- 3 Tbsp. dry rolled oats
- ¼ tsp. + 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice divided use
Instructions
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Bring 2 cups water to a gentle boil in a small pot with a steamer basket over medium-high heat; add carrots to steamer basket. Steam for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Drain; place carrots in refrigerator. Chill for 10 minutes, or until cool.
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Place carrots, ice, remaining ¾ cup water, yogurt, protein powder, dates, oats, and ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
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Pour into serving glass; sprinkle with remaining 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The Nutrition Facts box below provides estimated nutritional information for this recipe.
Photography by Anguel Dimov, AB Creative
Recipe by Megan Mitchell
