This post was created in partnership with Naked Nutrition.
Two carrot-centric recipes in a row? Yes, and I can explain :) I got a whole lot of questions about making last Sunday’s remedy tonic in a blender as opposed to a juicer, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share the recipe for one of my favorite smoothies made with similar ingredients. This one comes together in a few quick minutes with the help of a high-speed blender and tastes very much like carrot cake in a bowl, with the added benefits of raw carrots, ginger, pea protein and spices.
Carrot cake is among the desserts I crave most often, but I rarely make or eat it for all the obvious reasons – it’s cake, it’s involved, it’s quite a bit of sugar. Plus, once I figured out that a quick, healthful carrot cake smoothie bowl is a possibility, my cravings for the real deal have subsided. All the ingredients in this one are pantry staples for me. I keep a big bag of carrots on hand for soups and stews, ginger – for tea and as a general immunity saver and digestive, rolled oats – for a variety of breakfasts, and my spice rack is generally overflowing, since spices are key for building flavor in plant-centric cooking. So I know this bowl of goodness is always at arm’s reach, and I end up reaching for it quite often. Another good thing about this smoothie is that while it can most certainly be dessert, it can also easily pass for breakfast.
I generally like to include protein powder in all of my smoothies to make a meal out of them and to balance my sugar intake with protein, since smoothies tend to be on the sweet, fruity side. There are so many great powdered protein brands and varieties out there, that I find that aisle in the grocery store to be quite an overwhelming place. I’m especially stumped by lengthy lists of ingredients – they look great on paper, but I always end up wondering if that tiny percentage of broccoli powder or sprouted-anything powder could offer much in terms of nutrition. I’ve been using Naked Nutrition’s pla
Naked Nutrition’s flavored powders are sweetened with coconut sugar, while I’ve found that many other healthy protein powder brands use stevia. As much as I aspire to love stevia, I haven’t been able to get on board with it at all – its flavor is the only thing I can taste when I add it to absolutely anything, so coconut sugar has been my #1 powdered natural sweetener choice for years. For this smoothie bowl, I like using either the vanilla pea protein or the chocolate one, but vanilla is my favorite for this recipe, since it goes very well with the carrot cake spices. I also love the naked rice when I don’t want any flavor or sweetener, and I can’t wait to try baking with the choc peanut butter. Can you tell I’m enthusiastic about this company? If you aren’t vegan, Naked Nutrition offers single ingredient grass-fed whey and casein proteins that are also undoubtedly great.
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- 2 medium carrots - peeled
- 1 frozen banana
- 2-3 dates
- 1-inch piece ginger
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 scoop vanilla protein
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- seeds from 3 cardamom pods
- 1-1 2/2 cups almond milk
- toasted walnuts
- toasted desiccated coconut
- hemp hearts
- dried mulberries
- stovetop granola from our tahini-ginger smoothie
- Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Distribute between bowls, garnish and serve.
I LOVE carrot cake, so this smoothie bowl would be right up my alley!! And I love it when my favorite desserts are healthified :)
Thank you Sarah :)
Thank you for the great recipe. Carrots have many nutrients that really is good for the body. It is even good for the eyes. Makes your eyesight clearer.
Carrot cake is my all time go-to mood lifter so I think I’m gonna love this. Not too sure about that protein powder though, I’m a bit reluctant about powders and supplements. Anyways, I have a carrot cake overnight oats jar in my blog, I think you will like it too.
Thanks Jayani! Hope you enjoy it. I hear you on being reluctant about supplements. This one is really clean though – just pea protein, raw cacao and coconut sugar :)
Mm, would love to try this one. I’m also a big carrot cake fan looking for a healthier option :)
I don’t make smoothies very often in winter, but you had me with this recipe! I just love carrots paired with oatmeal and spices. I don’l like stevia sweetened protein neither; I like hemp natural protein as it is local and a great source of fibers and healthy fats, but it’s green! Hence, it looks better in a green smoothie…it’s quite useful to have it around when vegetarian I like to add a tad of maple syrup to sweeten; just like coconut sugar, it’s simply evaporated sap. A great gift from the forest. I will definitely make this smoothie again.
Hi Catherine,
So happy you liked the smoothie! I agree that smoothies are too cold for the winter, but this one seems appropriate for the winter because of all the spices. I like hemp protein and maple syrup as well :)
I’ve always avoided carrots in my smoothies but this looks creamy and delicious. I guess the banana and oats do make a difference and i’ll try it out.
Hi anaya, I’m new here! it really looks fresh and the recipe is also the very new type of thank for sharing and keep share.
Glad you’re liking the recipes, Riya :)
This creates a delicious bowl of carrot-y goodness which is great for both summer and winter. I will definitely add carrots to more of my smoothies.
So happy to hear! And yes, carrots in smoothies are surprisingly good :)