Rich, creamy and smooth, this carrot cake smoothie tastes like dessert for breakfast! It blends fruits and vegetables into a delicious drink full of cozy flavor.
Let’s be honest… veggie smoothies don’t always sound appealing. So to make a carrot smoothie more palatable, we’re making a dessert-inspired carrot cake smoothie that just happens to include vegetables. It truly tastes like a treat, with all the cozy spices you love in classic carrot cake, plus some extra sneaky veggies you won’t even know are in there!
Why This Carrot Cake Smoothie Is the Perfect Breakfast
This smoothie came about because I had carrots in my fridge and I wasn't feeling the green smoothie vibe. I wanted something creamy and satisfying, and since I have a super powerful blender, I figured it could handle carrots in a smoothie. And yep, you guessed it, it totally does. I mean, just look at that texture!
- Tastes like dessert. This smoothie is super sweet even without any added sweeteners and it’s got cinnamon and nutmeg for all the cozy flavor you love in carrot cake.
- Packed with veggies. There are the carrots, of course, but then I also add cauliflower or zucchini. You’ll love how it makes this smoothie extra rich and creamy!
- Great for busy mornings. Using frozen veggies and fruit means there’s practically no prep work involved.
What You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this carrot cake smoothie.
- Carrots – As long as the carrots are scrubbed well, you don’t have to peel them.
- Frozen cauliflower or zucchini – These add nutrition and creaminess without changing the flavor.
- Frozen mango or pineapple – For natural sweetness.
- Flaxseed meal – For fiber and omega-3 fats.
- Coconut flakes – Or shredded coconut if that’s what you have on hand.
- Vanilla protein powder – Boosts protein and adds to that cozy carrot cake flavor.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – Warm spices that make this carrot smoothie taste like dessert!
- Milk – Dairy or vegan, whichever you prefer.
- Banana – If you freeze it first, it will make this smoothie extra creamy and thick.
How To Make Carrot Cake Smoothie
This smoothie comes together in just a couple of minutes.
- Add ingredients to the blender. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender in the order listed.
- Blend until smooth. Start blending on low for about 1 minute, then increase to high and blend for another minute, or until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour and garnish. Pour into a glass and top with shredded carrots, coconut flakes, or a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.
Tips for Making Perfect Smoothies
Whether you’re making this carrot cake smoothie or another recipe, these tips will help you make sure it turns out just right.
- Use frozen ingredients. This helps create a thick, creamy smoothie.
- Blend thoroughly. I always give the smoothie a stir in the blender to look for unblended chunks before I pour it out.
- Make it super sweet without sugar. The darker the banana, the sweeter your smoothie will be!
- Use a high-powered blender. This makes everything ultra smooth without requiring a lot of liquid.
Storage
Like most smoothies, this carrot cake smoothie is best served right away. If you do have leftovers, you can refrigerate it for a day in a covered bottle or airtight container. Give it a good stir before serving. (It won’t be as thick, but it will still taste good!)
Another option for leftover smoothie is to freeze it in popsicle molds for a frozen treat!
More Carrot Cake Flavored Recipes
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots chopped (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower or zucchini
- 1/2 cup frozen mango/pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons coconut flakes (or shredded)
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 – 1 full banana (preferably frozen)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender in the order listed. Blend on low for 1 minute, then turn to high for another minute, or until completely smooth.
- Pour into a glass, garnish with shredded carrots, coconut flakes and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon, and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Hi! I love your smoothie creation and this one is not an exception!
Can I leave out the protein powder? Do you have any substitute suggestions?
Thank you!
I LOVE your recipes. But I can never find the individual PIN button. I end up putting them all to word docs and printing them out. Surely there’s an individual PIN button for each recipe so I can follow it on my Ipda?
absolutely! if you’re on your computer, you can hover over the image and pin it or if you’re on your phone or iPad, there is a pin share button at the bottom of the screen 🙂
Hello,
This looks really delicious. I have a question, though. There is mention of broccoli slaw in the comment section. Has the recipe changed over time, or am I just missing something, because there’s only carrots and cauliflower in the recipe, for veggies added?
Also, lately I’m seeing a lot of recipes using frozen cauliflower in smoothies. I always wonder whether the frozen cauliflower is cooked or raw.
Thanks so much for your time.
The recipe has been changed over time 🙂 I buy frozen cauliflower that is pre-cooked actually! I recommend either finding a frozen, quick-cook cauliflower (that usually means it’s pre-cooked), or steaming yourself then freezing!
Why is ir better to have everything frozen? Is it more jummy this way? I am not sure I want ice-cream in the morning… But maybe there is another reason?
Because it makes it cold 🙂 If you don’t want a cold smoothie, you could use fresh!
I don’t own a Blendtec and have no intentions of getting one (maybe a weddling list item someday) but in the mean time was wondering if you could offer a suggestion for making this with a regular blender. I own a food processor too so I was thinking I could just mash up the carrots in that and transfer it over. Tedious perhaps but I’d really like to try this.
Hi Michael, there’s a few things I think you can do:
1) try the food processor
2) try steaming them slightly before to soften them and then blend
Let me know what you try!! This is one of my favorite smoothies and I know you’ll love it 🙂
Love your recipes. I just wish you show the nutrition breakdown.
Thanks for the comment Jerry and I appreciate the feedback. I don’t calculate the nutritional content for my recipes because I don’t find that many of my readers ask for it. For those that do, I direct them to the online calculators you can use by just plugging in the ingredients and everything is broken down for you. Hope that helps!
Wow! I never thought to put zucchini, broccoli, or cabbage in sweet smoothies. Thanks for the great ideas.
This took me more than 5 minutes to prepare, but it was worth it! Delicious and I used honey instead of stevia.
Glad you enjoyed it Paula! It’s awesome being able to drink your cake and actually have it be healthy 😉
Just made this morning. SOOOO good! Thanks for the recipe.
Oh wow this looks incredible Alyssa. I love a thick smoothie, the thicker the better. And I love throwing everything in there. I haven’t yet added broccoli, but I thought about it earlier this week. Now I for sure need to 🙂
Thanks, Beth! It’s one of my new favorite recipes!
Broccoli slaw, such an interesting addition! I’ve been lusting after a decent blender for ages (my little hand held immersion blender is starting to just not cut it anymore) and smoothies like this are exactly why. Carrot cake for breakfast, yes please. x
Wow, I’d not thought of putting broccoli slaw in a smoothie before. I might have to see if I can do this in my food processor or something. I’m not sure my little mini blender will handle it.
It’s great because it’s a veggie, but doesn’t have the dark green color that spinach and kale have, which makes smoothies like this one (or with berries) keep their gorgeous colors. Although delicious, brown smoothies (mixing greens and berries/carrots) sometimes aren’t the most appetizing things to look at… 🙂
I am very interested in your cookbook… one question though: do many of the recipes call for special ingredients that are likely only available in the States, such as protein powders and the like? I live in the land of quinoa and I love the taste of the flour in baking, but living in a rural region in Chile means I don’t have feasible access to things like that. Also, if you use a lot of coconut flour, let me know. Yes, I have coconut but not the flour and making the flour is just entirely too laborious.
Thank you so much!
Oh, yum! I like my smoothies thick, but still sippable. I love that you put broccoli slaw in this one. I often add cabbage slaw mix to my smoothies. Need to pick up some broccoli slaw. It’s not always at my store. I agree that a high-speed blender changes the game with smoothie making. I love my Vitamix, too. 😉
Thanks for the recipe, Alyssa!
Shirley
I love adding cabbage slaw to my smoothies too! It’s a great way to add more veggies without changing the color of the smoothie itself. Whenever I add spinach and/or kale to a smoothie with berries (or carrots in this case!), I always end up with a big glass of brown 🙂 Not super appealing, but always delicious! And doesn’t a high-speed blender just make your day? Gosh, I love mine!