Turn Canned Pumpkin Into A Creamy Smoothie With 2 Ingredients

The fall season is synonymous with pumpkin spice, but there's no reason you can't keep the good vibes going all year long. A pumpkin smoothie is the easy answer to be able to enjoy the flavors at any time. All you have to do is blend pumpkin pie filling and milk or yogurt with some ice to make a delectable treat. You'll get warm spices, earthy sweetness, and creamy richness without any of the hassle of breaking out a mixing bowl. 

The fastest way to make this smoothie is to use pre-made pumpkin pie filling straight out of the can. Or, if you stored pumpkin pie filling in your freezer from last holiday season and it contains raw eggs, defrost it, place it in a small oven-safe dish, and bake until set. Alternatively, just pop it in the microwave to cook it. Since you will be blending it all up, the presentation doesn't really matter — you just want to make sure the filling is safe to eat. Once cooked and cooled, dump the pumpkin mix in the blender along with the dairy and ice and blitz until smooth.

To make your smoothie, you'll want to use roughly equal parts pumpkin pie filling and milk or yogurt, but feel free to adjust to your own preferences. It's better to put less liquid in the beginning and add bit by bit so you don't end up with a runny result. Uncooked, egg-free filling will probably be a better match for yogurt rather than milk, so the consistency doesn't thin out too much. 

As long as your filling is already sweetened, you don't need to add any sugar. However, if you want to try the recipe with unsweetened pumpkin pureé, you'll want to add some sort of flavor enhancer. Try maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, or sweetened condensed milk to compliment the flavor of the pumpkin, or opt for sweetened nut milk or vanilla yogurt instead. Pumpkin butter can also be a great ingredient. It is quite sweet, though, so use it as the sugar component along with unsweetened pumpkin pureé, or add a spoonful to double down on the caramelized pumpkin flavor.

If you do a little pre-planning, you can skip the ice entirely. Instead, freeze sweetened pumpkin pie filling in ice-cube trays before blending with milk or yogurt. Your freezer will be appropriately stocked so you can enjoy a decadent smoothie whenever the craving strikes.

This smoothie not only tastes great as is, but it's also a great foundation for so many additional flavors and textures. Add extra warm spices like ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or make your own pumpkin spice blend. Add complimentary fruits like apples, pears, or bananas or incorporate a scoop of nut butter. For an extra special adult treat, turn your pumpkin smoothie into a boozy milkshake by spiking it with some homemade pumpkin liqueur.

You can also go the latte route and replace some of the milk with store-bought cold brew concentrate, or make your own cold brew iced coffee using a French press. Blend with a pump or two of vanilla, pistachio, butter pecan, white chocolate, or toasted marshmallow syrup for a truly delightful blended pumpkin iced coffee.

Since this smoothie comes together in a flash, you'll have time to devote to fun finishes. Give the glass a swirl of chocolate sauce or homemade dulce de leche. Textural toppings like toasted pecans, graham crackers, dried cranberries, miniature chocolate chips, or ginger snaps would all be a great finish too, especially if you sprinkle them on top of a generous dollop of whipped cream.