Sweet potato in a smoothie!? Heck yes! It is one of my absolute favorite additions to smoothies and today I’m sharing the ultimate sweet potato smoothie!
It’s thick and creamy and legit tastes like sweet potato pie, except without all the baking! Perfect for a quick breakfast, post-workout, snack, or even dessert. And did I mention it’s full of veggies?!
Smoothies are one of my absolute favorite ways to sneak in some veggies. They are amazing because you can pack in a decent amount and with the right flavor combinations, you can’t taste! This sweet potato pie smoothie has 2 cups in total!
This smoothie takes a little extra work as we are using frozen sweet potatoes. I find this is so much better than mashed or canned. All you have to do is bake a sweet potato until tender, cut it into large chunks, and freeze. Whenever we bake up a bunch of sweet potatoes for meal prep, I will always set a couple aside to freeze. It’s easier this way and we usually have them on hand to throw into smoothies.
Why we love this sweet potato smoothie
- tastes like sweet potato pie but in smoothie form!
- super thick and creamy
- packed with vitamins and minerals – it’s full of B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, copper, manganese, potassium, and phosphorus to name a few!
- macro-balanced – it has a good ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for balanced blood sugar, and to avoid those spikes and crashes that some smoothies can do.
Ingredients
- milk – I used whole, but dairy or non-dairy milk will work.
- cooked sweet potato – cooked and then frozen for some natural sweetness and adds the best creamy texture!
- frozen cauliflower rice – for some veggies and to bulk it up (you can’t taste it!)
- protein powder – for our protein source
- almond butter
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- vanilla extract
- maple syrup – optional, depending on how sweet you like your smoothies
How to make a sweet potato smoothie
- Prep your sweet potatoes if needed (this needs to be done in advance). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft and fork-tender. Let cool for a few minutes and roughly cut into 1-2 inches pieces, peeling off the skin as you go. Place cut sweet potatoes on a parchment paper-lined dish in the freezer and let freeze overnight, or at least 4 hours.
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
Using mashed sweet potato instead of frozen
If you don’t have frozen sweet potato on hand, you can use mashed sweet potato (canned or fresh). The recipe calls for about 1 cup cubed, which I think would be around 3/4 cup mashed. You can use more or less depending on how much you like.
The frozen sweet potato really gives it that cold smoothie feeling and makes it super thick and creamy, so you might have to add some ice or something else cold/frozen to get the same texture.
Can you put raw sweet potatoes in a smoothie?
While sweet potatoes can be eaten without cooking them (unlike other kinds of potatoes and yams), I don’t suggest eating them raw as they can be hard to digest and cause digestive distress. Besides that, putting raw sweet potatoes in your blender may cause it to break as they are so hard and dense.
Substitutions and additions
You can customize this sweet potato smoothie to your liking and to fit your nutritional goals. Here are some suggestions:
- milk – dairy or dairy-free milk (almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk…) will work.
- frozen sweet potato – canned sweet potato will work instead, but it won’t be as thick and creamy. I suggest you add ice if doing this to help chill it. Cooked and then frozen butternut squash would be an excellent substitute for sweet potato if you want to change it up.
- frozen cauliflower rice – you can use frozen cauliflower florets instead of rice.
- protein powder – any kind of protein powder will work. You can use whey, plant-based protein, or collagen. If you want to use flavored, I suggest a vanilla protein powder to pair well with the other ingredients.
- nut butter – any nut butter should work (peanut butter, cashew butter, pecan butter), and to make it nut-free, try tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- spices – pumpkin pie spice would be a good substitute.
Here are some additions you could add:
- greens – this will change the smoothie’s color, but add some more micronutrients. I would suggest spinach for a neutral taste.
- chia seeds – great for added healthy fats and fiber.
- greek yogurt – add vanilla or plain.
- maca – would add a nice caramel flavor and can benefit your hormones.
More healthy smoothie recipes
- chocolate beet smoothie
- chocolate protein smoothie
- green protein smoothie
- coffee protein smoothie
- orange creamsicle protein smoothie
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Sweet Potato Smoothie
ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk (or more or less depending on smoothie thickness preference)
- 1 small sweet potato baked, cut, and frozen* (6 ounces raw/about 1 heaping cup cubed)
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice (100 grams)
- 1 serving collagen (20 grams)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
instructions
- Prep your sweet potatoes if needed (this needs to be done in advance). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake for 30-40 minutes until soft and fork-tender. Let cool for a few minutes and roughly cut into 1-2 inches pieces, peeling off the skin as you go. Place cut sweet potatoes on a parchment paper-lined dish in the freezer and let freeze overnight, or at least 4 hours.
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
Dan says
Taste great just like pumpkin pie
Kelly says
So delicious!
Adrienne says
Loooove this smoothie recipe!!! I’ve prepped it for 2 weeks in a row and it doesn’t get old.
Kelly says
So happy to hear it! Thanks, Adrienne!
yalla shoot says
great post
Kelly says
Thanks!
Jennifet says
Thanks for the recipe but why does the sweet potato need to be cooked before freezing?
Kelly says
Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, but they might cause some digestive issues. I would recommend cooking them. It is also easier for the blender to process them.
Shannon Phillips says
I make a similar one but I also add spinach, butternut squash, avocado and sugar free Jello pudding mix. Usually a few blueberries or small banana. Protein powders and monk fruit sweetener. I pour the mixture into popsicle molds and eat throughout the day.
Kelly says
Oh, butternut squash sounds so good, I’ve never tried that! And popsicles sound so fun! Thanks Shannon!
Talitha says
I made this warm it was very delicious! Thank you!!
Kelly says
Glad you enjoyed Talitha!
Jessica Court says
This is another great smoothie I really liked this. Recently made this couple of times and the taste is quite unique and the texture is amazing. Thank you very much for this.
Kelly says
Glad you enjoyed it Jessica! Love the sweet potato in it for texture!