High Protein Gingerbread Smoothie Recipe

This clean-eating gingerbread smoothie recipe is a perfect holiday treat! Sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan, you can enjoy the flavors of Christmas AND fuel your body! It’s perfect for anyone who loves gingerbread. You can even boost the protein with any of these real foods!

What’s your favorite part about the holiday season? Mine is the food! Especially the sweets like gingerbread!

I would love to indulge in candy cane cookies and pumpkin cookies all day every day. However, I would like my pants to keep fitting by spring!

Fortunately, I’ve devised a healthy gingerbread smoothie that allows me to enjoy the gingerbread flavor AND fuel my body!

Why make a gingerbread smoothie? 

I’m a huge fan of smoothies. Green maca smoothies, blueberry cheesecake smoothies, and pumpkin smoothies are a few favorites. I typically keep smoothie packets prepped in the freezer for busy mornings!

Smoothies are a great source of nutrients. Most adults and kids don’t get enough greens. Adding greens to smoothies is a GREAT way to help adults and kids get the nutrients they need from leafy greens and fruit. 

If your kids aren’t quite sure about a green smoothie, tell them it’s a gingerbread shake! They won’t even notice it’s free from refined sugar. That sounds delicious to me!

Gingerbread Smoothie Ingredients

To make a smoothie that tastes like gingerbread, you have to use the spices that go in gingerbread recipes. Pair that with a basic green smoothie and you’ve got a cold holiday drink that everyone will love!

• Liquid base. You can use any type of milk for your base. I’ve tested with whole milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and milk kefir. Choose kefir if you’re going for high protein!
• Greens. Spinach is my favorite hearty green. But you can use kale, collard greens, turnip or mustard greens. 
• Banana. This is your creamy factor. The riper the banana, the sweeter your smoothie! I like to freeze my bananas to make my smoothies super cold and creamy!
• White Beans. Don’t scrunch your nose up just yet. Adding cooked white beans increases your protein! They don’t throw off the flavor as you might think. If this really geeks you out, sub in ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt. 
• Blackstrap Molasses. Have you ever tasted molasses plain? It’s really not that good by itself, YET it adds tons of flavor to make the gingerbread flavor stand out. 
• Vanilla Extract. Same as molasses, not so good by itself, but it’s a holiday baking staple! (Here’s how you can make your own and never run out!)
• Spices. This is where the gingerbread flavor really comes out. You need ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. You COULD use fresh ginger, but powdered ginger will work.

Note: If you NEED to make this smoothie a little sweeter, you can add maple syrup. Maple pairs well with the flavors and is a less refined sweetener than sugar. 

How to Make a Clean Eating Gingerbread Smoothie

Making a smoothie is pretty simple. Toss the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. But here are a few tips to make your smoothie making a bit smoother:

Step 1. Follow the ingredients in order. The order of your ingredients can play into how well your smoothie blends. Always go liquid first, then greens, then creamy factor, then other ingredients. 

Step. 2. Use a high powered blender. I got my Blendtec as a birthday present years ago (read the story and my review here!). And it’s still going strong! If you don’t have a high powered blender, that’s ok! Use what you have. Or use this method to make a smoothie without a blender. 

Step 3. Scrape the sides and blend again. Every now and then a couple of bits of spinach or a bean gets stuck on the top of my blender jar (even in my Blendtec!). If this happens, I scrape the sides with a spatula and give it a quick pulse to get it all mixed in. 

How to Boost the Protein in a Homemade Smoothie

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN get enough protein through food sources. You don’t have to add protein powders to smoothies to make them high in protein. 

Foods like beans, kefir, greek yogurt, and collagen are great! You can read more ideas in this post here. You can even add in superfoods like egg yolks, chia seeds, and even liver! 

At one point, I went in knee-deep to find the best foods that boost protein in smoothies. What I found is compiled in my ebook, High Protein No Powder. I share why you should avoid commercially processed powders, what you can use instead, and over 25 specific recipes to make your own high protein smoothies! 

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes:

• Eggnog Smoothie
• Pumpkin Smoothie
• Green Maca Smoothie
• Detox Smoothie
• Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie