Start your day with this creamy, fall-inspired apple cinnamon smoothie. This fiber-rich vegan smoothie is made without yogurt and is ready in just a few minutes.
I am usually luke-warm about smoothies, but I LOVE this apple cinnamon smoothie! Apple and cinnamon are the perfect fall flavor combination (I'm looking at you, apple cinnamon overnight oats).
The natural sweetness of apple almost makes this smoothie feel more like a dessert than a smoothie. It's like apple pie in smoothie form!
Recipe features
- Dietary notes: vegetarian, vegan/dairy-free, soy-free and nut-free optional
- Super creamy and packed with fall flavors
- Filled with healthy ingredients, making it great for breakfast or as a snack
Ingredients
- Applesauce: Choose unsweetened applesauce. For an extra apple-y flavor, replace the milk with an equal amount of apple sauce.
- Frozen banana makes the smoothie super creamy. The flavor is very mild, so don't worry if you don't love bananas! The smoothie can be made without banana (see FAQ below).
- Cinnamon: The ultimate fall seasoning! Pumpkin spice seasoning also works well in this smoothie.
- Nut butter: Adding peanut or almond butter to smoothies is an easy way to increase nutrient and protein content without using protein powders. One tablespoon of peanut butter provides 95 calories and 3.5 grams of protein. Sunflower butter is a good nut-free option for this smoothie.
- Soy milk: Choose unsweetened, unflavored soy milk. You can also try oat milk, almond milk, or any milk you prefer.
- Rolled oats: Dry rolled oats (AKA old fashion oats) add fiber and make the smoothie extra creamy. I also use this method in my lemon blueberry smoothie.
- Ground flaxseed is added for a pop of fiber and healthy fats. Feel free to omit it.
Step by step instructions
Start by slicing and freezing a banana it for at least an hour. I recommend slicing multiple bananas at a time so that you always have some on hand. They last well in the fridge for up to 3 months!
This recipe makes one medium smoothie.
Like most smoothie recipes, this one is pretty simple. Just add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on medium until nice and smooth.
Adjust to taste:
- Frozen banana: Start with half a large banana. Add more to taste for an even creamier smoothie.
- Maple syrup is added for fall flavors and sweetness. Omit for a smoothie free from added sugars or increase to taste. The need for maple syrup will depend a lot on the sweetness of the banana.
Top with toasted walnuts or pecans, an extra dash of cinnamon and extra ground flax seed (optional). For an extra apple kick in your apple smoothie, add diced apple as a topping.
Recipe tips and customization
This smoothie is healthy and filling as-is, but I have a full article on how to make filling smoothies that you might find helpful.
- You do not need a high powered blender to make this smoothie. I use this Kitchenaid blender now but I used to use this relatively inexpensive blender for smoothies and it worked well.
- Smoothie texture: Depending on the strength of your blender you may notice the rolled oats a tiny amount in the smoothie (I usually don't but some readers have commented on it). You can fix this by soaking the oats for at least an hour in the milk you're using for the smoothie, much like overnight oats. This will soften them and make them a lot easier to break down.
- For a colder smoothie, add 3-4 cubes of ice after the smoothie is blended. Blend the ice in until mostly crushed. This will also make the smoothie a bit creamier.
- The glass jars used in the photos make the cutest smoothie containers.
Smoothie FAQ
I recommend using rolled oats because they are more fiber-rich than instant oats, but instant or quick oats will work in a pinch.
The original version of this recipe didn't use a banana, so technically you can omit it but the smoothie won't be as creamy. If omitting banana I recommend adding in a few ice cubes. If you don't like bananas, I recommend using a just-ripe banana (green/yellow skin) as it won't have as strong of a flavor as very ripe bananas (yellow/speckled brown skin).
I use to make this smoothie with fresh apple and the texture just isn't as good as it is with apple sauce. If you don't have a super high powered blender the apple will end up a with a grainy texture that applesauce doesn't have.
Looking for more fall breakfast ideas?
Here's a few of my favorites:
Did you make this recipe? You can leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the recipe card or a review down in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow along on my YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest or sign up for my newsletter!
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ large banana sliced, see note #1
- 4 ounces unsweetened applesauce see note #2
- ⅓ cup soy milk or milk of choice
- ¼ cup rolled oats see note #4
- 1 tablespoon almond butter peanut butter also works
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed optional
- 3-4 ice cubes as needed
Instructions
- Thinly slice half of a large banana. Place on a small cutting board or baking sheet and place in the freezer until frozen, about 1-2 hours. This can be prepped in advance.
- Add all ingredients to a blender: frozen banana slices, applesauce, soy milk, rolled oats, almond butter, cinnamon, maple syrup and ground flax seed. Blend on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Adjust maple syrup to taste and add extra milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Optionally, blend in 2-4 ice cubes for a colder smoothie. Serve topped with an extra dash of cinnamon.
Video
Notes
- Bananas: Freeze sliced bananas in bulk for a quick smoothie ingredient. They keep for up to 3 months. If you're not a big fan of bananas in smoothies, choose a just-ripe banana instead of a super ripe banana.
- Applesauce: I use individual cups of applesauce here but I keep them in the fridge so that the smoothie is colder.
- Rolled oats: I recommend using rolled oats because they are more fiber-rich than instant oats, but instant or quick oats will work in a pinch.
- You do not need a high powered blender to make this smoothie. I used to use this relatively inexpensive blender for smoothies but now I use this blender. Both work well!
Author's note: This recipe was originally shared September 2019 and was updated August 2021. The recipe was altered for more consistent results and quality and now includes a frozen banana and applesauce instead of fresh apples. Original recipe: 1 medium apple, ¼ cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, ½ cup soy milk, 3-4 ice cubes as needed.
Marissa
The banana makes it really creamy. I didn't need to add any maple syrup because the banana was so sweet. I didn't have a problem with it being grainy but maybe that is because I have a strong blender.
Cassidy Reeser
I'm happy to hear you liked it. The recipe was updated to make sure the grainy issue doesn't happen anymore, glad to hear it worked for you! 🙂
Alexander
Could’ve been very good, but it turned out pretty bland. I’d recommend adding a sweetener, maybe some honey or maple syrup. Good recipe, just a bit lacking.
Lynda
I come up with 173 calories on My FitnessPal. It is not very tasty IMO. Not cold and creamy enough either
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks for the honest review! 🙂
Regelyn Banal
Tasty and chill. thanks for sharing the recipe. My favorite part of this recipe is that it’s made super creamy using rolled oats. I wanted to try this with avocados too. thumbs up!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
Ashlea
It turned out really grainy and gross. I'm not one to usually have a problem with texture but I couldn't get past the grainy texture.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks for trying the recipe, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like the texture!