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Morning Glory Smoothie

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This Morning Glory Smoothie is a thick, creamy treat that’s full of healthy fats and nutritious fruits and veggies.

Carrots, apples, coconut milk, nut butter, vanilla, cinnamon and ice create a fun, unique drink that’s perfect with breakfast or as a snack.

It’s dairy-free, vegan, Paleo and has no added sweeteners of any kind!

This blog post was updated on August 13, 2020.

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carrot and apple smoothie in a glass surrounded by carrots, apples and a bowl of cinnamon

What is a Morning Glory Smoothie?

Morning Glory muffins were invented in 1978 by Pam McKinstry at her Morning Glory Cafe in New England. They became popular, started appearing in mainstream magazines in the early 1980s and have been a breakfast staple ever since.

Can you imagine creating a new muffin recipe – or any recipe – and people are still making it almost 4 decades later?

Those muffins are definitely my style – cram as much into a baked good as possible while making sure the batter holds together.

Carrots, apples, coconut, nuts, dried fruit, spices…yes, yes and yes. It’s like carrot cake on steroids.

So this Morning Glory Smoothie takes all those flavors and blends them up for a simple, vibrant drink.

And somehow, with the sunbutter, vanilla and cinnamon, it really does taste like a muffin!

carrot apple coconut milk smoothie in a glass surrounded by apples, carrots and a bowl of cinnamon

How to make this carrot smoothie

It’s so easy to make vegan smoothie recipe!

Peel the carrots if you’d like (if they’re organic, you can just scrub them under running water). You can peel the apples too but I never do. (I love this peeler or this peeler.)

If you have a powerful blender (like a Vitamix), you can just dice up the carrots and apple. (For what it’s worth, I have this Breville blender that’s not nearly as expensive and works great.) If you have a weaker blender, grate the carrots and apple (using a box grater). This will make them easier to blend.

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend!

Substitutions and variations

  1. You can use any kind of apple you like. If you want a sweeter smoothie, go with something like Honeycrisp or Fuji. If you want it less sweet, use something like a Granny Smith.
  2. Again, depending on how sweet you want it, you can also add a bit of maple syrup (to keep it vegan) or honey (not vegan).
  3. You can use any milk you like. I use canned coconut milk here for the coconut flavor that the muffin has, plus it’s thick and rich.
  4. You can use any nut butter you like, such as almond butter or peanut butter.
  5. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and/or turmeric for a bit of heat. The same amount of cardamom would also be nice.
  6. Blend in your favorite protein powder for a protein boost!

coconut milk smoothie with carrots and apples in a glass on a wooden table

Make ahead

This coconut milk smoothie can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in the fridge. You may have to stir or re-blend before serving.

 

Other smoothies and drinks

  1. Strawberry Banana Smoothie
  2. Chocolate Tahini Smoothie
  3. Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowls
  4. Frozen Pineapple Virgin Margarita
  5. Honeydew Mint Cooler

 

This carrot apple smoothie is ready to be your new favorite drink. Thanks, Pam – here’s to another 40 years!

carrots, apples, coconut milk and more blended into a smoothie in a tall glass

 

 

2 glasses of Morning Glory Smoothie on a wooden table in front of carrots, apples, a spoonful of sunbutter and a small bowl of cinnamon
apples, carrots, coconut milk and more blended into a smoothie in a tall glass

morning glory smoothie in glasses surrounded by carrots, apples and a bowl of cinnamon

carrot apple coconut milk smoothie in a glass surrounded by apples, carrots and a bowl of cinnamon

Morning Glory Smoothie

Don Baiocchi
Just like a classic Morning Glory Muffin, this smoothie is full of carrots, apples, coconut, nuts and spices. It's a fun way to get your fruits, veggies and healthy fats, plus it's dairy-free, vegan and Paleo!
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Blending time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings
Calories 516 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lb. carrots (about 4 small or 3 medium)
  • ½ apple (see notes below)
  • 14.5 oz full-fat coconut milk canned
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 2 tbsp. sunbutter or nut butter of your choice
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ½ tsp. fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ cup ice cubes (about 4-5)
  • honey or maple syrup (optional, see notes)

Instructions
 

  • Trim the carrots. Peel if you feel like it (you may not, especially if they're organic) and chop into small pieces. Core the apple if you feel like it (you may not if you're using a really powerful blender) and chop into small pieces.
  • If you have a powerful blender, chopping should be fine. If you don't, you might want to grate the carrots and apple on a box grater or with a food processor using the shredding blade.
  • Pour the coconut milk into the blender, then the carrots, apple, sunbutter, vanilla, sea salt and cinnamon and... guess what! Blend! Then add 2-3 ice cubes and blend until smooth.
  • Taste, adjust seasonings, adding honey or maple syrup if you'd like it sweeter. If you want it colder, add a few more ice cubes.

Notes

Substitutions and variations
  1. You can use any kind of apple you like. If you want a sweeter smoothie, go with something like Honeycrisp or Fuji. If you want it less sweet, use something like a Granny Smith.
  2. Again, depending on how sweet you want it, you can also add a bit of maple syrup (to keep it vegan) or honey (not vegan).
  3. You can use any milk you like. I use canned coconut milk here for the coconut flavor that the muffin has, plus it's thick and rich.
  4. You can use any nut butter you like, such as almond butter or peanut butter.
  5. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and/or turmeric for a bit of heat. The same amount of cardamom would also be nice.
  6. Blend in your favorite protein powder for a protein boost!
Make ahead
This smoothie can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge. You may have to stir or re-blend before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 516kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 4gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 33gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 612mgPotassium: 731mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 18978IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 3mg
Keyword apple smoothie, apples, carrot smoothie, carrots, cinnamon, coconut milk, healthy fats, morning glory smoothie, smoothie
Tried this recipe?Mention @paleoglutenfreeguy or tag #paleoglutenfreeguy!

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The old pin for this recipe looked like:

 

2 images of Morning Glory Smoothie on a wooden table surrounded by carrots, apples and cinnamon

2 images of Morning Glory Smoothie on a wooden table surrounded by carrots, apples and cinnamon

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meredith says

    5 stars
    We love morning glory muffins, but never thought to try a morning glory smoothie! This sounds so delicious!

    Reply

  4. STACEY CRAWFORD says

    5 stars
    I have not heard of Morning Glory muffins before, and I feel like I’m really missing out on those so I will have to make this muffin in a smoothie drink. I love that you put sun-butter in it!

    Reply

  5. Megan Stevens says

    5 stars
    We loved this recipe! The carrots apple and cinnamon + nut butter are super good together, like you said, muffin-like! Thanks, super fun change up to our usual ingredients! 🙂

    Reply

  6. Jennifer says

    5 stars
    I bet this would keep ya full until lunch thanks to the coconut milk and nut butter, which is a plus because usually with smoothies , I’m chewing my arm off by 10am

    Reply

  12. Jean says

    5 stars
    Sounds so refreshing and delicious. I LOVE the combo of apple and carrots in smoothies and this looks like the perfect way to start the day!

    Reply

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