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Old Fashioned

This classic old fashioned recipe is easy to make with bourbon, bitters, orange peel and your choice of sweetener. Let’s hear it for the most classic of classic cocktails — the old fashioned. ♡ This simple whiskey cocktail will forever and always be a favorite. Made simply with your choice of whiskey, bitters, sweetener, and […]

This classic old fashioned recipe is easy to make with bourbon, bitters, orange peel and your choice of sweetener.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Let’s hear it for the most classic of classic cocktails — the old fashioned. ♡

This simple whiskey cocktail will forever and always be a favorite. Made simply with your choice of whiskey, bitters, sweetener, and an orange peel, this drink is easy to craft in just a few minutes. And it’s one of those satisfying, swanky cocktails that never goes out of style.

I’m partial to adding an orange twist, a chunky ice cube, and a Luxardo cherry to my old fashioned cocktails. But you’re welcome, of course, to garnish and serve yours however you please. I’ve included various options below for various types of whiskey and sweeteners that you can use. But I have to say that the classic bourbon and sugar cube combo will never let you down.

So grab a glass and let’s craft a delicious old fashioned together.

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Rose Sangria

rose sangria recipe

Summer in France means a lot of things in France. En masse vacations, a blissfully empty Paris, price increases (which happen during August, when everyone is out of town – of course), and vide-greniers and brocantes, known elsewhere as flea markets, where people sell all kinds of things. If you’re lucky enough to take a trip to the countryside, the brocantes are amazing. But some small towns in France also have little antique shops that are always worth poking around in. And when your other half has a station wagon, well, the possibilities are endless. (And sometimes voluminous!)

peach for sangria

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Margaritas

All you need are 3 ingredients to make my favorite margarita recipe! Instructions included for how to make a single serving margarita or pitcher margaritas for a crowd. Raise your hand if you love a good margarita! ♡ This famously sweet, sour and salty drink will forever and always be my all-time favorite cocktail. But […]

All you need are 3 ingredients to make my favorite margarita recipe! Instructions included for how to make a single serving margarita or pitcher margaritas for a crowd.

Classic Margarita Recipe in Glass with Lime

Raise your hand if you love a good margarita! ♡

This famously sweet, sour and salty drink will forever and always be my all-time favorite cocktail. But while I adore just about any kind of margarita — frozen or on the rocks, tequila or mezcal, fruity or spicy or fizzy or creamy, you name it — a classic margarita cocktail in my book simply cannot be beat.

By contrast to many of the diluted, super-sweet, and sometimes fizzy huge mugs of margaritas that are often served in restaurants around the world nowadays, a traditional margarita is actually a strong, tart cocktail made with three simple ingredients — good-quality tequila, orange liqueur, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. This simple margarita mix is incredibly quick and easy to make, either for a single serving or a larger batch for a crowd. And it is downright delicious served on the rocks, with or without a salted rim.

I have become quite partial over the years to making margaritas with mezcal instead of tequila, which I highly recommend if you love a good smoky cocktail. And if you feel like spicing your drink up a bit, I’ve also included tips below for how to make a spicy salted rim or muddle a few chile peppers into your drink — so good!

Bottom line, if you love margaritas as much as I do, take a moment to read through my tips below and memorize this simple 3:2:1 ingredient ratio. Then let’s make a round of margaritas together. Cheers!

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Pumpkin Smoothie

This creamy pumpkin smoothie tastes like pie…but it’s loads healthier! This tasty drink features yogurt, fruit and pumpkin spice. Ready for pumpkin season? We’re here for it! Many of the season’s recipes are sugar loaded: pumpkin cookies, cakes, and of course good old pumpkin pie. But why not enjoy all the flavors in a healthy and delicious way? This Pumpkin Smoothie is creamy and full of pumpkin-spiced flavor: and made with Greek yogurt and fruit! It’s a deliciously cozy way to usher in the season…without the sugar high. It’s also packed with protein from the yogurt. Our son Larson was very into this one (especially sipping it out of his new pumpkin mug.) Bring on the pumpkin! Ingredients in this pumpkin smoothie This pumpkin smoothie is full of good-for-you ingredients. It’s also got a drizzle of added maple syrup to make it just sweet enough that it feels like a treat. Here are the ingredients in this tasty smoothie: Pumpkin puree: Make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling! You’ll just need plain unsweetened pumpkin puree. If you do have pumpkin pie filling, omit the spices and maple syrup, then add to taste. Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds a creamy […]

A Couple Cooks – Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

This creamy pumpkin smoothie tastes like pie…but it’s loads healthier! This tasty drink features yogurt, fruit and pumpkin spice.

Ready for pumpkin season? We’re here for it! Many of the season’s recipes are sugar loaded: pumpkin cookies, cakes, and of course good old pumpkin pie. But why not enjoy all the flavors in a healthy and delicious way? This Pumpkin Smoothie is creamy and full of pumpkin-spiced flavor: and made with Greek yogurt and fruit! It’s a deliciously cozy way to usher in the season…without the sugar high. It’s also packed with protein from the yogurt. Our son Larson was very into this one (especially sipping it out of his new pumpkin mug.) Bring on the pumpkin!

Ingredients in this pumpkin smoothie

This pumpkin smoothie is full of good-for-you ingredients. It’s also got a drizzle of added maple syrup to make it just sweet enough that it feels like a treat. Here are the ingredients in this tasty smoothie:

Pumpkin puree: Make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling! You’ll just need plain unsweetened pumpkin puree. If you do have pumpkin pie filling, omit the spices and maple syrup, then add to taste.
Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds a creamy body and loads on the protein. It also provides probiotics for gut-health. You can also use any type of plain yogurt.
Banana: No need to freeze your banana! Use it room temperature, and it helps to add creaminess.
Apple: Apple also adds texture and body.
Pumpkin pie spice: This brings in the magic! Use store-bought or our homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice blend.
Maple syrup: Adds the final sweetness: you’ll need this to combat the bitterness of the pumpkin.

Blending up the perfect smoothie

This pumpkin smoothie has just the right texture using Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree as the main liquid components. But here’s a note if your smoothie doesn’t start to blend right away:

Place all the liquid items into your blender first. This helps the blades not get stuck when you start to blend.
If necessary, add a splash or milk or water to your smoothie to help it blend. Whether you’ll need it depends on the consistency of your yogurt and how powerful your blender is.

Variations and add-ins!

This pumpkin smoothie tastes pretty great as is. But you can mix it up if you like! Here are a few ideas for other add ins for this smoothie:

Oats: Add whole grains by throwing in 1/2 cup rolled oats.
Pecans, cashews or almonds: Throw in 1/4 cup nuts for even more plant-based protein.
Nut butter: Or add 1 to 2 tablespoons almond butter or cashew butter.
Chai spices: Replace the pumpkin spice with chai spices.

Pumpkin smoothie topping ideas

Want to take this pumpkin smoothie over the top? If you’re serving it for guests for a fall brunch, it could be fun to step it up a bit. Here are some ideas for toppings: let us know what other ideas you have!

Granola: Add healthy maple pecan granola for a tasty treat!
Chopped pecans or walnuts: A few chopped nuts look like lovely confetti.
Pumpkin seeds: Pepitas would be perfect! Or even pumpkin seed granola.

Vegan pumpkin smoothie variation

Want to make this into a vegan pumpkin smoothie? You can substitute oat milk or almond milk for the Greek yogurt! You can also use your favorite brand of vegan yogurt. It will have a slightly thinner texture than with yogurt, but it will taste just as good.

This pumpkin smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use the variation in the recipe.

Pumpkin Smoothie

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 small smoothies or 1 large
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

This creamy pumpkin smoothie tastes like pie…but it’s loads healthier! This tasty drink features yogurt, fruit and pumpkin spice.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or plain yogurt (or oat milk for vegan)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 medium ripe banana
1 1/2 cups fresh apple chunks (skin on, about 1 medium apple)
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup ice cubes
For the topping: pumpkin pie spice, maple pecan granola, etc.

Instructions

Place the ingredients in the blender in the order indicated, breaking the banana into pieces as you add it.
Blend on high until fully pureed and smooth, stopping and scraping as necessary. Depending on your blender and the consistency of your yogurt, you may need to add a splash of milk or water to get it to start. Eat immediately or refrigerate up to 1 day.

Category: Drink
Method: Blended
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Pumpkin smoothie

More smoothie recipes

Looking for healthy smoothie recipes? Here are some of our favorites:

Creamy: Yogurt, Vanilla Protein or Peanut Butter Smoothie Lusciously creamy and packed with flavor.
Fruits: Banana, Peach, Apple, Acai Berry, Watermelon, Orange, or Pineapple Smoothie Juicy and lightly sweet: perfectly refreshing.
Greens & veggies: Kale, Celery, Avocado, Green, Beet or Spinach Smoothie You’ll forget you’re eating all those healthy ingredients.
Berries: Strawberry, Mixed Berry, Fruit, Blueberry, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Mango, or Blueberry Banana Smoothie Tart and full of sweet fruity flavor!

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

Byrrh Cassis Aperitif

We spent part of our summer vacation in the Languedoc-Roussillon. The region is famous for its wines, especially the reds and rosé (which we sampled – generously…), while it was once the most popular apéritif in the world, selling over 30 million bottles annually, Byrrh is also made in the region but nowadays less well-known. In fact, if you order a Byrrh in France, more often than not, you might be brought a glass of bière, unless your ear for French is pretty good as it’s pronunciation is close to ‘beer.’ (I once had to point it out on the menu at a wine bar in Paris, as the waiter had no idea what I was talking about.) There’s no beer in Byrrh, but there’s plenty of flavor in this iconic French apéritif.

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Negroni Sbagliato Spritz

[NOTE: Learn more about making this apéritif with Brad Thomas Parsons, award-winning author of Bitters, Amaro, and Last Call, on my IG Live Apéro Hour today at 6pm CET (Noon ET, 9am PT) Tune in and join us!] I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to relax in the warm weather, than with a refreshing Spritz. I was introduced…

Negroni Sbagliato spritz cocktail

[NOTE: Learn more about making this apéritif with Brad Thomas Parsons, award-winning author of Bitters, Amaro, and Last Call, on my IG Live Apéro Hour today at 6pm CET (Noon ET, 9am PT) Tune in and join us!]

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a better way to relax in the warm weather, than with a refreshing Spritz. I was introduced to the Spritz when I went to coffee school in 2007, in Trieste, Italy. I drank at least six cups of espresso every day – how could I not? – surprising even the Italian teachers. And by the end of the day, I needed to wind down.

Negroni Sbagliato spritz cocktail

So after class, I’d go to a local caffè in the early evening where I noticed everyone drinking colorful drinks in large, wide goblets filled with handfuls of ice. Since icy beverages are often hard to come by in some countries in Europe, it was surprising to see people drinking cold drinks loaded up with ice. And I wanted one.

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Coffee and Irish Cream Iced Shakerino

I’m not sure how I came up with the name Shakerino for this drink. It may have been a goof when I mixed up the Italian name, and concept of the drink. But this Shakerino is sort of dyslexian (or dystopian, if you’re an authenticarian – another word I made up) riff off the Italian Shakerato, a caffè drink made by shaking espresso and sugar…

I’m not sure how I came up with the name Shakerino for this drink. It may have been a goof when I mixed up the Italian name, and concept of the drink. But this Shakerino is sort of dyslexian (or dystopian, if you’re an authenticarian – another word I made up) riff off the Italian Shakerato, a caffè drink made by shaking espresso and sugar syrup to a froth with ice.

I revisited it recently when I was cleaning out files on my computer and came across this recipe that I developed so long ago that my word processing program was struggling to find a compatible program or method to open it with. But I shook one up and after that first sip, I remembered why I liked it so much. In fact, I didn’t remember how good it was! (If that makes sense.)

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Cucumber Mint Cooler

I was astonished when I was eating a sandwich at Mokoloco, which I can pretty confidently say makes the best sandwiches in the world. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of hyperbole, but every sandwich I’ve had there has been spectacular. From the Cuban sandwich made with pulled pork, ham, pickled vegetables, spicy mustard, and griddled on house-made bread, to a Katsu Meatball “burger” served with anchovy mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun, it’s always a tough decision to decide which to have. The menu changes daily so you never really know what’s going to be on offer, but lately they’ve been doing an excellent Fattoush salad, the best I’ve ever had, which I guess I should be glad is a seasonal thing because I’d be in there every day they’re open, all year round.

The restaurant is owned by Moko Hirayama and Omar Koreitem, although calling Mokoloco a restaurant is a bit of a misnomer. (The couple owns the nearby Mokonuts, which became so popular that they created Mokloco sandwich bar to offer more casual fare.) It’s a sandwich bar in the best sense of the word, with the friendly staff making sandwiches and salads to order, handing them off to customers who either get them to go, or to enjoy perched on a stool in the sparse, modern space.

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Strawberry Spritz

Recently I started reaching for my bottle of Vermouth Blanc more and more. I had opened it to make an El Presidente cocktail, but during an interview on my IG Live channel with Pierre-Olivier Rousseaux, owner of Dolin distillery in France, he remarked that their Chambéryzette apéritif, made in the French alps, could be made at home, anywhere, with fresh strawberries and white vermouth. So…

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Fresh Ginger Lemonade

Note: I’ll be making this ginger lemonade today at 6pm CET (Noon ET, 9am PT) on my IG Live Apéro Hour on Instagram. To watch, head to my profile on my IG profile page at that time, and when the circle around my profile pic says “Live” – click on it to tune in. More info, as well as how to watch it in replay…

Note: I’ll be making this ginger lemonade today at 6pm CET (Noon ET, 9am PT) on my IG Live Apéro Hour on Instagram. To watch, head to my profile on my IG profile page at that time, and when the circle around my profile pic says “Live” – click on it to tune in. More info, as well as how to watch it in replay in my IGTV channel archives, is here.

I once got into a Scrabble tiff when I was challenged for using the word “ade.” I’ve played Scrabble in English, and in French, and I’ve determined that it’s impossible to win if facing off against French players due to the astounding selection of verb conjugations they have at their disposal. (Except for this French Scrabble champion who doesn’t even speak French, but won by memorizing words in the French dictionary. Wow.)

Fortunately, I don’t have a competitive streak, although I did dig my heels over the word ade when I was playing Scrabble with some fellow anglophones one time, who refused to concede that ade was an actual word. There was a dictionary on hand in the summer house we were staying at, which confirmed that ade is, indeed, a drink made with fruit.

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