Ok, pumpkin lovers, here we go. Pumpkin pie in milkshake form! This vegan pumpkin spice milkshake is the best way to welcome pumpkin season…and beyond. It’s thick and creamy, and uses simple ingredients, like pumpkin spice (obviously), brown sugar and lots and lots of pumpkin puree. I mean the whole can! Not just a “hint” of pumpkin, this is unabashedly pumpkin all the way.
And here’s what’s even better: you don’t need any ice cream for it. I don’t mean because it’s vegan, I mean because you are making the ice cream right in the blender. But don’t you dare call it a smoothie. This amazing alchemy is 100% milkshake magic.
How Do You Make A Vegan Milkshake Without Ice Cream?
If you have made my Chocolate Milkshake or Strawberry Milkshake then you are probably not even reading this anymore, you’re whipping out the cashews. But if you haven’t, here’s the deal. A blend of cashews, ice, sugar and vanilla forms an amazing ice cream base. These ingredients blend up into a shake consistency that no one would be able to tell had no ice cream.
In this recipe, I included just a little hint of apple cider vinegar because a touch of acidity brings out all the pumpkin flavor. Use whatever vegan milk you like here! And for the sides of the glass, I drizzled in some molasses to make it pretty. You can leave that off if you don’t have any.
One batch makes four shakes (or two huge ones), which is convenient if you have three friends and inconvenient if you don’t. Ten minutes, one blender, one can opener.
What Goes In This Vegan Pumpkin Shake?
Cashews. The unroasted kind, so the flavor is neutral and the pumpkin shines through. Blended with ice they turn into the creamiest base you can make without an ice cream maker.
Pumpkin puree. The whole can, babies! Make sure it’s pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, which comes pre-sweetened and pre-spiced.
Light brown sugar. Well packed. The molasses in brown sugar gives you that pie-ish, caramelly depth that other sweeteners can’t.
Pumpkin pie spice. Obviously. Store-bought is perfect, but if you’re out you can mix your own: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves will get you the perfect teaspoon.
Vegan milk. Use what you’ve got, as long as it’s on the creamy side. Oat, soy and almond are all great. Rice milk not so much.
Apple cider vinegar. This is a weird little secret weapon. Pumpkin is mellow and a small hit of acid wakes the whole thing up. Fresh lemon juice works, too.
Ice. Just ice! This is what turns pumpkin and cashews into a milkshake instead of a very thick smoothie. The blender whips air into it and you get a texture much closer to soft serve.
Vanilla and salt. Vanilla makes it taste like ice cream (I repeat, it’s not a smoothie!). Salt does what salt does, just a hint to enhance the flavors.
Molasses. Just for drizzling the inside of the glass. It makes it a little sweeter, and a little deeper but the real reason is it makes it so much prettier!
Tips For The Best Pumpkin Spice Milkshakes
Break your ice cubes apart before blending. If they’re clumped, your blender will be a jerk about it. Have an extra cup of ice standing by too, since cube size and the temperature of your kitchen both change how thick it comes out.
About your blender. If your blender is high speed (like Vitamix), you can toss the cashews in as is. If it’s more of a, uh, workhorse, soak them first, anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight, so they blend completely smooth. You can also boil them for 20 minutes or so to get them soft. Just make sure you chill them completely for this. Whoever heard of a warm milkshake?
Chill your glasses. Twenty minutes in the freezer and the shake will stay thicker longer. Plus it looks pretty
Taste it in the blender. Before you pour, take a taste. Everybody’s pumpkin spice is a little different and everybody’s sweet tooth is a lot different, so add a little more spice if you want it warmer, or a spoonful of maple syrup or agave if you want it sweeter, and blend again.
For the molasses stripes. Drizzle it down the inside of the glass, then hold the glass and give it a spin so the molasses climbs the sides. Do this before you pour, not after, if that’s not obvious.
Serve it right away. This is not a make-ahead beverage. It’s a stand-at-the-blender-with-four-straws beverage.
Recipe Variations
Maple Pumpkin Shake. Swap a couple tablespoons of the brown sugar for maple syrup. In addition, 1/4 teaspoon maple extract would be awesome.
Boozy Pumpkin Shake. A shot of bourbon, whiskey or spiced rum.
Chai Pumpkin Shake. Chai spice in place of the pumpkin pie spice.
PSL Shake. A shot of chilled espresso, and now you have a very cold pumpkin spice latte. You can also do a teaspoon of espresso powder.
Topped. Coconut whip, crushed graham crackers, a dusting of extra spice.
Why I Love This Recipe (And You Will Too)
- A whole can of pumpkin, so it tastes like pumpkin pie for real, and not like a pumpkin scented scartch and sniff sticker.
- No ice cream to buy, no churning, no pulling out the ice cream maker from that bottom cabinet it’s impossible to get into.
- Ten minutes from can opener to straw!
- Brown sugar and a splash of vinegar give it real pie flavor.
- The molasses stripes make it look like it cost thirteen dollars.
- It’s the perfect dessert for Halloween or Thanksgiving and it is so much easier than making either a pie or ice cream.
More Vegan Milkshakes To Try
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake FAQ
Is this a smoothie? Nope. Moving on.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree? Not really, no. It’s already sweetened and spiced, so you’d be guessing at the sugar and the spice both. Get the plain stuff.
Can I use fresh pumpkin? Sure, if you’ve got roasted sugar pumpkin or even butternut on hand. Puree it well and drain off any extra liquid first, then measure out about 1 3/4 cups. Red kuri squash would be a nice option, too.
Do I have to soak the cashews? If your blender is high-speed, like a Vitamix, you can toss them in as is. If it’s more of a workhorse, soak them for a couple of hours or overnight, or boil them for about 20 minutes, then drain and cool before blending.
What can I use instead of cashews? Macadamias are the closest thing I’ve found.
Can I make it ahead? Not the shake itself, it separates. But you can soak your cashews, chill your glasses and open your can in advance, which is most of the work anyway.
Do I really need the vinegar? Absofrigginlutely. Try it side by side sometime, the pumpkin flavor is so much rounder with it.
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake
Notes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unroasted cashews
- 3 cups ice plus a little extra, just in case
- 1 can 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vegan milk
- 1/2 cup well packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- Molasses for the sides of the glass
- Vegan whipped topping
- Extra pumpkin spice for the tops
Instructions
- Break the ice cubes apart so they don’t clump in the blender.
- Combine everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth and thick, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. It can take a minute or two to break down the ice and get the cashews perfectly smooth. Taste, and adjust the sweetness or the pumpkin spice to your liking, then blend again.
- Using a spoon, drizzle molasses around the inside of each glass while slowly spinning the glass to create drizzles down the sides. Pour in the milkshake, top with whipped cream if you like, sprinkle with pumpkin spice and serve right away.
I finally remembered to pick up some canned pumpkin to make this. OMG this is epic, will definitely be in rotation for a sweet treat. The molasses adds so much don’t skip it.
Looks great, sometimes I make an iced coffee with some type of cream (I like a mix of coconut and soy, but whatever) and I put in the freezer for an hour or a bit longer so it will get icy (will stir a few times) and them I put in in the blender.
This also gives you that ice cream without ice cream vibe, but just putting ice in it is faster and easier I guess, certainly when you are not making just one.
Started doing this when prices went up and something like this will cost me 6 euro’s or more.
Frugal dutch girl 😉
I usually make smoothies with frozen fruit and some kind of milk so that get’s icy too, but it does have a different texture for sure.
Quick, easy, and delicious! Delightful fall treat even though the weather is still screaming summer (at least in LA). And definitely a milkshake (not a smoothie).
Thank you for not calling it a smoothie! It gets sad when people do that.
It works great! It made a sweet, distinctly creamy milkshake with real pumpkin flavor, and it was so easy. I was curious how well blending the soaked cashews with the other ingredients would work–it was no problem in my not-so-high-speed blender. (I did add a little extra milk to get it to blend smoothly.) My non-vegan partner tried it too and gave his approval! Definitely going to try the chocolate frosty next.
Yay we love a pumpkin shake success!
Just whipped this up for my visiting daughter. We both gobbled it up with a spoon. SUCH a treat. Easy and delicious!