My Wife’s Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Like creamy apple pie filling in a chilled glass.

It’s my favorite fall smoothie 🍎

And it’s an easy vegan recipe that only requires a few ingredients.

The key to making an amazing apple cinnamon smoothie is making it during apple season (fall in North Carolina) and using a great blender (like my Vitamix). When apples are in season, your smoothie will taste better, no question. And when you combine peak apple season with a powerful blender, you can’t lose.

I’ll give you the ingredients and recipe right below then review my wife’s fall apple smoothie. When you’re done making this one, check out all of her smoothie recipes (with my reviews, of course).

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie Ingredients 🍎

Here’s everything you’ll need to make the best apple cinnamon smoothie I’ve ever had…

1. 2 apples. Choose a sweet variety that’s in season. Our favorites for delicious smoothies are ambrosia apples.
2. 2 teaspoons cinnamon. When she made me this smoothie for the first time, I thought there were other spices in it. I was pretty surprised it was just cinnamon!
3. 1.5-2 very ripe frozen bananas 🍌. It’s always a good idea to buy extra bananas, let them ripen beyond eating, and freeze them. In warmer seasons, frozen bananas are perfect for smoothies. When it gets colder, use them in banana bread (instead of freezing them). These very ripe frozen bananas add some natural sweetness and thicken the smoothie. I was also surprised there was banana in the smoothie because I didn’t really taste it.
4. 1.5 cup unsweetened almond milk. Switch to sweetened almond milk if you want more sweetness, like if you’re making this smoothie a pumpkin pie smoothie for dessert.
5. 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed. Flax adds texture and nutty thickness to the smoothie. It’s also very good for you!
6. 1 tsp vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is an essential smoothie ingredient, when you make something with desserty flavors. This apple cinnamon smoothie is nicely complemented by vanilla extract.
7. A handful of ice cubes 🧊. Gets the smoothie nice and cold without adding flavor.
8. A pinch of salt.

Making Your Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

I love smoothies because all you need to do is add all that to a blender and enjoy!

This recipe makes enough for two medium-large smoothies, so bring a friend over or save extra for tomorrow.

Enhance Your Smoothie Recipe

An apple cinnamon smoothie that has apple-pie-filling notes can be improved with one big addition: Coco Whip!

Made by So Delicious Dairy Free, Coco Whip is the pinnacle of vegan dessert toppings. It’s everything whipped cream should be. It has many imitators, none rising to match it’s flavor and consistency. It’s so good on sweet smoothies.

If you add Coco Whip to your apple cinnamon smoothie, you might need a spoon or reusable straw to enjoy it. Or, like me, you can eat all the Coco Whip off the top first.

Keep Coco Whip in the freezer, thawing it for 10 minutes before use.

My Review: Apple Cinnamon Spiced Smoothie

When I’m sipping on a smoothie, there are a few things I look for. Now, I’m not exactly a food snob, so bear with my breakdown and assessment. Here are the places this smoothie wins: flavor, texture, thickness, complexity, and cost. There weren’t any downsides to this smoothie! (Hint: there rarely are with my wife’s smoothies)

Flavor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The apple is not subtle, and I wouldn’t want it to be. The smoothie is perfectly sweet, like apple pie filling in a cold glass. I’m not overwhelmed by any flavor; clearly these apples were in their peak. That makes sense. It’s October, my favorite time to eat apples. I’m surprised to learn there is banana in the smoothie, something that happens with good apple selection (she used ambrosia). My mouth is watering with delicate cinnamon and apple-skin bitterness. But still, the sweetness endures. I want another sip.

It’s not quite dessert-rich apple pie, but it certainly makes you think of it.

Texture ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Smooth, easy drinking as all the flavors melt into sweet, spiced apple. There is a subtle, tasty powder left by apple skin and flax. The cinnamon is perfectly diffused and consistent, never rising above the creaminess of the smoothie. Beautiful texture.

Thickness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Smoothies should be able to be drank through a straw, if you’ve got one (and a reusable one, right?). Too thick and you need a spoon. Too liquidy and the essential flavors are washed away. This apple cinnamon smoothie was perfectly thick, though I’d like to try it with less almond milk. The apples are so rich, I want to let them shine more.

Complexity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not all smoothies need to be complicated, but you want flavors to hold hands and sway, nothing shining too much or too little. The simplicity of cinnamon diffused through ripe apples–accented of course with vanilla, salt, and flax–is refreshing and direct. I’m not searching for other flavors because no other flavors are needed.

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie Cost (2 smoothies) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Smoothies are not always inexpensive treats, but in-season apples certainly help. This is an affordable smoothie. Here’s the cost breakdown…

1. 2 ambrosia apples: $2.52
2. 2 tsp cinnamon: $0.44
3. 1-1.5 very ripe frozen bananas: $0.20
4. 1.5 cup unsweetened almond milk: $0.75
5. 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed: $0.06
6. 1 tsp vanilla extract: $0.32
7. Total cost: $4.29

So, your vegan apple cinnamon smoothie shouldn’t cost much more than $4.29. We also usually shop at Whole Foods, so I used those prices to come up with these numbers. Also, this recipe makes two smoothies, so you can share your creation or save one for later! All that being said, one generous portion should only cost you around $2.15! That’s a great smoothie price in these…trying times for purchasing health foods like smoothies. Have you paid $10+ for a smoothie lately?! It’s madness.