Protein Pumpkin Seed Smoothie | Foodaciously

Just like for chia seeds and flaxseeds, you can make a healthy seed smoothie with pumpkin seeds as well.

To put pumpkin seeds into a smoothie, let the seeds soak in water to soften before blending into a smoothie for a creamier result.

Pumpkin seeds are a healthy addition to smoothies as they add body and flavour while boosting their nutrient value with fibres, healthy fats, and iron.

Also, pumpkin seeds are good for protein smoothies because they’re one the seeds with the most proteins, second only to hemp seeds.

Pumpkin seeds blended into a smoothie are also easier to digest and have better nutrient bioavailability for optimal absorption.

As long as you soak the seeds in water first, it’s perfectly fine to blend pumpkin seeds in a blender to make a smoothie.

A basic blender is powerful enough to smash up the pumpkin seeds if you blitz the seeds long enough with the other ingredients.

Still, keep in mind that a raw pumpkin seed smoothie will have a subtle grainy texture from the pulp of the blended seeds.

Pumpkin seeds give a subtle yet delicious nutty flavour to smoothies and add some extra creaminess thanks to healthy fats released in the blending process.

However, the delicate taste of pumpkin seeds can be overpowered by other ingredients you use in the smoothie.

To bump up the smoothie flavour, use roasted pumpkin seeds. Simply toast the seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant or in the oven at 200°C (390°F) static for 10 minutes.

To get the smoothest result, pumpkin seeds must be soaked before you blend them into a smoothie.

Soaking allows the pumpkin seeds to absorb water, softening. They’ll break down better, taste less bitter, and release more flavour.

The quickest way to soak pumpkin seeds for smoothies is in a bowl of boiling water for 20-30 minutes, ideally 1 hour.

Alternatively, leave the pumpkin seeds to soak in cold water for 8 hours in the fridge in an airtight container.

Using pumpkin seed butter to make a pumpkin smoothie yields a creamier, smoother result than raw pumpkin seeds, and it’s faster as you don’t have to soak the seeds in advance.

However, pumpkin seed butter is much harder to find and way more expensive than the whole seeds, so we prefer using raw pumpkin seeds in smoothies.

For optimal nutrition, use 20 grams / 2 heaped tablespoons of pumpkin seeds for each smoothie serving.

Two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds add 110 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 9 grams of healthy fats, including omega-3, plus essential minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.