Pumpkin Pie Shake for Full GAPS

This pumpkin pie shake blends cooked pumpkin, coconut milk, honey, vanilla and warm pumpkin-pie spices into four cold servings. The pumpkin gives it body, the ice breaks down into the drink, and the optional raw egg yolks make the mixture richer.

Have the rich homemade coconut milk, cooked pumpkin purée and homemade vanilla extract ready first. The five-minute preparation time starts with those ingredients made and the milk and pumpkin cooled. Their longer preparation belongs earlier in the day or week.

Jump to the Recipe

I homeschool before leaving for second-shift work, and our older children can cook from written directions. A short blender recipe still needs clear ingredient names. When the milk and purée are already prepared, this part of the job can stay measuring, blending and pouring.

There are six children in our family, while this recipe makes four servings. I would check how many people need a glass before starting and make another batch when needed. That is easier than filling the blender beyond its marked capacity.

What You Need For Pumpkin Pie Shake

Two cups rich homemade coconut milk: Use finished, strained milk without added sweetener or flavoring. The linked milk recipe starts with equal cups of shredded coconut and water, then cooks, cools, blends and strains them. Make enough finished milk to measure the two cups needed here.

Two cups filtered water: This is part of the shake itself, in addition to the water used to make the coconut milk. Measure it separately.

Half a cup cooked pumpkin purée: Measure the finished cooled flesh after the skin, seeds and strings have been removed. A smooth purée blends through the drink more readily than pieces of cooked pumpkin.

One teaspoon homemade vanilla extract: Use the completed, steeped extract. Its preparation is a separate pantry job; this is the teaspoon measure for the shake. Keep the vanilla in the recipe for its flavor alongside the cinnamon and other spices.

A quarter teaspoon pure pumpkin pie spice: Choose a blend made from plain spices, without added sugar or starch. The spice should smell warm and aromatic when the jar is opened. It is a small measure for the whole four-serving batch.

Four optional raw organic pastured egg yolks: Separate the yolks from the whites if using them. The yolks add richness to the blended drink. Leaving them out keeps the other ingredient amounts the same.

Eight tablespoons raw honey: This is half a cup for the complete batch, or two tablespoons in each of four equal servings. Honey is the sweetener for this Full GAPS preparation. Measure it before blending so it is worked through the drink.

One cup ice cubes: Measure the cubes as part of the recipe. They cool the shake as they break down, and some melt into it. The finished drink is best poured and served immediately.

Have The Homemade Ingredients Ready

The coconut milk needs to be finished and cooled before this mixing job. Stir or shake it before measuring, including its cream. Without stabilizers, a cream layer can rise above thinner liquid in the jar. Measuring only the thin liquid would leave that fat behind.

The pumpkin also needs its own cooking and cooling time. Keep a cooled portion ready rather than adding hot purée to the other ingredients. My Ninja BN801 is used for this cold blending step; it is not a hot-liquid blender.

For the vanilla, use a jar that has completed the linked recipe’s steeping period. Use a jar that has finished steeping, with its start date on the label so that timing is easy to check.

Keep the prepared milk and pumpkin refrigerated until you are ready to measure them. If a recipe needs another batch of milk or another pumpkin cooked, allow that work before starting the five-minute assembly.

How To Blend The Shake

Stir And Measure The Coconut Milk

Stir or shake the finished coconut milk until the cream and liquid are distributed, then measure two cups. Measure the water and the cooled pumpkin separately. Set the remaining ingredients within reach.

If the milk is not ready to measure evenly, finish preparing it before starting the blender recipe. Keeping the milk’s cream with its liquid helps the four servings have a consistent mixture.

Load The Ninja Pitcher

Use the BN801 pitcher with its stacked blade and correct locking lid. Add the coconut milk and water first, followed by the pumpkin, vanilla, spice, optional yolks and honey. Add the measured ice last.

The liquids around the blades give the mixture somewhere to move as blending begins. Scrape the honey measure into the pitcher so a thick coating of honey is not left in the cup or spoon.

Stay within the pitcher’s marked MAX LIQUID line. If the ingredients exceed it, work in batches. A double recipe is two standard blending runs, rather than one overfilled pitcher.

Blend Until Even

Secure the lid and blend until smooth. The ice will sound louder as the blades first catch it, then the mixture should move more evenly as the pieces break down.

Look for one even pumpkin-orange color, with the spice distributed throughout. There should be no darker streaks of pumpkin, visible ice chunks or ribbons of honey at the bottom. Small spice flecks can remain visible.

Stop the machine before opening to check or scrape it. If honey has stayed against the bottom or side, scrape it into the mixture and blend again. Blend until those larger pieces have broken down and the drink is even.

Divide And Serve

Divide the shake into four equal servings and serve immediately. Use glasses large enough for your portions. The recipe gives a serving count, not a fixed glass volume, because the ice and the way the mixture blends affect the final amount.

The yolk version is richer; the version without yolks still has coconut milk and pumpkin. As the drink sits, foam can settle and the ice continues melting. That is why it is best served straight from the blender.

Where This Shake Fits On GAPS

This is a Full GAPS drink after the ingredients you are using have been introduced. Homemade coconut milk replaces the canned coconut milk, honey is used instead of maple syrup, and the measured homemade vanilla stays in the recipe.

The coconut-milk base is dairy-free. Leave out the optional yolks for an egg-free preparation, with all other amounts unchanged. The pumpkin, coconut, honey and spices mean this is not a No-Plant GAPS drink.

For earlier food introductions, follow the preparations in the GAPS Intro stages guide. This finished recipe uses its Full GAPS ingredients together, including the half cup of honey in the batch.

Serving And Preparing Ahead

Serve this as a freshly blended drink. If you are planning ahead, prepare the milk, pumpkin and vanilla rather than making a pitcher of finished shake to hold overnight.

The milk and pumpkin stay cold until blending. Keep the vanilla according to its own storage instructions. Blend only what you are serving now so the ice, texture and portion count stay straightforward.

For another use for the cooked pumpkin, the pumpkin apple butter pudding makes a small spoonable bowl with coconut butter. It uses its own quarter-cup pumpkin measure and does not need a blender.

My upcoming Drinks Cookbook brings fresh-pressed juices, GAPS milkshakes, kefir drinks, herbal teas and warm stock sippers into one collection. Find the cookbook through the WFLI shop as it becomes available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are The Egg Yolks Required?

No. The four yolks are optional in this recipe. Include them for the richer version or leave them out; keep the milk, water, pumpkin, vanilla, spice, honey and ice measures as written.

Why Is There Half A Cup Of Honey?

Eight tablespoons is the sweetener amount for four servings. You can measure the same amount as half a cup. This is a sweetened shake; the plain homemade coconut milk is a separate unsweetened preparation.

Why Is My Coconut Milk Separated?

Homemade coconut milk can separate without added stabilizers. Stir or shake its cream and liquid together before measuring. Keep that cream in the recipe instead of pouring only the thinner layer into the blender.

How Thick Should The Shake Be?

It should pour readily from the pitcher, with some froth on top after blending. The recipe has two cups each coconut milk and water, so this is a drinkable shake with a little pumpkin body. It is not a set pumpkin pudding. The richness changes with your homemade milk and whether you include the yolks; keep the measured water and pumpkin amounts consistent before deciding the recipe needs changing.

Should The Pumpkin Be Plain?

Yes. Use plain cooked purée, without extra sweetener, spice or fat mixed into its storage batch. This shake already has its own honey and spice amounts, and coconut milk supplies fat with the pumpkin. Measure the finished cooled purée after removing the skin, seeds and strings. Starting with the plain ingredient helps the half-cup measure mean the same thing each time you make the drink.

Can I Make Eight Servings At Once?

Use 2× to double all eight ingredient amounts, including the optional yolks if used. Make two standard batches in the BN801 and divide the finished drinks into eight servings. Keep each pitcher load within its marked limit.

Recommended Equipment

Use the Ninja BN801 with its pitcher, stacked blade and locking lid. Have measuring cups and spoons, a spatula for honey, and four suitable serving glasses ready. The separate milk, pumpkin and vanilla recipes explain their preparation equipment.