A Petrifying Pecan Pumpkin Shake for Halloween
Last Updated July 14, 2017 · First Published October 26, 2015
Halloween can be a difficult time of the year when you only eat whole foods. Mainstream unhealthy candy shows up at work, in stores, and your well-meaning neighbors may even leave some for you as a present. We all know if they read the list of ingredients they would end up choosing something else.
This is my favorite time of the year and my wife and I throw a multi-course sit down Gothic dinner party every year. You may not have a huge amount of Halloween decorations on your side, but it’s easy to throw an inexpensive party that looks just as spooky as ours.
You don’t have to buy expensive dishes, just go to your local thrift store and get a mix up of china that doesn’t match. It will make a haunting dinner table. Instead of buying a tablecloth, go to the fabric store and cover everything with tulle – it’s cheap and makes everything look good.
Low lighting and a ton of fake spider webs are the only other additions you need to make your party a hit!
This Petrifying Pecan Pumpkin Shake is a treat we all can get behind. It’s easy to make, includes a vegetable, and is thick and rich while still being good for you. I love the flavors of pumpkin and pecan together and it’s a perfect autumn combination for a wholesome Halloween treat.
This is a no-ice-cream-needed shake, which means you thicken homemade pecan milk with ice and chia seeds to hold it all together.
I love how versatile these are. You can also use the sweetener that you feel most comfortable with. There’s also a nut-free version, so everyone can be included in this petrifying drink!
Petrifying Pecan Pumpkin Shake
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1 pinch cloves
- sweetener of choice, to taste (maple syrup, stevia, monk fruit, and soaked dates all work well)
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
Instructions
- Make your own nondairy milk by adding the water and pecans to a blender and blending until mostly smooth. At this point, you can strain the mixture or leave the tiny bits of pecan in to add texture to the shake. I like to leave them in.
- Next add the pumpkin, chia seeds, spices, and your choice of sweetener to the blender with the nondairy mixture. Blend until smooth, taste, and add more sweetener if needed.
- Add ice and blend until it looks like a milkshake. Please note that if you do not have a powerful blender you may need to add the first 1/2 cup of ice and blend, then add more in 1/4 cup increments until it’s as thick as your blender (or undertaker) will allow.
Notes
Nutrition
Kathy Hester is the author of the best-selling cookbooks The Vegan Slow Cooker, The Great Vegan Bean Book, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two, and The Easy Vegan Cookbook, in which she shows you how to make quick and tasty plant-based recipes that the whole family will enjoy.
She is also the author of the new e-book, The Ghoulish Gourmet: A Bewitching Collection of Vegan Halloween Recipes.
Kathy also shares delicious vegan recipes on her blog at Healthy Slow Cooking. Her recipes are easy to follow, use easily found ingredients, are healthful,and fit in with many special diets. You can also find Kathy on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
I read this and immediately thought “This would be good with rum in it!” The recipe reminds me of a Painkiller, a cocktail popular in tiki bars. I’m definitely going to give this a shot, thanks for the inspiration. Also, that Gothic dinner party you mentioned sounds awesome. I’d love to see pictures from that.
This looks creamy and delicious. Pure comfort food for sure!