5 Delicious and Healthy Fall Smoothie Recipes

This article originally appeared on Oxygen

Summer plans are winding down, and it's time to bring out the flannel, pumpkin spice lattes and fall decorations. While smoothies are a food staple during the hot summer months, we're asking you to keep those blenders out.

Just because the sun is setting earlier, the leaves are turning colors and the air is getting a touch cooler doesn't mean we can't keep blending delicious and nutritious ingredients. We're leaning into the season by bringing you five delicious and guilt-free fall smoothie recipes -- including preworkout and postworkout smoothies -- created by dietitians, chefs and fitness professionals.

5 Smoothie Recipes for Fall

1. Caramel Apple Fall Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie

Total time: 5 minutes

When choosing fall smoothie recipes perfect for breakfast or a midmorning snack, set your sights on this caramel apple fall smoothie -- it's both delectable and packed with nutritious ingredients. Chef Taylor Reilly, a certified nutritionist and health transformative coach, created this combo because she loves the pairing of apples, dates and spinach to arm our bodies with enough energy to fuel us into the afternoon.

"Using frozen chopped spinach makes this recipe super simple to prepare," Reilly says. "Dark leafy green vegetables are the healthiest foods on the planet, offering the most nutrition per calorie. Spinach is rich in iron, as well as vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and magnesium that support your immune system." Because of its mild flavor, spinach is always a great addition to smoothies. Additionally, the recipe calls for omega-3-rich flaxseeds, which are essential for brain and heart health. "Your body cannot make omega-3s, so you need to eat foods rich with them daily," Reilly explains. "Plus, flaxseed is high in fiber to support a healthy digestive system and help reduce belly fat."

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach

• 1 whole apple (skin on, cored and chopped)

• 1/4 lemon (skin on, seeds removed)

• 1/3 cup no-salt-added canned navy beans or cannellini beans

• 1 tsp pumpkin spice blend

• 1 tsp ground flaxseed

• 1 whole medjool date (Pinch the date and pull apart into halves, then remove the pit from the center.)

• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

Place all ingredients together into a high-powered blender and whirl away until smooth.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 265, fat 1 g, carbs 47 g, fiber 19 g, sugar 5 g, protein 16 g, sodium 25 mg

2. Preworkout Apple Crisp Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie

Total time: 7 minutes

Your taste buds will head straight to the seasonal apple orchards thanks to this preworkout fall smoothie recipe chock-full of honey crisp apples, nutmeg and cinnamon.

"For preworkout, you want fast-digesting carbs for the energy and glucose, as well as protein for muscles," says Julia Crosby, a certified Precision Nutrition expert and CF-L1 CrossFit coach. "This recipe brings together all three in the perfect assortment of nutrients and flavor." Most apples have 25 to 30 grams of carbs total, which is a great amount to consume before going into a workout. Additionally, plain Greek yogurt is fat-free and full of pure protein to help fuel you through your workout.

Ingredients

• 1 medium apple (We recommend honey crisp, but choose your favorite.)

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• 1 cup ice

• dash apple pie spice

• dash nutmeg

• dash cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients into a blender and blend.

2. Top with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 135, fat 2 g, carbs 29 g, fiber 5 g, sugar 21 g, protein 5 g, sodium 104 mg

3. Postworkout Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie

Total time: 5 minutes

Your pumpkin spice fix isn't limited just to lattes. In fact, you'll feel like you're drinking a decadent treat while fueling your body with one of our favorite fall smoothie recipes: a postworkout pumpkin spice smoothie.

"Pure canned pumpkin is a nutrient-rich, quintessential staple that's rich in fiber," says registered dietitian Aimee Plauche. "It can aid in blood sugar stabilization, help fill us up, and is of utmost importance for those with elevated LDL cholesterol levels. Pumpkin is a fantastic source of vitamin A, which plays a role in eye and skin health, regulates cell growth and division, and is important in all stages of wound healing."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

• 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup milk of choice

• 1 scoop pumpkin spice protein shake mix

• ice, as desired (about 5 cubes)

• 1/2 tsp optional sweetener of choice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend.

Nutrition Facts* (per serving): 245 calories, fat 10 g, carbs 14 g, fiber 3 g, sugar 0 g, protein 20 g, sodium 164 g, calcium 590 mg

*Numbers may vary depending on the milk, protein shake mix and sweetener.

4. Cardamom, Fig and Oat Milk Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie

Total time: 7 minutes

Figs are an excellent fall staple. They embody the season perfectly with their sweet taste and creamy texture. It's no wonder registered dietitian Leigh-Anne Wooten, MS, RDN, LDN, crafted a fall smoothie recipe that uses figs as the star.

"Fresh figs are low in calories and packed with various vitamins and minerals, especially copper and vitamin B₆," she says. "Copper is an essential mineral that works with iron to help the body make red blood cells. It also helps keep blood vessels, nerves, immune systems and bones healthy."

Another one of this season's favorite spices, cardamom is a wonderful accompaniment to this flavor profile. "Cardamom has a piney, citrusy or even minty flavor profile," Wooten says. "Its warmth will add a wonderful layer of complexity to this smoothie. People often forget to add herbs and spices to smoothies -- but they elevate them to a whole new level."

Ingredients

• 3 figs (2 to blend, 1 to garnish)

• 1 cup oat milk

• 2 tbsp peanut butter

• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (freshly ground preferred)

• 1/2 frozen banana

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1/2 cup ice

• dash ground cardamom for garnish

Directions

1. Combine 2 figs and remaining ingredients in a blender and blend.

2. Top with remaining fig, sliced, and add a dash ground cardamom.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 463, fat 21 g, carbs 90 g, fiber 11 g, sugar 38 g, protein 49 g, sodium 189 mg

5. Spiced Chai Tea Smoothie

Makes: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 smoothie

Total time: 20 minutes

Drinking a spiced chai is the epitome of a romanticized fall morning, and the aroma alone is enough to make anyone feel as if they're in the middle of a harvest festival. Luckily, you don't need to be surrounded by hay to make this rich and hearty fall smoothie recipe. Aside from the smell and taste, spiced chai has many health benefits, including reducing blood sugar and aiding in weight loss. Heck, this blend even makes a great substitute for your morning cup of coffee.

"The combination of the nut butter, oats and banana will provide slow-burning healthy carbohydrates and protein for sustained energy levels, healthy fats and fiber for satiety and a whole slew of vitamins and minerals to support your health," Reilly says. "The warming spices found in chai are great for digestion, calming inflammation in the body and regulating blood sugar."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative

• 1 bag spiced chai tea

• 2 tbsp almond butter

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1/2 frozen banana

• 1 tbsp honey (raw or manuka honey preferred)

• 1/4 tsp vanilla essence or extract

• ice cubes (fill 1/2 cup)

• ground cinnamon

• ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Warm up milk/milk alternative (using a kettle, stove-top or microwave).

2. Let spiced chai tea bag sit in warmed milk for 7 to 10 minutes (to taste).

3. Mix milk tea with remaining ingredients (minus ground cinnamon and nutmeg) into the blender.

4. After blending, top with a dash ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 379, fat 20 g, carbs 45 g, fiber 3 g, sugar 14 g, Protein 10 g, sodium 63 mg

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