I spent the last week making everything with pumpkin, partly because I was craving it and partly because I constantly had extra pumpkin to use up. The struggle, as they say, is real.

After I made pumpkin waffles, I saved part of the pumpkin purée to make this lassi. It sounded great: pumpkin, yogurt, cinnamon, cardamom, and maple syrup, all blended together into a smoothie. It’s basically like a pumpkin scented candle except you can eat it. That sounds kind of disgusting but trust me, it’s SO. GOOD.

I took some shortcuts from the original recipe. I usually have fresh ginger in my kitchen but this week, I only had the ground variety. I used all ground spices for the lassi.

Also, I know some people who make their own pumpkin purée at this time of year. I really want to try it because I’m sure it’s way better, but for the sake of time, I just used some out of a can.

A lot of recipes call for “1/3 cup pumpkin,” which is about half a can. I usually save the other half for other recipes. As long as you store it in the fridge in an airtight container, you should be fine.

I topped my lassi with a sprinkle of cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and hemp hearts. I like it because it gave the drink more texture. You could also put some pecans or walnuts on top. I bet that would be delicious.

Here’s a song I’ve been jamming out to lately. It came up on shuffle yesterday when I was on a run and I started laughing out loud at the end when Jeff Goldblum starts talking. I’m not sure why he features on the track. This is something that bears investigation.

Pumpkin Lassi

Ingredients

⅓ cup pumpkin puree
⅓ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup
1 banana
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
couple drops of vanilla extract
pinch of flaky sea salt
pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and ground cinnamon for topping

Directions

Blend all the ingredients in a blender on high until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and top with pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and ground cinnamon. Enjoy!