I love cinnamon raisin bread, especially when it’s lightly toasted with butter melting on top and a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.
If I could drink cinnamon raisin toast I probably would. And did. In the form of this smoothie.
I didn’t have any cinnamon raisin bread on hand, and didn’t have any Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, which I adored growing up and if I had any on hand, I would have gladly tossed that in the mix, too.
So I needed to get creative to handle my cinnamon raisin bread cravings and necessity was the mother of invention.
I don’t know if it’s because of the Caribbean heat making me extra thirsty but smoothies go down so quickly and easily here and this one was no exception.
The smoothie is full of cinnamon flavor, and feel free to go heavier-handed on the cinnamon, if you like it as much as I do.
My little Magic Bullet pulverized the graham crackers and raisins and just a tiny hint of texture remained, along with plenty of creaminess.
And sniff, there is something that reminds me of fall about this smoothie. I don’t like fall. I like summer year-round, but this would be a great one for fall.
Enjoy your cinnamon raisin bread in liquid form.
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Cinnamon Raisin Bread Smoothie
Tastes like cinnamon raisin toast. Plenty of cinnamon flavor & just sweet enough to be so satisfying and comforting. Easy to keep vegan and/or gluten-free by using vegan/GF graham crackers and your favorite non-dairy milk.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe small/medium bananas (previously frozen in chunks is preferred)
- 1 standard full-size graham cracker*
- 1/2 to 2/3 milk (almond, cashew, cow, soy, rice, etc.)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- *To keep vegan, use vegan graham crackers Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are ‘accidentally vegan’) and vegan milk (soy, rice, almond, cashew, coconut, etc.). To keep gluten free, use gluten-free graham crackers. Skinny Crisps Cinnamon Crisps are vegan, gluten-free, high fiber, low carb, and amazing.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Garnish with graham cracker crumbs, raisins, or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 493Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 324mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 6gSugar: 39gProtein: 12g
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Do you like cinnamon raisin bread or toast? Or Cinnamon?
I love both and this smoothie went down ridiculously easy. Then the family realized what I had in my cup and wanted some and I ended up making a double batch.
Cinnamon is so good for us; it has all sorts of health benefits from reducing cholesterol and blood sugar levels to boosting memory.
Plus, it tastes great. I usually go heavy-handed in recipes calling for cinnamon and there are different varieties of cinnamon from Ceylon to Cassia to Vietnamese.
Most cinnamon sold in the U.S. is cassia, which isn’t actually true cinnamon.
Have a great weekend and thanks for the Bella Bars Giveaway entries!
As part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker Program, I received Sweet ‘N Low and a stipend.
i cant seem to find the button to save this recipe to my recipe box? looks yummy though
This recipe is a couple years older and wasn’t written in Ziplist format.
Honey Maid graham crackers are not vegan, as they contain honey. Honey is an animal-derived product and therefore, is not vegan. Sweet&Sara makes vegan graham crackers that can be bought at Whole Foods or online.
Right – but if you go to the Accidentally Vegan List – http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are vegan. I updated the link in the recipe to better reflect that.
never knew that those crackers are vegan! thank you!
WOW! This looks DELISH!
Hi Averie
I stumbled across your blog last night, and have been drooling over your recipes ever since!
Today I made this smoothie and ahh it was so good! Thanks :)
I’m so glad you found my blog and that you made this already! Love it when that happens AND that you came back to say hi and tell me you made it…thank you! :)
Have you been able to find Nabisco Original Grahams anywhere? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them, besides sold in bulk online!
I haven’t checked anywhere recently but hasn’t been an issue for me finding them!
It’s so delicious, thanks for the recipe. I’ve already posted it marking you as a source :)
Glad you liked it!
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post :)
Thanks my friend!
Darn – I just had breakfast! This is an absolutely awesome smoothie! Huge cinnamon raisin anything fan so I just dying to try this. WOW!
It’s really cinnamon-raisin-ey, I think you’ll dig it if you love cinn-raisin.
what a seriously creative smoothie – I LOVE cinnamon anything!
I love this! We go through ridiculous amounts of cinnamon here – so I’m sure everyone would love this!
I’m not always a smoothie girl, every now and then though I do crave one! I adore cinnamon raisin brad though and every bakery or store I go into I look for it. I just picked up a loaf at my local farmers market yesterday and have had two slice already today with a locally made peanut butter from The Granola Tree…. so many varieties to choose from but all go great in smoothies or on toast!
Oh wow, yum. this smoothie sounds like a breakfast (or late night snack) dream come true.
I’ve nominated you for “Very Inspiring Blogger Award” Come see it at http://www.twogirlscookingblog.com/2012/08/very-inspiring-blogger-award/
Patricia
Averie, this sounds WONDERFUL! I can’t wait to try it.
thanks, Ashley!
I’m all in on this one!
This is SO yummy, thank you! I made it up today and am sipping it as I type. I should have blended a bit more, but I’m enjoying the chewy bits of raisins. I used 1/2 cup Silk coconut milk and a bit of water to help blend it, and also cut the sweetness a bit – just 1 tbsp of brown sugar and no additional sweeteners. It’s perfect!
Glad you liked it! Coconut milk sounds great in it!
It was divine. I never would have thought to put graham crackers in a smoothie, so thank you! I’m just glad I happened to have some on hand (to make these http://theactorsdiet.com/2012/07/18/smores-cookies/ – subbing butterscotch for the chocolate, since I don’t eat it – which I still haven’t gotten around to).
Love your recipes and pics!
mmm, glad you liked it and lynn’s cookies look stellar, too! thanks for the sweet compliments & praise!
Of course. Thanks for all you share!
Don’t they look yummy? I’ll be curious to see if you make them. :D
Have a happy week!
Take me to that beach!! So beautiful, it must be such a relief to be off the grid once in a while.
The smoothie looks absolutely delcious, also. So creative and easy to make.
OH good lord…this smoothie looks incredible!! :D
I have so many fond memories of cinnamon raisin toast, with melted butter and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar as well! Oh man! We would cut it in strips and dip it in our hot chocolate with little bobbing mini marshmallows! This smoothie looks outstanding, I must say. And, I pour cinnamon on almost everything I eat. Vietnamese cinnamon is my favorite. Ceylon is good, too, but I prefer the Vietnamese by far. I cannot wait to try this smoothie!!! You have such great ideas, Averie and your photos are just fantastic!
you and another friend of mine both wrote to me saying you love vietnamese cinn and that my pics were awesome – so thank you :) every trip here, the lighting and camera work is always a challenge getting it down pat in the beginning but gets easier..kind of :) I love that you love cinnamon..me too!
I am in full fledged summer-smoothie mode and this one sounds great…in fact all of them do! I will be trying this week. Thank you for sharing your creations!
well keep me posted and LMK if you end up making anything!
Yeah, I really like cinnamon raisin bread/toast. Haven’t bought it in ages though. This smoothie sounds great! You always come up with such creative ideas. I wish I was as creative as you!
This smoothie sure does reminds me of how summer is just slipping away. I won’t mind, with a glass of this deliciousness beside :)
That looks and sounds SO good!! I need to get on the smoothie bandwagon – I’ve never actually had one. Pathetic, I know. When I start, I’ll be starting with this one – love the cinnamon!!!
whoa. hold the phone. you have made Tosi recipes, you crank out homemade food from elaborate cakes to home salsa to god knows what and you’ve never had a smoothie??! I am in shock! I think this one would be a good one to start with :)
I buy cinnamon in big containers and I often put it in my banana soft serve (and a generous pinch usually goes in my brownies too). I love a little texture in a smoothie–reminds me of a DQ Blizzard. Great recipe!!
And you could also hand stir in some crumbled graham crackers at the end on this one – would be very DQish!
I loooove cinnamon, I probably use it in proportions other people would find obscene, haha.
The shake looks so good in this hothot heat!
I use it in obscene quantities, too! Trust me – the quantity in this recipe is written for others (not for me – which was far more!)
What a great smoothie! I love cinnamon raisin bread :)
Averie, kinda sorta FREAKING. OUT. over this awesome smoothie! I never would have put two and two together with something like this but thankfully, the world has brilliant beauties like yourself to concoct a healthy smoothie based on one of my favorite bagel flavors. BTW, loving the picture of the cinnamon sprinkled on top! Everything’s better with cinnamon :)
Smoothie looks amazing, good job.
Cinnamon Raisin Toast is the epitome of comfort food for me. I am not normally into smoothies either, but I’ve been craving them like mad lately, for whatever reason. This one looks AMAZING. I love all things cinnamon and a smoothie that is thick with just a bit of texture for some chew sounds perfect. It’s probably a good thing you don’t have the Vita down there, I bet the bullet leaves the texture there.
GREAT photos too!
omg the photography down here just sucks in my house….there is so much light here; just none of it in my house. For a/c and staying cool purposes = great. For photography = nightmare but each trip I am trying to figure it out more and more so thanks for saying that :)
Lol on the Bullet vs. Vita comparison. And you’d love this. Miss Cinnamon Queen!
How creative! The smoothie looks delicious.
Oh lordy…that looks like magic! I want, I want! The best part is that my husband wouldn’t want any! : ) All for me!
not sharing is sometimes great :)
oh I want this… now! I don’t typiclally like smoothies but I’m down in georgia right now and the heat is making me thirsty too :)
and have fun at your bro’s graduation!
This is so creative; I love the idea. I used to eat cinnamon raisin bread with my Granny all the time. It was our favorite, but it had to have the icing on top. I use cinnamon like crazy. So much so that I buy the big containers at Costco and go through them embarrassingly quickly. I don’t like fall, or winter, or spring either. Life is all about summer to me, too bad it, particularly this one, goes so fast.
Buy some quality cinnamon if you really love it – you will be AMAZED at the difference in taste and flavor!
Do you have any favorite cinnamon varieties or brands you would recommend? I would love to give some a try.
google “real cinnamon” not cassia cinnamon or “ceylon cinnamon” or “vietnamese cinnamon”
penzey’s has great products but there are tons more depending on your budget
OMG So so so good!
That sounds flat out amazing, and so much more appealing than heating up the kitchen to make an actual loaf of bread. The addition of graham crackers for that authentic “bread”-like flavor is simply inspired!
yes simply inspired by the nearly-stale graham crackers that I had in this Caribbean humidity :) I swear it happened like overnight. Crack the seal and watch them soak up moisture. Hello, smoothie time :)
What an interesting smoothie idea! I love it!
STOP IT! My favorite is buttered toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar! This is such a great idea Averie!
I live and breathe cinnamon – and always make sure a heavy dose goes into my baked goods! One time I even mixed it in with our honey roasted PB! You gotta try that Averie! Cinnamon Raisin toast with melty butter was my breakfast of choice when I was younger. That or a strawberry poptart! ;)
You could get so creative with this recipe! Leave out the cinnamon + raisins (gasp!) and add chocolate and sprinkle with marshmallows for a s’mores-type smoothie! I’m sad fall is approaching too but that means that my other love..pumpkin…will be everywhere!
the whole time I was posting this, I was thinking – I bet Sally would like this. After you mentioned that you eat banana softserve for breakfast, I knew you’d like this. And pumpkin – you could put that in here, too. 1/4 cup of puree or whatever. For pumpkin bread. Okay I just gave myself an idea :)
umm, hey there tomorrow’s breakfast. or today’s lunch and dinner.
MMMM – I love cinnamon raisin bread. It reminds me of my godmother as a child. She would always get it for me. I didn’t get it at home often, so it felt like such a huge, special treat.
I would go to my grandma’s as a child and eat a half loaf of her homemade cinn raisin bread with tons of butter and cinn/sugar. Oh, so good.
Yep, I think I could down one of those! I LOVE cinnamon raisin toast. This looks fabulous!
Thanks, Aimee!
This smoothie looks amazing, awesome job! Interesting info on cinnamon, I remember learning that on Good Eats and being shocked at the size and price of actual cinnamon. Hope you’re having a blast!
you’re up early! Don’t work too hard today!
Nicely done, Averie! I was told earlier this week that they have butter extract available. As much as I hate fake flavors, I bet it would be sooo good on this to take that raisins bread to the buttered level. Mwahaha!
there is and it’s actually great in certain things to help bring out the butter flavor – certain cookies, added to real butter when you’re going to pour it over popcorn; when you really want blast of butter, it’s helpful stuff!
I looooooooove cinnamon raisin toast! OMG, I can almost smell it now. A smoothie version of it sounds awesome too!
Guess who doesn’t like raisins? Yeah. More for me. :)
I know. There are people out there who don’t like raisins and when I was typing this post up, I thought about that and then thought the same – more for us! :)