I'm posting this delicious date shake recipe ahead of Valentine's day because it's the only date I'll be on this holiday!
I hope you'll join me on this date shake journey. Those that have been here a while know that dates aren't REALLY my favorite. However, I do like them in smoothies and I really do like a sweet cinnamony date shake! It's also very Californian of me. The drink originated in and is particularly associated with the Coachella Valley in California. Head out to the desert from LA and you'll find a plethora of date shake options in restaurants and road side stops. I've had two vegan ones in my life and both times they were magical, but I don't remember where I bought them!
You can easily make your own date shake with a few ingredients and a blender. Sometimes they're made with ice cream, but I used canned coconut cream and nondairy milk. You could swap it for nondairy ice cream if ya want, no biggie! Cinnamon is essential. I also like a pinch of nutmeg and adding a bit of maple syrup.
If you want a savory use for dates I make a pad thai sauce with medjool dates too! Get that recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 (13.66 oz / 403 ml) can coconut cream
- ½ C nondairy milk
- 6 pitted medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 C ice cubes
- nondairy whipped topping, for serving
Instructions
- If your dates are hard, soak them in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes and then drain from the soaking water.
- Combine all the ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. You might need the blender baton to get it going.
- Serve with nondairy whipped topping if desired and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Lauren Toyota
Lauren is a plant-based powerhouse, a former TV host turned wildly successful food creator, best-selling cookbook author, and the woman responsible for making vegan comfort food a thing worth craving. Through her blog and YouTube channel, hot for food, she’s amassed a dedicated following by recreating all the nostalgic, indulgent dishes we love—mac & cheese, burgers, cinnamon rolls—but making them entirely plant-based. No compromise on taste, no weird ingredients, just damn good food.