Vegan Date Shake Recipe
Our vegan date shake recipe is thick, creamy, sweet, and makes a delicious breakfast or snack! Ready in just 5 minutes. This recipe comes together quickly so you can have the delicious smoothie anytime.
Start by blending all of your ingredients together in a high-speed blender, and pour into your favorite glass. See our step-by-step photos and additions and substitutions below to customize the date shake perfectly to your tastes.
Want more vegan shake and smoothie recipes? Try our Greek yogurt strawberry banana milkshake, nectarine smoothie, and our favorite vegan banana protein shake.
We love using dates in our kitchen. They are a fantastic natural sweetener and many are grown in the southwestern US! On my last visit to Nevada and California, I enjoyed some really fantastic date shakes and wanted to make a vegan version to share with you all.
This plant-based date shake makes a great breakfast, snack, and an especially good pre-workout shake! It also has natural sweetener from the dates and frozen bananas, both carbohydrates and whole grains from the oats, and a creamy plant-based milk to tie everything together.
Notes from the Kitchen
- This vegan vanilla date shake is thick, creamy, and naturally sweet.
- Ready in 5 minutes. It makes a great quick breakfast or snack.
- Enjoy it as a pre-workout shake or smoothie – it has great carbohydrates to fuel your workout, and you can add protein if desired!
- This plant-based and vegan version tastes just as thick and creamy as original date shakes made with ice cream or dairy.
- No cooking required! This easy recipe is made in just a blender. If you get stuck, you can follow along with our step-by-step photos below and make the recipe along with us.
Ingredients You’ll Need
See our recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
The stars of this recipe are pitted dates. You can use medjool dates which are larger in size or organic smaller dates. Just make sure they are pitted before you add them to the blender. You can buy pre-pitted dates or buy whole dates and remove the pits yourself.
The thick base of this recipe is made with frozen banana, which works great as an ice cream substitute in the shake. To thicken the shake, we also use rolled oats which add carbohydrates and fiber. And we use a plant–based milk, like almond milk.
And for that delicious flavor, we use pure vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon which really adds a nice depth to the shake.
Additions and Substitutions
You can add in a scoop of your favorite vegan protein powder if desired. You can use a plain pea protein or a vanilla or cinnamon flavor which will a pair nicely with the ingredients in the shake.
You can use any type of plant-based smoke for this recipe. Almond milk cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk or rice milk are all great substitutes.
If you don’t have a frozen banana, you can just use a regular banana and add a half a cup of ice to the blender.
Feel free to get creative with adding more fruit to the smoothie, you could also include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or mango for fun and tropical twists.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender: bananas, dates, oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and plant-based milk.
Step 2: Start the blender on low speed and work your way up to high speed and blend for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Pour the shake into two glasses, and enjoy!
Or watch our YouTube Video on how to make this date shake!
Recipe FAQs
Vegan date shake is made with pitted dates oats, frozen banana, cinnamon, vanilla and plant-based milk.
Since dried dates are tough, you want to make sure they are fully blended. A high-speed blender like a Vitamix break down the dates completely. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can soak your dates in hot water for 15 minutes first, which will soften them and make them easier to blend.
Store leftovers and an airtight container (I like using a mason jar with a seal the lid) and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Make sure to give the jar a good shake before enjoying as the ingredients will have settled on the bottom.
Serving Suggestions
If you want a higher protein version, feel free to add a scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder into the shake.
If you want to enjoy this as part of a larger vegan breakfast, try serving it with our vegan tofu scrambled eggs and toast.
You can add dates as a natural sweetener to other types of smoothies as well. Try our blueberry oatmeal smoothie, vegan cranberry orange smoothie or our favorite creamy lemon smoothie and add dates as a substitute for maple syrup.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you are using a high-speed blender if you are adding the dried dates directly in the smoothie. If you don’t have a high-speed blender then soak your dates in hot water for at least 15 minutes to soften them up so they blend easier.
- When the shake is finished, give it a taste and if you want a sweeter version, you can add an additional date or two and blend again.
- The shake is pretty thick from adding the oats, in if you want a thinner shake that is more like a smoothie consistency you can add half the oats or omit the oats all together.
More Easy Vegan Smoothie Ideas
- Papaya Mango Smoothie Recipe
- Arugula Smoothie Recipe
- Guava Smoothie Recipe (Vegan/Dairy Free)
- Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie Recipe
- Lean Green Smoothie Recipe (Raw Vegan)
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Our cookbook One Ingredient, Five Ways has tasty no-waste plant-based recipes for everyone!
Vegan Date Shake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 frozen bananas
- 3-4 large Medjool dates pitted
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 cups almond milk or other plant-based milk
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender: bananas, dates, oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and plant-based milk.
- Start the blender on low speed and work your way up to high speed and blend for 2 minutes. Make sure the dates are fully blended.
- Pour the shake into two glasses, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you are using a high-speed blender if you are adding the dried dates directly in the smoothie. If you don’t have a high-speed blender then soak your dates in hot water for at least 15 minutes to soften them up so they blend easier.
- When the shake is finished, give it a taste and if you want a sweeter version, you can add an additional date or two and blend again.
- The shake is pretty thick from adding the oats, in if you want a thinner shake that is more like a smoothie consistency you can add half the oats or omit the oats all together.
Nutrition
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