Yesterday, I posted a picture of myself holding my favorite Whole30 treat – a vegan date shake.  Now I’m going to tell YOU how to make it!  This shake is dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined-sugar free!  Before you get bummed on all of that, I PROMISE it’s good!  Trust me, I’ve NEVER liked dates, and would have never thought I’d like this shake.  But cutting dairy and sugar out of my diet for the last 30 days meant no ice cream, which meant no milkshakes.  It all seemed pretty tragic, until I discovered this shake.  In fact, in the last week I think every day I’d say, “I want a date shake!” and Blake thought it was really funny to say, “You want to date Shake?! Who is this Shake guy??” 🙂

Anyways, you’ll be surprised at how sweet and rich it tastes.  Try it for yourself!

Dairy-Free Banana Almond Date Shake

Makes 2 servings

Date Shake 2

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 cup cold, unsweetened almond milk (this is hard to find – look at your ingredients and make sure there’s no added sugar!)
  • 1/2 cup Hadley Date Gardens Pitted Dates  (I bought the huge plastic container of dates from Costco, super cheap and already pitted!)
  • 1 1/2 frozen bananas
  • 2 teaspoons Almond Butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract  (I’m obsessed with – Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Paste – it’s perfect for cold treats like shakes or ice cream.  OR use vanilla bean, if you’re on Whole30!)
  • 12 to 15 ice cubes (I tend to use lots of extra ice, actually, because I like my shakes THICK!)
  • 2 large dates pitted and finely chopped to garnish (optional)

Date Shake 1

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients in a blender (I use our Vitamix, I love that thing!) and process until smooth. Make sure you get out all of those date chunks, or you’ll be chewing your drink.  It’s WAY better if you blend it really well!  Pour into two glasses and serve. Garnish with extra finely chopped dates, if desired.

Date Shake 3

You can also add protein, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate, or anything else your little heart desires!