4-Ingredient Healthy Date Shake

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This healthy date shake is made with frozen bananas instead of ice cream and requires only four simple ingredients. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan.

If you’ve never heard of a date shake before you’re in for a real treat today!

Date shakes are basically a creamy milkshake made with dates! They originated in Southern California, specifically the Palm Springs region where date palms grow abundantly.

I’ve never actually been to Palm Springs, but given my love for medjool dates I knew that I needed to create a healthier homemade version the moment I heard about them.

Two glasses of healthy date shake with a straw.

Instead of making these shakes with vanilla ice cream I decided to use banana ice cream. This is an easy swap because frozen bananas work like a charm at creating a cold, creamy, milkshake-like consistency. They also add a little extra sweetness to the shake.

Of course this date shake is ideal for dessert, but considering it’s made with fruit and almond milk I don’t see why you couldn’t have it for breakfast or a snack – especially if you’re headed to a workout. It’s full of energy and carbs to power you through!

Two healthy date shakes topped with whipped cream and a date.

Medjool Date Nutrition

I recommend using medjool dates for date shakes. They have a rich, almost caramel-like taste and a soft, chewy texture whereas regular dates, commonly called Deglet Noor, are usually smaller and have firm flesh and a sweet, delicate flavor.

I love using medjool dates as a natural sweetener in so many different recipes like these homemade samoas, snickers stuffed dates, almond flour muffins and date energy balls.

I have an entire post on everything you need to know about medjool dates if you want to do a deeper dive, but for a quick glance, medjool dates…

  • contain natural sugar, but have a low/medium glycemic index score due to containing a good amount of fiber, which helps to slow the release of carbohydrates and give you sustained energy rather than spiking your blood sugar crazy high.
  • are naturally low in fat.
  • are packed with nutrients like potassium (50% more potassium by weight than a banana), copper, magnesium, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron and vitamin K.
  • are rich in antioxidants, which can help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Some of the antioxidants found in medjool dates include carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids.
Ingredients measured out to make a Date Shake: almond milk, medjool dates, frozen banana and ice cubes.

Ingredients Needed

  • medjool dates – the star of the show! Make sure you get Medjool dates, which are fresh fruit, not dried! You’ll find them in the produce section of your grocery store. Your dates should be soft, not hard. If they are dry or hard, you can soak them in water for 10-20 minutes, drain and then use them in the recipe. You can buy medjool dates that are already pitted or pit them yourself (it’s super easy). Two brands that I like are Natural Delights and Joolies. You can find Natural Delights in the produce section of most grocery stores (near the bananas) and Joolies are offered on Amazon and Thrive Market.
  • bananas – we’re using frozen bananas instead of vanilla ice cream for that delicious and creamy texture. I have a full post on how to freeze bananas if you’re interested.
  • milk – I like using unsweetened almond milk for this date shake, but any milk will work. You can also make your own almond milk if you’re feeling fancy.
  • ice – to thicken up the shake!
Collage of four photos showing how to make a Date Shake in a blender.

How to Make

This date shake recipe couldn’t get any easier to make! Just place your dates and 1/2 cup almond milk into a high-speed blender and blend until dates have broken down into small tidbits.

Add frozen banana chunks, remaining almond milk and ice cubes into blender and blend until smooth. Add any additional almond milk or ice cubes to reach desired consistency, if needed.

Pour into glasses, top with coconut whip cream if using and enjoy!

pro tip!
If your dates are dry or hard or you don't have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix you can soak your dates in water for 10-20 minutes to soften them up. Just drain the water before adding the dates to your blender!
Two glasses containing healthy date shake.

Date Shake Variations

  • Add other flavors: Vanilla extract, almond extract and chocolate are some great flavors that would work well with this date shake.
  • Add spices: Try adding some warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.
  • Add protein: Turn this into a protein-packed date shake by adding a scoop of protein powder, nut butter or Greek yogurt. You could also add a handful of seeds or nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, chia seeds or hemp seeds.
  • Add berries: Blend in some berries, like strawberries or blackberries for added nutrients for this date shake.
  • Swap the frozen bananas: Want to make this more of a real-deal date shake? Swap the frozen bananas with your favorite vanilla ice cream! Use a dairy-free ice cream to keep this date shake vegan.

More Date Recipes

More Shakes to Try

Be sure to check out all of the medjool date recipes as well as the full collection of drink recipes on EBF!

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4.60 from 22 votes

4-Ingredient Healthy Date Shake

A thick and creamy date shake made with frozen bananas instead of ice cream. It's dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Place dates and 1/2 cup almond milk into a high powered blender and blend until dates have broken down into small tid-bits.
    Almond milk and dates in a high powered blender.
  • Add frozen banana chunks, remaining almond milk and ice cubes into blender and blend until smooth. Add additional almond milk or ice to reach desired consistency, if needed.
    Frozen banana added to blender.
  • Pour into glasses, top with coconut whip cream (if using) and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 shake | Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 1683mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 93g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Equipment

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: date shake
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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Recipe Rating




43 Comments

  1. This shake looks so simple and so good. Dates just make everything delicious. I definitely will give this a try with a little maca and almond butter added too!

    1. It’s the perfect summer treat! And thank you, the straws are awesome… until they get soggy and start to fall apart. You have to drink your beverage fast, which works for me because I drink everything quickly. Happy Monday, Kori.

      1. Matt thinks I’m silly for buying the paper straws for that reason, but yes, you just sip quickly then! 😉

  2. I could live off of dates, I swear – what a perfect breakfast. Hope you’re well, Brittany!

  3. 4 stars
    Thanks for the healthy organic shake 🙂 It looks really nutritious and mouth watering! Will definitely try out today 🙂

  4. Okay, I am SO into dates lately. I’ve been pitting them and topping them with huge globs of PB 😛 I bet this tastes sooo delish.

    1. Me too! They’re one of my favorite snacks, especially topped with globs of peanut or almond butter!

  5. This looks very good. I love that it’s so easy to make and doesn’t require very many ingredients! Thanks for sharing.

  6. I came across this golden nugget of information and thought you might find it useful/interesting.
    Or maybe you already know about this…either way, here it is:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989

    …a prospective study was carried out on 69 women who consumed six date fruits per day for 4 weeks prior to their estimated date of delivery, compared with 45 women who consumed none…It is concluded that the consumption of date fruit in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced a more favourable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomised controlled trial.

    1. That very study is why I’m here, looking for a way to incorporate dates into my diet, since I’m not a HUGE sweetness fan ATM.. I thought of sticky date pudding first, but would have to eat 100 slices to get to the 6 dates a day lol fingers crossed this shake works 😉

      1. 5 stars
        Yes, my search to incorporate dates into my diet before delivering my baby is how I ended up here as well. I’ve already been freezing banana slices to make ice cream, to help prevent leg cramps. What a bonus that this delicious shake has both bananas and dates. It tasted perfect! Thank you for this recipe.

  7. Love how easy this shake is! Perfect addition to my list of healthy options for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack!

  8. What a great shake! We pass a date farm driving from Phoenix to San Diego and they always have a big sign, “Famous Date Shakes.” One of these days we’ll stop — until then, thanks for your recipe!

  9. I remember when I lived in Arizona my husband and I would always stop in Dateland on our to San Diego for a date shake, they were so good! This shake looks so good, healthier and I don’t have to go on a road trip to have one!

  10. I also dd greek yogurt to mine for the pro-biotics or sometimes a little cinamon spice, just to switch it up a bit !!

  11. 47 grams of sugar is all the sugar you need in a day. If you were bringing the sugar down to 15-20, what would you change?

    1. You can’t.
      Banana and dates are naturally high in sugar.

      You can dilute it more by adding more ice/almond milk but that kind of defeats the purpose of drinking date shake which is to enjoy a naturally sweet treat.

  12. 5 stars
    I make this delicious shake at home. the taste was great. After 7 days continue to use I saw my skin glow and I gain weight 0.5 Kgs. I will recommend to those who have anemia or lack of irons problem.

  13. 5 stars
    This was a beautiful shake! Looking to incorporate more dates into my diet now I’m in the third trimester of my pregnancy and this is perfect! Thank you this will be a regular for me!

  14. 1 star
    yeah, ok, bananas are healthier than ice cream, but they also have a flavor. this is a banana shake with added bulk & sugar from dates. if you’d sweetened it with frozen cherries (also healthier than ice cream), would you still call it a date shake? I don’t get why this is called a date shake when the primary flavor is bananas.

    1. Hi Elizabeth – It is mentioned above that this shake has “banana ice cream base.” The dates to add additional sweetness along with the sweetness of the banana. I hope you give this recipe a try, and enjoy!

    2. Did you try it? It’s important to me to look at ratings to determine taste, and success with making it. Please rate the shake, not the description.

  15. I use a ninja blender and soak my dates for the recommended time, but i find they still don’t blend well. Anyone else have this issue and know how to fix it? I love dates and want to add them to my smoothies, but just can’t figure out how to get them to blend fully.
    TIA!

    1. Hi Pooja – Are you soaking your dates in warm water to help soften them? It might also be that your blender isn’t quite hight powered enough so you might want to give them a rough chop before adding them to your smoothies. Hope this helps, enjoy!

      1. Thanks Brittany. I have done both options you suggested, but still I find the dates don’t blend well. Maybe it’s as you said, the ninja blender may not be powerful enough 😞.

  16. 5 stars
    We split this 4 ways as an after dinner treat and I had to make a second batch because everyone wanted more. My bananas were prime frozen ones for making bread so it was extra banana flavored. If they had been less ripe, I think it would have had more of a vanilla milk shake vibe. Everyone liked it, ages 2-40!

    1. Ahh this is great, Bethany! I am SO glad this recipe is a hit for your whole family! Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!

  17. 5 stars
    Finally, I have finally found my breakfast shake. Absolutely delicious, I added just a bit more milk for a looser consistency. thank you for this recipe! no more skipping breakfast for me!

    1. I’m so glad you loved this shake, Alvina! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!