Date Shake

Rich and creamy, Date Shake is made with real food ingredients! Thick Greek yogurt, Medjool dates, real maple syrup, and almond milk. A little vanilla and a pinch of salt round things out for a delicious treat. Plus, you get to control the sweetness level!

My family and I love driving out to the desert. Palm Springs, Coachella Valley, and Joshua Tree are all so lovely, especially in the winter. Telltale signs that we are nearing our destination? Wind turbines (there are fields of them harnessing wind power) and date farms.

I wrote an article about my visit to a Coachella Valley date farm, where I learned so many new things about dates, including that they take 21 years to mature, kind of like children. Lol.

Date shakes are a popular offering at date stands, restaurants, and drive-thrus. Normally, they consist of vanilla ice cream mixed with either pulverized dried date crystals or date paste. While a traditional date shake is delicious, it's also a little too sweet for my taste.

So, I set about putting together an alternative shake that tastes just as good and is slightly better for me and my eating goals.

• Instead of vanilla ice cream (aka milk and sugar), I've subbed in unsweetened Greek yogurt, frozen into cubes, plus a little maple syrup.
• Rather than date crystals or paste, I've thrown in real dates (pitted, of course).
• Unsweetened almond milk gets tipped in to loosen things up in the blender and provide extra creaminess.

Lessons Learned

• It's important to use a thick Greek yogurt like the Fage brand or the one sold at Costco.
• Not into almond milk? Sub in any kind of milk you like!
• Adjust the sweetness to your liking. This is not an overly sweet shake. Soft Medjool dates are sweet (and add a little fiber to the shake), so you can use less maple syrup if you prefer.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to A Beautiful Mess for the date shake inspiration. I've made a few small changes to her recipe.

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