Cashew Date Shake (vegan, paleo)
As a California girl I’m a date shake lover. And this cashew date shake version, while dairy-free, vegan and paleo, tastes exactly like the real-deal Palm Springs date shake.
It’s funny how recipe ideas come together. A few days ago I had a bunch of Medjool dates sitting on the counter, which I had planned to use as the base for a multi-layered s’mores tart. I ended up not using them for the tart, opting for a brownie layer base instead. The brownie layer was then topped with crumbled graham crackers, chocolate custard and marshmallows. It was four layers of s’mores decadence which was brilliant in theory…but…if you saw my snaps this week, you saw what happened.
A s’mores disaster! The custard layer never firmed up and when I pulled the parchment out of the pan, the entire thing oozed and blobbed everywhere. The custard layer squirted out like a chocolate waterfall and the other layers (which did turn out) just fell into a stack on top of each other, Tetris-style.
Yep, it was a complete recipe fail (and made for a very messy kitchen). But not wanting to waste lots of money in organic ingredients, I quickly transferred the goopy mess to a storage container, dubbed it a s’mores soup and proceeded to eat it (and probably way too much of it) for breakfast. #reallife
I’ve gone a totally different direction with my s’mores development and fingers crossed, you’ll have a new treat in about a week. But today, let’s get back to these dates. So I had them on the counter sitting next to a big bag of raw cashews and it was 108 degrees out (no joke) and instantly my brain screamed “date shake!”
Date shakes are a very Southern California thing. And more precisely, a Palm Springs thing. Date palms are grown throughout the low desert area but it wasn’t until one very smart date farmer created a roadside “shake shack” that dates surged in popularity. I still remember the first time I had a date shake. I’d actually avoided them for years on all our family trips to the desert. As a teenager, dates were the equivalent of prunes in my books, dark wrinkly and gross, so why on earth would I put either into a creamy vanilla milkshake?!
In my early 20’s my mom and I headed to Palm Springs for a girls weekend and I thought, alright, I’ll taste what all the fuss is about. So we hit up the historic Shield’s Date Garden and I still remember my mom laughing when a smile creeped up on my face and I blurted out, “oh, this is really good!” From that point on, I was a date shake lover.
Traditional date shakes are made with milk, ice cream, dates and a pinch of spices. Most of you know I’m not 100% dairy-free, but I am obsessed with using cashews for dairy-free creamy goodness. And you guys, this cashew date shake tastes so much like a traditional date shake it’s cr-a-zy. It’s thick, creamy, sweet and will definitely cool you down on a ridiculously hot day. I topped mine with coconut whipped cream, leftover from my video creation last week, but you can slurp it up plain as well.
Enjoy!
Cashew Date Shake (vegan, paleo)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 10 minutes
- 1 banana, sliced and frozen
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups ice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Once your cashews and dates have been soaked and drained add them to a high-powered blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high until thick and creamy.
Nutrition
Other recipes you might like:
Mango, Coconut and Dragon Fruit Smoothie
Watch the video for how to make coconut whipped cream
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Made this and it was absolutely delicious!
I used only 4 medjool dates because they are big and may only use 3 next time and there will definitely be a next time. This is a great tasting, healthy treat that I can see myself making often to split with my husband who also thought it was great.
Happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this date shake!
This date shake tasted surprisingly similar to your eggnog recipe which I loved. Must be the nutmeg. Definitely recommend.
Glad you enjoyed this date shake Craig!
I already have cashew butter, made of only ground up raw cashews. Can i use that instead of having to use whole cashews then soaking them?
Hi Pat – I haven’t tried this recipe using cashew butter. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Do you soak the cashews and dates in room temperature water? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Hannah – Yes! :)
This is a great dessert! It’s a shake, not a smoothie. Perfect summer-time dessert! So simple to make in my Vitamix. Thanks for sharing!
This was such a good smoothie. I added some chia seeds. will definately make again.
The smoothie was so creamy and thick.
Hi Laura – So glad you enjoyed this smoothie! It never disappoints :)
Lisa, This was the most unusual and most delicious shake! I used coconut milk. So satisfying.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Mary. It’s a perfect date shake recipe for the warmer spring and summer weather. :)
Hi! This looks delicious! Can you make it ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate? Looking for meal prep ideas.
Yes, no problem! It would stay good for about 2-3 days in the fridge, or longer if you freeze it.
Tastes like eggnog! Love it! Good winter smoothie!
Glad you enjoyed it Alissa! :)
Can I just use cashew milk instead of the water & cashews separate? If so, how much would you add? Thanks!
For this recipe, the ratio of cashews to water is double what you would find in normal (or homemade) cashew milk. That’s how it’s so thick and shake-like, so I’d stick with the recipe. :)
What can you substitute for banana? I’m allergic to banana but this shake sounds so yummy!
You could try it with a frozen pear. :)
Yummm. I made it and again, yumm. I soaked and subbed in coconut milk rather than the water. also added protein powder. Great Shake!!!
Sounds like fab substitutions. Glad you enjoyed it Debra!
This seems really good but I’m curious… what is the purpose of soaking the cashews and dates? Can you make the smoothie without soaking them?
Soaking the cashews and dates makes them super smooth and creamy. Watch the video on my Vegan Caramel Cheesecake recipe to see how creamy cashews can become once soaked. ;) You could make this shake without soaking, but it just won’t be as creamy, so I don’t recommend.
This is what i was craving all week !!
I really need to try this recipe !
Melody.
Happy to hear that Melody! Enjoy the recipe. :)
Thank you !!! I will :)
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Already tried it! (of course, I just had to ;) ) The weather today was almost autumn like, so I skipped the ice and had it for breakfast with a hefty dollop of whipped coconut cream!!! Sooooo good!!!
Love that you made this already! And I think that sounds like the perfect healthy breakfast (though I’m biased as well). ;) x
Hahah but I agree! Perfectly healthy!
This sounds so delicious! You can’t go wrong with bananas and dates.
So true! I made it twice on the weekend. ;) x
While I’m sorry about the s’mores disaster, I think it was meant to be – LOVE this date shake recipe! Cashews & dates are a wonderful pairing (have you had the Cashew Cookie Larabar? Ingredients are just cashews & dates, and it’s actually quite tasty, haha).
The cashew cookie bar is one of my favorites! I tend to grab the Larabars that use cashews versus almonds. But they’re all so darn good! :) x