This creamy dreamy Almond Butter Date Smoothie is thick and luscious like a date shake, yet totally plant-based and packed with veggies. Naturally sweetened, nutty and delicious, this banana almond butter smoothie is just the thing when you want something sweet but healthy.
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Hey, my name is Katie and I love smoothies.
I love green smoothies and bean smoothies, zippy carrot apple smoothies, and everything in between. You can check out the full selection on our smoothies category page, and choose the one that you like best.
This Almond Butter Date Smoothie is one of my favourites when I'm in the mood for something sweet and satisfying, but still want to sneak some veggies into my body. It's completely vegan, naturally sweetened with only dates and banana, yet it's thick and lush and creamy like you're drinking down a milkshake as opposed to a green smoothie.
And sometimes a green smoothie that tastes like a treat is just what the doctor ordered, ya know?
What's in this date smoothie?
Here's what you'll need to pull this recipe together:
- Dates --> Just one or two medjool dates is all it takes.
- Almond butter --> I use my homemade Vanilla Almond Butter in this recipe.
- Banana --> Frozen banana works best for a creamy date smoothie!
- Frozen cauliflower --> You MUST use frozen cauliflower. Fresh will taste awful!
- Spinach --> A couple of big handfuls of baby spinach is how I roll.
- Oat milk --> Or whatever plant-based milk you prefer.
- Vanilla --> Just a splash! Try Homemade Vanilla Extract.
- Cinnamon --> To bring the whole thing home.
Equipment:
You're going to need a blender of some sort to make this banana almond butter smoothie. I have a Vitamix (this is the model that I have) but I've certainly made this smoothie in non-highspeed blenders with good success as well.
How to make a perfect smoothie
Making a great smoothie isn't rocket science, but there are a few tricks that will make things easier for you and your blender.
For example, did you know that the order in which you add ingredients to your blender matters? It's best to put the liquids in first so that the blades will have something to, err, lubricate things as they start to whirl around.
Then add your solids (in this case, frozen banana and frozen cauliflower), anything sticky or powdery (like almond butter and cinnamon) and lastly, any leaves.
When I make a smoothie that has a lot of frozen ingredients, I find that I often have to use the tamper to help things keep moving. Or, stop the blender, give the jar a shake, and start it again.
Pro tips:
- If you don't have fresh spinach on hand, I often use frozen spinach in almost all of my smoothies because it's cheaper and convenient.
- Oat milk is my smoothie making milk of choice, but you can swap it with almond, hemp, soy, cashew, or even good old cow's milk if that's how you roll. Water also works fine, but your smoothie will not be as creamy.
- Frozen bananas tend to make the best, creamiest smoothies. I like to keep a bag of peeled bananas in my freezer just for smoothies.
- Bulk prep your smoothies by making Frozen Smoothie Packs to make your weekday mornings a cinch!
Other delicious smoothie recipes you might enjoy:
Mango Matcha Green Tea Smoothie
Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie
Carrot Apple Smoothie with Ginger
Blueberry Avocado Smoothie
Almond Butter Date Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves or 3-4 cubes of frozen spinach
- 1-2 large medjool dates pitted
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened oat milk
Instructions
- Combine frozen banana, cauliflower, spinach, dates, almond butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and oat milk in a blender.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published March 2012. It was retested, re-photographed, and most recently updated on December 29, 2020.
Claire says
Happily sipping on this right now! I've been eyeing this recipe for a while, but I don't usually make smoothies. This morning I had limited breakfast options and decided to give this a try. Delicious! I used peanut butter instead of almond, soy milk instead of oat, and I used 2 dates. I'm pregnant and craving all things sweet but trying not to eat junk food. This is a delicious option for me; it really does taste like a peanut butter shake!
Sandra lea says
Is there a good substitute for the frozen cauliflower? I don't want to sound childish but cauliflower creeps me out.
Katie Trant says
Hey Sandra - first, let me assure you that you can't taste the frozen cauliflower at all! Second, you can use frozen broccoli instead, or frozen zucchini, or leave it out and reduce the liquid a bit.
Jehanne says
This is by far the best green smoothie I have ever had. I added a tbsp of chia seeds before blending for additional thickness and used almond milk instead of oat milk, and it turned out wonderful. 🙂
Lisa Scott says
My daughter can't have bananas. How do you think this would work with cooked white beans. Is there anything else you might recommend. She's allergic to avocados as well.
Katie Trant says
Hi Lisa, if your daughter can't have bananas, I'd recommend trying a different recipe. None of these have banana:
https://www.heynutritionlady.com/edamame-smoothie-mango-kale-green-apple/
https://www.heynutritionlady.com/berry-fennel-smoothie/
https://www.heynutritionlady.com/carrot-apple-ginger-smoothie/
Kimberly Adkison says
Love this smoothie! I pack it with frozen cauliflower, spinach and kale so I'm getting a good dose of veggies and it still tastes like a dream.
Kristin says
yum! this might make me finally try cauliflower in a smoothie.
Katie Trant says
I hope you try it! I promise you you really can't taste the cauliflower, but it adds a good amount of creaminess (and a good dose of veggies) to any smoothies. I practically never make a smoothie without a handful of frozen cauli thrown in these days!
Laura says
Tried it today! Delicious and filling - great meal replacement smoothie! I made it with Swiss chard since I didn't have spinach. Thank you.
themuffinmyth says
Glad you liked it! This smoothie is one of my favourites, and it really fills me up!
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jessica says
I've been anticipating your green smoothie recipe, and this definitely delivered! Looks fantastic - I will be trying this variety!
themuffinmyth says
I hope you enjoy it!
Cammy says
Looks delish. It might even tempt me to change up the smoothie that I've been drinking every morning for the last decade...
themuffinmyth says
Give it a try, I think you'll like it!
alison says
i want to drink one of these. why are frozen bananas sweeter than non?
themuffinmyth says
You should drink one of these! If I had to make an educated guess about why frozen bananas are sweeter I would say it has to do with the sugar molecules condensing when the water crystallizes into ice. When thawed the food will never truly recover from being frozen, there will be little teeny tunnels where the ice crystals were where now there is nothing. You lose a little water in the freezing / thawing process too. I've also noticed that my no sugar muffins are always sweeter after they've come out of the freezer than they were before they went in.
Leanne says
So many things to say. First, this looks fantastic, I like that the ingredient list is short (Doable! Especially in the morning!) and simple. I'm going to try this one out!
Second, I JUST had the same feeling about a Bundt pan on Saturday! I was so excited; my husband was like, what's that? And I've heard people preach about an immersion blender but they're weirdly not popular in the States. I'm planning on getting one within the next year because I've heard they're the easiest way to make homemade baby food.
themuffinmyth says
Leanne, I adore you! I knew there had to be someone else out there who understood not being able to live another moment without a bundt ban! Bundt cakes are on the way!
I bought an immersion blender over a regular blender for a few reasons. First and foremost, it was the cheapest option (I needed money for the bundt pan too). My kitchen is small (I live in Europe) and it can just shove it in a cupboard - It's lying between a loaf pan and a stack of ramekins. Practically, when making a blended soup, it's way easier to stick the immersion blender in the pot and give it a whirl than to have to transfer the soup in batches to a blender and then back into the pot. Messy! In a perfect world I'd own both an immersion blender AND a regular blender, but just the one will have to do for now.
Regarding making baby food, I imagine that the best tool would be a food processor. The immersion blender (and regular blender) do their best work with thinner liquids, but when you're pureeing steamed carrots and similar the mix gets a little too thick for them. I'll ask my SIL what she used, though, she was the queen of home made baby food - and is about to be again, #2 is due any day now.