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Date Shake Recipe

This easy and healthy, 3-ingredient date shake is a refreshingly delicious cool treat on a hot summer day.

Photo of 2 glasses with date shake in them and cardamom pods scattered in front

My love affair with dates began when I was in elementary school, in Sri Lanka. Back then, my mom would fix dates (wait, you know I am talking about the edible kind – right?) stuffed with her homemade strawberry frosting for parties and get togethers. They were so pretty to look at. You had these brown, plumpish, pit-less, dates that were cut down the middle and then filled with beautiful, intricate swirls of pink frosting.

But, they weren’t just pretty. They were T.R.O.U.B.L.E. in our hands! My cousins and I would sneak by the table they were on, and fit as many as we could into our mouths before anyone would notice. The sugar high that ensued would have us getting into all kinds of havoc until it wore down. And that sugar high didn’t wear down as quickly as the sugar high after eating chocolate cake would do!

3 ingredients that go into making my date shake

After my parents moved us to the United Arab Emirates, many of my new Muslim friends’ parents would break their fast during the month of Ramadan with dates and milk. So, of course… I had to try dates and milk… after all, when in Rome…
However, what started as something I tried out of curiosity, stuck with me. All through my college years in Atlanta, until now, dates and milk are a snack I turn to often. These days I add in some almond butter too, and enjoy the combo as is or in the form of bars. Recently, though, I stumbled on an article that talked about date shakes. Of course, my curiosity was piqued. I consulted my trusty friend, Google, who informed me that several date shakes out there were made with ice cream. Instantly thoughts of the sugar rush that would follow after eating a handful of my mom’s frosting-stuffed-dates popped into my mind. The thought of ice cream and dates sounded way too sweet for me, so I did a bit more digging. And, I stumbled on another article that talked about a little store that would freeze milk and use that to thicken up their date shakes.
Glass with thick and tasty date shake

So, armed with that knowledge, I began my date-shake experimenting. My first few date shakes were way, way too watery as my ratio of liquid milk to frozen milk wasn’t right. But, my daughter and I enjoyed putting away my watery milk shakes all the same.

After several failed attempts, I ended up with the date shake you see here.
It was just the right consistency.
It was just the right amount of sweetness.
It was spiked with just the right hint of cardamom.

These date shakes are refined sugar free. While dates are so sweet, with a GI range of 46-55, they fall in the middle of the glycemic index in case you are watching your sugar intake.

Overhead photo of hand reaching for 1 of 2 glasses with date shake in them

How Easy Is It To Make These Healthy Date Shakes!

These date shakes call for the freezing of milk, which is the only time consuming step. I placed milk in ice cube trays and it took a good 2-3 hours for the milk to freeze. After the milk had frozen, it was just a matter of adding the frozen cubes of milk as well as liquid milk, the dates, and cardamom to a blender. A few pulses on high (might take longer if you are not using a high powered blender), and this shake was ready to be enjoyed! And, the timing was perfect because on the day I finally perfected these shakes, we had come back from hiking Tallulah Gorge ~ but more on that another day!

Tallulah Gorge Waterfall crashing around rocks

If you are out working in your yard this weekend or running a 6k or just catching some rays and need a healthy drink to cool down with, I hope you give this date shake a try!

Photo of 2 glasses with date shake in them and cardamom pods scattered in front

Date Shake Recipe

Yield: 2 people
Prep Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours

This easy and healthy, 3-ingredient date shake spiked with cardamom is a refreshingly delicious cool treat on a hot summer day.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk, I used 2% lactose free
  • 10 milk ice cubes, milk placed in ice cubes and frozen
  • 10 medjool dates
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom

Instructions

  1. The most time consuming part of this recipe is freezing the milk. Pour 2% lactose free milk (or milk of your choice) into an ice cube tray and let it freeze for about 2 hours.
  2. Then, add milk ice cubes, liquid milk, medjool dates and cardamom to a blender. Blend/pulse till dates are broken up into flecks.
  3. Pour into glasses and serve chilled. Can garnish with whipped cream if desired or enjoy as is.
Nutrition Information
Yield 2
Amount Per Serving Calories 310Saturated Fat 4.5gCholesterol 30mgSodium 173mgCarbohydrates 49gFiber 3.3gSugar 42.8gProtein 13g

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Monday 11th of April 2022

[…] for the summer, check out this refreshing melon chili drink, this honeydew melon smoothie, this date smoothie, and this watermelon […]

Terri Barlow Brown

Wednesday 1st of January 2020

This is a great recipe. My first time for a date shake was in Palm Springs, California and I was hooked. I used unsweetened almond milk and did not wait to freeze the milk in ice cubes. So it took me few minutes to make. Love, love. Cardamom was a wonderful addition. Thank you!

Spinach Mushroom Bake - Savory Spin

Tuesday 26th of June 2018

[…] and I had it with a side of bacon and it wasn’t too filling. Seeing we had filled up on this Date Shake immediately after we got home from Tallulah Gorge, neither of us wanted something too […]

Jeff the Chef

Saturday 23rd of June 2018

I love dates. I've never had a date shake, but it sounds terrific!

[email protected]

Thursday 21st of June 2018

What a lovely smoothie recipe Shashi. Very tasty looking! And thanks for doing all that experimenting to get the ratio of liquid milk to frozen milk right. This is definitely one I'd love to try in my blender.

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