Cinnamon Date Smoothie

By Sohla El-Waylly

Published Jan. 16, 2025

Cinnamon Date Smoothie
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(850)
Comments
Read comments

When the craving for a cinnamon bun strikes but you don’t want to go through all the proofing, forming and baking, this smoothie almost hits all those notes in a snap: buttermilk steps in for the tang of cream cheese icing, dates offer their caramelly sweetness, and nutty flax brings that freshly baked aura. Don’t skimp on the salt, which helps all the flavors pop.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving 
  • 1cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1ripe small banana, frozen and cut into pieces
  • 2medium medjool dates, pits removed
  • ½ cup ice cubes
  • 1tablespoon flax seed or meal
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to garnish
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

386 calories; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 57 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 1231 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour buttermilk into a blender. Add banana, dates, ice, flax seed, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until thick and smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.

  2. Step 2

    Using the back of a spoon, swirl the yogurt, if using, on the inside of a glass, then pour in the smoothie. Garnish with more cinnamon and serve right away.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
850 user ratings
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Comments

MaddyChaddy

I make a variation of this every day (ordered something like 45 pounds of organic pea protein too to save in money, if not space!) (1) oat milk (any milk is fine obvi) (2) 2 dates (3) 1 ripe frozen banana (4) 1-2 scoops of pea protein (we have a ton right now, see alone, so I’m drunk with power here) (5) cocao powder (6) splash of vanilla (7) salt! (Adds SO much!) and (8) mesquite bean powder (makes it taste more like a malt!) …. BLEND! Then add some (9) ice and blend some more! (This lets the ice not melt the first time around). Mesquite, and good dates, are more common in Phoenix, where we lived for a year. I recommend mesquite and especially good dates as much as I do NOT recommend Phoenix.

sara b

Made this as written except I used regular milk instead of buttermilk because that’s what I had lying around and honestly, it was the best smoothie I’d had in a long time! Totally delicious.

Justine

Used regular milk and added a shot of espresso. Tasty! Didn't include flax seeds.

Pam Williams

I make this exactly as written and i must have made it 20 times. I love this smoothie. I buy my dates at Costco...fresh and soft so they blend well.

marissa

What a great use of leftover buttermilk! (I ALWAYS have extra buttermilk after using it for a recipe because the perfect amount of buttermilk is never to be found in a grocery store.) Thank you for helping me achieve my goal of 0 food waste!

marissa

Side note: I guess substitutes are nice to know in a pinch, but there’s a reason why she used buttermilk!

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