Cinnamon Date Smoothie
Published January 16, 2025
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 ripe small banana, frozen and cut into pieces
2 medium medjool dates, pits removed
½ cup ice cubes
1 tablespoon flax seed or meal
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to garnish
¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)
73 grams carbs; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 387 calories; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1231 milligrams sodium; 13 grams protein; 57 grams sugar
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
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
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.
Used regular milk and added a shot of espresso. Tasty! Didn't include flax seeds.
Excellent smoothie! Thanks Sohla!
The idea of adding salt, spices, and/or vanilla to a smoothie was a revelation to me. I originally made a variation of this recipe when I was trying to use up a bumper crop of persimmons and wanted to find a smoothie that would complement persimmons’ fall/pumpkin adjacent vibe. Since then, I have made endless variations of this recipe. There are a few recipes that, for me, have felt actually life changing and this is one of them. Many thanks to Sohla and all of the other commenters for their reports on successful variations for this recipe!
Recommend adding a few tbsp of rolled oats and a scoop of almond butter for nice texture and flavor. Absolutely delish!