Think of this as a healthy version of a date shake, which is a classic milkshake made with dates. Date shakes are popular in the Coachella Valley in California, where they originated. The Coachella Valley grows lots of medjool dates, which are some of the best dates you can get.

For this recipe, you’ll be swapping the dairy for homemade almond milk, making this recipe cleanse approved. It’s quite an attractive smoothie as well, as it’s speckled with blended dates. It exhibits a vanilla, caramel like flavor that is both healthy and delicious. No matter what time of day it is, you can enjoy this smoothie. This smoothie will fill you up for breakfast, after a workout, or cool you off as a refreshing treat on a warm day. Some might even consider it to be a dessert. As you can see, it’s the perfect smoothie for any occasion.

Because dates can be tough on some blenders, it’s often beneficial to soften the dates prior to blending. In order to do this, soak dates in water for about 5-10 minutes. Don’t forget to discard the water before you add them to the blender. Even if your blender can’t complete puree the dates, a few little date chunks in your smoothie isn’t the end of the world. In fact, those little nuggets of sweetness are amazing!