Movie-Night Chocolate Date Shakes (Dairy-Free)
Perfect for movie night or any night, Movie Night Chocolate Date Shakes are naturally sweetened, completely dairy-free, and taste amazing!
Do you ever have one of those nights when all you want is a thick, creamy, chocolatey, shake situation?
Yeah, me too.
I will freely confess that before I shifted toward a real food lifestyle there were occasions when I’d ask Andrew to drive down to Dairy Queen to get me a chocolate Blizzard.
And he’s the kind of husband who would drive down and get me one. Because he loves me.
I wouldn’t cave to my Dairy Queen cravings all that often, mind you. But every once in a while it just had to happen.
These days I’m just not that into Dairy Queen (too many processed ingredients), but that doesn’t mean I don’t still want a sweet frozen treat every once in a while!
Now when I get those cravings, I usually make my own frozen treat with real food ingredients and I have to tell you the results surpass anything you can buy at a fast food restaurant.
Friday nights have become movie nights around here (though our “movie” usually turns out to be an animal documentary because Elle thinks most kids movies are too scary), so we’ve been whipping these Chocolate Date Shakes up as a special treat to make the night extra fun.
Dates add natural sweetness to these shakes, and coconut milk makes them super rich without any cream. Feel free to customize the sweetness level using as many or a few dates as you like.
Whether you’re having a movie night or just want a sweet frozen treat, I hope you’ll make these soon. Now, let’s make some Movie Night Date Shakes!
RECIPE & KID-FRIENDLY ADAPTATIONS
1 | Play around with the number of dates to find your perfect level of sweetness. Start with four and keep adding until it’s just right for you.
2 | Keep things simple and just make the shake, or go over the top with coconut whipped cream, cacao nibs, and cacao powder.
3 | If you can’t find cacao powder, unsweetened cocoa powder will work in its place.
THIS RECIPE IS . . .
Naturally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Naturally Sweetened, Vegan, Vegetarian and Paleo
Movie-Night Chocolate Date Shakes (Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut milk, from a can
- 4-8 soft medjool dates, pits removed*
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, or any non-dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups ice
- Pinch of sea salt
- Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Coconut Whipped Cream for topping, optional
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs for topping, optional
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder for topping, optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately topped with Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Coconut Whipped Cream, cacao nibs, and cacao powder if you like.
These look great!
I’ve had mixed results with different cacao powders. Are there any you recommend?
Stacy, I usually buy a Portland-area brand called Kapow, but I’m not sure if they distribute nationally. I’ve also used Navitas Naturals, which I’ve liked. Here’s a link: http://amzn.to/2bmUOGr
Hope you enjoy the shakes! 🙂
My husband was torturing me with his frappuccinos; thanks for saving me 🙂 Delicious.
Celia, I’m so glad you’re able to enjoy this as an alternative. Yay! 🙂
Question I’ve used dates in multiple drink recipes. I have a vitamix. When I made these (and other drinks) my dates are still chunky never all chopped up. Am I doing something wrong? I feel like inrun it a long time. But we still have to chew our drink
Hi Jenny, hmmmm, two things to try. If you can’t find super soft Medjool dates, then try soaking the pitted dates in hot water for a few minutes to soften them. They should blend right up!
I do use medjool dates. I am in the Midwest maybe they just aren’t as fresh here? Also I added a bit of maca powder to make it a "malt" it was awesome!
Jenny, I think it probably has a lot to do with the freshness. Sometimes I find them very, very dry and other times super fresh and soft. Hopefully soaking them first will make a difference. The maca powder addition sounds AMAZING. I definitely need to try that next time!