Avocado Date Smoothie
Avocado date smoothies are perfectly sweet, creamy and thick. The dates gives this smoothie a caramel flavor and tastes just like a milkshake. This date smoothie is packed with protein and healthy fats and is perfect for breakfast, a healthy snack or post-workout meal.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make and ready in 5 minutes – make this avocado date smoothie anytime you want something sweet and refreshing. It’s great for breakfast, as a healthy snack or even as a light meal or post workout.
- Good for you ingredients – this avocado date smoothie is super filling and well balanced, helping you feel full and satisfied and also energized. The dates and banana are a great way to get in more potassium and magnesium as well.
- Can easily be made into a smoothie bowl – this date avocado smoothie is thick and creamy and could easily be made into a smoothie bowl without changing the recipe much. If you like really thick smoothie bowls, add just a little more ice.
Ingredients
- Frozen banana – using frozen banana is really important for the texture of the smoothie. The banana helps to naturally sweeten the smoothie but is mostly used to help create the perfect texture or consistency. If you don’t like banana or don’t have banana, use frozen cauliflower rice (about 1/2 cup) and add an extra date.
- Medjool dates, pitted – medjool dates can be found in most grocery stores now. They are usually in the produce department around other fruits. You may find them in a bag or in a plastic container. The dates have a pit on the inside that is not edible, so you have to pull out the pit before you add the dates to the blender.
- Avocado – avocado makes this smoothie rich and creamy and so filling. You can use fresh or frozen avocado.
- Milk – use whatever your favorite milk of choice is. I like almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk for this recipe, but you could also use coconut milk, regular dairy or soy milk.
- Vanilla protein powder – adding protein powder helps to balance out the smoothie (adding protein to the fat and carbs) which helps to make the smoothie more filling and a better-for-you choice. I recommend using vegan protein powder, as it helps to thicken the consistency. If you want to use a whey based protein, you may want to use slightly less milk.
- Baby spinach – spinach adds some veggies and also makes the avocado date smoothie bright green. Don’t worry though, you can’t taste the spinach at all. You could also use frozen spinach (about 1/2 cup) if you don’t have fresh on hand.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon adds a touch of spice and also helps to intensify the sweetness of the smoothie. If you don’t love cinnamon, omit it. You could also use pumpkin pie spice.
- Ice – ice helps to thicken the smoothie and makes it super cold and refreshing.
How to make an avocado date smoothie
- Measure out all the ingredients into the blender.
- Blend on high until smooth.
Top tips
- This smoothie is very thick. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little more milk (1-2 tablespoons at a time).
- If you want to make this into a super thick smoothie bowl, add a little more ice to help thicken it more.
- Freeze peeled bananas overnight for the best texture in your smoothies. Get all my tips on how to freeze bananas for smoothies in this article.
- Always be sure that the pits are removed from the dates before adding them to the smoothie. The pits are very tough and will make your smoothie inedible.
- You can freeze extra avocado. This is especially helpful if you have a lot of avocados ripening at the same time. See my tips below on freezing avocado for smoothies.
Other additions
- Chia seeds or ground flax seeds – chia seeds and ground flax seeds are both great ways to add fiber to smoothies and help to thicken it naturally. If you don’t love chia seeds because they get stuck in your teeth, try chia protein (ground chia seeds).
- Chocolate chips or cacao nibs – blend these in at the end. Blend the smoothie until smooth then add a tablespoon or two of chocolate chips or cacao nibs and pulse one or two times to break them up and disperse them throughout the smoothie.
- Nuts/seeds or nut butter – add a tablespoon or two of your favorite nuts or seeds (like cashews or pumpkin seeds) or a tablespoon of almond butter, peanut butter, tahini or sunbutter for an even creamier, richer texture.
- Hemp hearts – hemp hearts add a slightly nutty flavor and also help add protein and healthy fats. Three tablespoons will add an additional 10 grams of protein.
Topping ideas for avocado smoothie bowl
This date avocado smoothie is pretty thick and would be perfect served as a smoothie or as a smoothie bowl. To make it even thicker, you can add a little more ice or use just a little less milk.
The best part about smoothie bowls is adding the toppings. Some of my favorites include:
- Coconut flakes
- Cinnamon
- Sliced fruit like bananas, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, mango or pineapple.
- Drizzle of nut butter – add some almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, sunbutter or tahini to the top to make every bite rich and creamy.
- Chopped nuts like pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, or sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a nut free smoothie bowl.
- Chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- Granola
- Hemp hearts
Substitutions
- Frozen banana – if you don’t have frozen banana, you can use fresh but the texture will be a little off. Use a little less milk and add more ice (about 1/4 cup) to make up for this. If you don’t have banana or don’t like banana, you can use about 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower rice and add 1-2 more medjool dates to make up for the sweetness from the banana.
- Medjool dates – if you don’t have dates, you could use about 1/4 cup of raisins. The raisins are naturally sweet and would create the same texture when blended. The flavor will be slightly different than using dates.
- Avocado – if you don’t have avocado on hand, you can add some yogurt or nut butter. Add about 1/4 cup of your favorite yogurt to the smoothie or 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter in place of the avocado.
- Fresh spinach – if you don’t have fresh spinach, you can also use frozen spinach (about 1/2 cup) or simply omit the spinach from the smoothie. You could also add frozen cauliflower rice (about 1/2 cup) or zucchini (fresh or frozen) to add some veggies.
- Milk – use whatever milk you have on hand. If you don’t have milk, you can use coconut water or water, but the texture will be a little less creamy.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon is optional but adds so much flavor. You could also use pumpkin pie spice to change it up a little.
Common questions
Are dates good for smoothies?
Dates are a great way to naturally sweeten a smoothie. Instead of using honey or maple syrup, I often like to sweeten my smoothies with dates. Dates add fiber and are packed with vitamins and minerals like calcium and potassium and they taste just like a natural caramel.
Dates add a deep rich sweetness and often make smoothies taste just like a cookie!
Be sure to always pit your dates before adding them to a smoothie. The inside of a date has a seed that is very hard and will make your smoothie inedible if blended up with the rest of the ingredients.
What fruit goes well with avocado?
Avocado is actually a fruit and it pairs well with so many other fruits. One of my favorite combinations is avocado and banana, since they both add a really creamy quality to smoothies. You could also pair avocado with berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), dark sweet cherries or other tropical fruit like mango or pineapple.
Can you blend dates in a blender?
Dates blend up pretty well in a blender, but you have to make sure you remove the pit from the center of the date. To remove the pit, simply cut the date down the middle from top to bottom. Open the date with your thumbs and pick out the seed/pit in the center. Discard the pit.
Can you freeze avocado for smoothies
Avocados freeze well and are great to keep on hand for smoothies. There are 2 ways to freeze an avocado.
- Freeze the avocado whole – put a very ripe avocado in the freezer and freeze solid. The avocado can stay in the freeze like this for up to 6 months. When you are ready to use, allow the avocado to defrost on the counter or in the fridge then use just like a regular avocado.
- Freeze the flesh – open the avocado, remove the pit and spoon out the green flesh from the skin. You can freeze the avocado just like this or cut it up into cubes before freezing. Store in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Be sure to press out as much air as possible from the container to retain the color.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge – store leftover avocado date smoothie in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The texture of the smoothie will change as the ice melts. I recommend re-blending with some ice before enjoying the leftovers.
- Freezer – pour any leftover into a ice cube tray or make your own popsicles to enjoy later in the week. Add the frozen smoothie cubes from the ice cube tray to your next smoothie to add creaminess and flavor.
If you love this dessert smoothie, you should try
- Pecan Pie Smoothie Bowl
- Peanut Butter Avocado Smoothie
- Cookie Dough Smoothie Bowl
- Chocolate Banana Oat Smoothie
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Avocado Date Smoothie
Avocado Date Smoothie is thick, creamy and delicious. This date avocado smoothie resembles a decadent milkshake while providing the creamiest consistency. Packed with the natural sweetness of dates, this energy-packed smoothie is not only delicious but also filling. Vegan, Dairy Free and Gluten Free.
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Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 1 banana - small
- 3 dates - medium
- 1/2 avocado - small
- 3/4 cup dairy free milk
- 1 serving vanilla vegan protein powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup ice
Instructions
- Measure out all the ingredients into the blender.
- Blend on high until smooth.
Equipment
Notes
- This smoothie is very thick. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little more milk (1-2 tablespoons at a time).
- If you want to make this into a super thick smoothie bowl, add a little more ice to help thicken it more.
- Freeze peeled bananas overnight for the best texture in your smoothies. Get all my tips on how to freeze bananas for smoothies in this article.
- Always be sure that the pits are removed from the dates before adding them to the smoothie. The pits are very tough and will make your smoothie inedible.
- You can freeze extra avocado. This is especially helpful if you have a lot of avocados ripening at the same time. See my tips below on freezing avocado for smoothies.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
446
Fat
19
g
Carbohydrates
56
g
Fiber
14
g
Sugar
29
g
Protein
24
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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