No matter how cold it is, there is something warming about a banana date smoothie. It’s the creaminess of the banana, the sweetness of the dates, plus the intoxicating flavors of additions like cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and cardamom.
This smoothie feels right no matter what time of year you’re drinking it—refreshing in the summer, healing in the winter. Though some—like Chinese Medicine practitioners—might be against taking cold drinks when it’s cold out, no one can argue against the benefits of spices any time. And a banana date smoothie is a perfect way to get in healthy doses of these extra seasonings.
Banana Date Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie is so delicious in so many variations, but remember that bananas and dates can both easily be outshined. If you really want to balance the flavors here, start light on the spices. You can always add more, but you can never take away.
Every banana is different
The greener your banana, the lighter and less sweet your smoothie will taste. Dates, however, provide ample sugar, so there’s no need to wait for your banana to be turning brown. Whatever its condition, it’ll work. If you have frozen bananas, you can go light on the ice. If your banana is fresh, you’ll need about 6 standard ice cubes.
What Are Dates?
Originating from date palm trees in the Middle East, dates are small, round yellow fruit that grow on sticks. They can be eaten fresh, but around the world they are more familiar in their dried form, which is soft, brown, wrinkled, and deliciously sweet.
There are many reasons people may eat dates medicinally (plus, they’re delicious). In the west though, no demographic hears about dates quite as commonly as pregnant women. Prospective studies have shown significant positive results comparing women who regularly ate dates in late pregnancy with those who didn’t. In the group that did, findings included higher likelihood of spontaneous labor, higher cervical dilation upon hospital admission and higher proportion of intact membranes.
Plus, the date-eaters had shorter early labor, significantly less need for pitocin and less intervention overall. So drink your date shake, mama!
As far as a smoothie goes, dates need some time to soak. No, not in your drink, but beforehand, in a small bowl of very hot water. You don’t want a ton of water, because you’ll be adding it all to the smoothie to keep the date juice that seeps out. Just enough to get the dates soft enough so they won’t end up as chewy specks dotting your drink.
But Make It Spicy
What spices you add are up to you. Cinnamon is the most mandatory for me. I also enjoy a pinch of cardamom, and as much ginger as possible before changing the smoothie’s taste. I also like a squeeze of vanilla, but be careful here. Even two teaspoons turns a smoothie into a pretty different thing.
Balance With Protein
My rule with foods that are high in sugar is to eat them with fat and fiber so my blood sugar doesn’t spike like crazy. In the case of the banana date smoothie, which is a fair amount of sugar (although totally natural and unprocessed), I like to add peanut butter to balance it out. If you haven’t noticed yet, this smoothie is all about balance.
Lastly, there has to be some kind of base. My first choice is homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk and a few spoons of yogurt (extra fat and protein), but the recipe works great with milk alone.
Banana Date Smoothie Health Benefits
The Mains
Banana: This yummy fruit is known for its potassium content, but they’re also quite high in copper, magnesium and even vitamin C. The greener they are, the more resistant starch they carry, which is a fiber-rich prebiotic to feed the good guys in your gut.
Dates: High in copper, iron and vitamin B6 (the mood stabilizing vitamin), dates are a delicious natural sweetener and a hefty source of fiber. Dates also have one of the highest levels of antioxidants compared to other dried fruit. As anyone who has been pregnant knows, dates are commonly suggested to induce natural and easy labor. They are also recommended for postpartum healing.
Peanut Butter: A great way to get in your healthy fat, a quarter cup of peanut butter is what turns this banana date smoothie into a filling meal. If a quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of peanut butter sounds like too much (it’s not!), then do less (please don’t do less). The fat and protein help protect your blood sugar from spiking when you eat fruit, plus peanut butter offers a healthy dose of B vitamins, to keep your skin, hair and nails looking beautiful (and your mood nice, as b6 is a go-to hormone-balancer).
Almond Milk: Full of Vitamin E and Calcium, almond milk rounds out this smoothie as its low-sugar, low-calorie base (that is, if you buy unsweetened). It’s also often fortified with vitamin D. An even healthier option is to make your own!
The Spices
Cinnamon: Bursting with antioxidants, cinnamon has been used medicinally for centuries. It lowers blood sugar, and since it’s usually consumed with something sweet, that’s a good thing! Cinnamon also lowers LDL and total cholesterol, reduces inflammation, and is naturally antimicrobial—able to fight fungus and bad bacteria.
Ginger: A superstar at moving along digestion, ginger helps with nausea, constipation, heartburn and emptying the stomach in general. It is studied and used medicinally for its loads of health benefits from being very anti-inflammatory to reducing blood sugar, heart disease and cancer risk.
Cardamom: An unsung hero of healthy spices, this seasoning has a very unique taste and only a small pinch is required. It may reduce risk of cancer, high blood pressure and inflammation in the body. It has been used to heal ulcers as it’s also very helpful with all matters related to digestion.
Vanilla: The yummy liquid flavoring derived from the vanilla plant delivers a universally beloved sweetness with no spike in blood sugar. It’s potentially anti-bacterial, has antioxidants that promote brain health, and could even be a treatment for depression.
How To Make A Banana Date Smoothie
Once you’ve got your ingredients together, making the smoothie is the easy part! I always like to start with the frozen parts at the bottom, and peanut butter last so it can fall into the milk (instead of stick to the side of your blender).
More Delicious Breakfast / Snack / Treat Smoothies
If you like this banana date smoothie, you’ll love our strawberry banana peanut butter smoothie. It’s as fruity and sweet as a monkey’s smile!
Feeling A Little More Like Chocolate?
(Me too. Pretty much always.)
This chocolate smoothie is a healthy take on desserts like chocolate pudding. Seriously, I eat it for dessert ALL. THE. TIME. So fast. So adaptable. So good.
Banana Date Smoothie
This banana date smoothie is packed with delicious and healthy additions like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, vanilla and peanut butter.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Prepare The Dates
Remove seeds from dates if they aren't pitted. Place the dates in a very small bowl and top with a 2-4 tablespoons of boiling water. Let soak for at least 10-15 minutes to soften. When they are very soft, chop into small pieces.
-
Assemble The Smoothie
Place all ingredients in the blender. Start with frozen ice cubes or banana, then milk, then peanut butter, and then everything else (when toppings land in the milk, they won't stick to the side of your blender).