Raw Vegan Salted Date Caramel Smoothie Recipe

Raw Vegan Salted Date Caramel Smoothie Recipe

Today we are making a Raw Vegan Salted Date Caramel Smoothie Recipe! It’s summer, and with that comes cold drinks, frozen treats so frozen that it hurts to eat, ice cream sundaes, lazing in the summer sun and endless iced matcha drinks. For me, that means using up all the extra bananas that were getting a little too ripe during the year, which I had thrown into the freezer at the time. Cue about 50 bananas in the freezer – it’s that time of year to start making recipes with them!

All About Dates

Medjool dates have always been like a natural caramel to me, with their super soft, sweet and sticky texture. Did you know that Egypt produces most of the world’s dates, followed by Iran, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and even countries like Sri Lanka, Dominican Republic, South Africa and Costa Rica? Dates are especially best sellers in the Middle East, where the majority of them grow though. But they actually originated in the Middle East and North African regions like Morocco, where they made their way to places like the United Kingdom during the medieval period! In the United States, there are actually some date trees as well, in the west and south. Finding dates in nature would be amazing to see – they’re a fruit that grows high up on the date palm tree!

Now, pairing these two simple ingredients together makes a banana smoothie that is just sweetened with dates, providing a caramel flavor. If you add vanilla, then some oat milk instead of water, and a bit more salt, it suddenly turns into a raw salted caramel flavor. So that’s exactly what we will be making today!

Perfect Energy Drink

This recipe has a lot of healthy carbohydrates for quick energy (a great pre-workout drink). Plus, fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals in the dates and bananas. It only takes less than 15 minutes to add it all to the blender, mix it and pour it into a cup! Check the recipe card below for the full set of instructions and nutritional information.

Why You’ll Love This Raw Vegan Salted Caramel Smoothie Recipe

Raw Remake: Salted caramel in desserts has become a popular flavor to add a twist to the regular caramel sauce flavor. Since Medjool dates are like nature’s “caramel,” using them as the base for this recipe was a no-brainer. They provide the base of the caramel flavor, and a pinch of salt gives it the “salted” touch. Adding oat milk thins out the drink, and frozen banana thickens it. With just a few main ingredients, this easy recipe is made into a delicious smoothie that will remind you of the popular flavor, albeit in a healthier way!

Maca powder is another raw ingredient that has somewhat of a caramel flavor. This powder comes from the root of the cruciferous maca plant, which is native to Peru. This root is ground to a powder, then consumed for its many benefits. However, it is bitter and would not work as well as dates in this recipe.

Substitutions: Dates

Dates: For best results, use Medjool dates. These are large, soft and have a caramel-like flavor, making them perfect for blending. You can also use Deglet Noor dates, or another type of date, provided it is very soft and easy to blend. It should easily be squished between your fingers.

Using dates is perfect if you have a big sweet tooth, because these along with the bananas provide lots of natural sweetness, which means no added sugar in this recipe either! Did you know that dates also contain 8 essential amino acids?

Plus, there are so many different varieties in the world. For example, dates aren’t just a way to eat a sugary fruit. Red dried dates are called jujubes and are used in South Korea for medicinal purposes too!

Substitutions: Other

Bananas: Peel and chop bananas just as they are spotty, so they are not too ripe and not too underripe. Place the chopped bananas in a freezer-safe container or a Ziploc bag. Take them out of the freezer the next day to use in this recipe!

Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract, which does not contain added caramel color, dyes or artificial ingredients. You can even use a pure vanilla flavor, which does not contain alcohol at all (hence not being allowed to have the label “extract”). However, you can use any brand of vanilla extract, pure vanilla powder or a freshly scraped vanilla bean to get the vanilla flavor overall.

This can also be omitted if needed. For the fully raw version, use a fresh vanilla bean.

Salt: For a “salted caramel” flavor, salt is a necessary ingredient. You can use sea salt instead, but grind it up well in a spice grinder before blending with the remaining ingredients.

Oat Milk: Use almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, soy milk for high-protein or another vegan milk. Taste test the milk, chilled from the refrigerator, before using in this recipe. If you enjoy drinking it plain, it should be good to use here.

For a fully raw recipe, make oat milk at home with oats and water.

Raw Vegan Salted Date Caramel Smoothie Recipe Notes

• For an even more icy drink and a frappuccino-like texture, freeze this drink into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop the ice cubes into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until it forms a frosty drink! Or, pour this thickened drink into a smoothie bowl!
• Make this higher in protein by adding a spoon of natural peanut butter or almond butter into the drink when blending.
• Add 1-2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed or ground chia seed for an added benefit and healthy fats into the drink when blending.
• Make this a caramel protein smoothie instead by adding some vegan protein powder into the blender. Adjust the amount of oat milk as needed, because the added protein will make the drink thicker. Use a vanilla protein powder flavor for best results, so the taste of the protein does not overpower the drink.

More Drinks You’ll Love

Double Berry Lemonade

Banana Oreo Milkshake

Banana Cream Pie Frappuccino

Homemade Oat Milk

Cookie Dough Smoothie

If you make this Raw Vegan Salted Date Caramel Smoothie Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!