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Looking for the perfect smoothie to help kickstart your day? Well, look no further because this is it! My Tahini Date Coffee Smoothie is packed with healthy fats, natural sugars, and plant-based protein, with a special kick from my favorite morning ingredient: coffee! Make this “shake” any time that you need an extra boost of energy to power you through your day, or your workout!
It’s no secret that I am the self-proclaimed queen of tahini. If there’s a way that I can sneak tahini into a recipe, I will do it. Not only is it a nod to my Armenian heritage, but it’s also just so delicious!
From my Tahini Chocolate Chip Freezer Fudge, to my “famous” Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing, tahini is such a fun and versatile ingredient, and tastes delicious in so many different recipes. If you haven’t tried tahini yet, then this is the perfect recipe to try it in, because when blended into this “shake” it adds the perfect flavor and consistency!
What is Tahini?
And if you’re wondering what exactly tahini is, then let me introduce you to this magical ingredient! Tahini is a paste made from hulled sesame seeds, sometimes with the addition of oil and/or salt! In my opinion, the consistency is very similar to a nut butter, but with a salty, toasty flavor that is absolutely delicious!
Tahini is a key ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, but has quickly made its way west and has become a beloved ingredient in the wellness world! In fact, these days you can even find tahini cookies at Blue Bottle and tahini ice cream at one of my favorite shops in New York City, Seed + Mill. And, needless to say, I’m stoked about this.
My tahini recipes have always been an integral part of Kalejunkie, and are some of my favorite recipes to create to this day! And if you haven’t tried any of my tahini recipes yet, then you have to try my Life Changing Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies. They truly are a life-changing recipe, and are the most popular recipe on my blog, to this day!
What You Need to Make This Delicious Tahini Smoothie
All you need are 8 simple and easy ingredients to make this shake! It truly could not be easier, and if you’ve made any of my smoothies before, then you may already have these ingredients on-hand!
- Banana: Unless you can’t have bananas for some reason, don’t be afraid to use bananas in your smoothie. You only need two, and I recommend freezing them and slicing them into coins. I buy a whole bunch of bananas at the beginning of the week, and chop and freeze them ahead of time! That way, I already have frozen bananas ready for my morning smoothies. 🙂
- Dates: Dates are one of nature’s superfoods, and add a delicious sweetness to this shake that cannot be beat! I recommend buying pitted dates so you don’t have to remove the pits yourself. And my favorite brand of dates is, hands-down, Joolie’s.
- Rolled Oats: Rolled oats add fiber to this recipe, to keep you full and satisfied for longer!
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract is essential in almost any smoothie recipe!
- Cinnamon: A little dash of cinnamon never hurt!
- Coffee: To get that signature coffee flavor (and the benefits of coffee!) you’ll want to use freshly brewed and COOLED coffee. Please do not use hot coffee in this shake, as it will cause the ingredients to curdle! I make my coffee in a French press, and then just wait for it to cool down while I’m preparing the other ingredients.
- Non-Dairy Milk: Any non-dairy milk works well, in this recipe! I use almond milk, but I recommend using what you have on hand. 🙂
- Toppings: This are optional, but I love to top my shake with a dollop of plain yogurt! It adds a delicious “tang” that truly elevates this shake to the next level.
Tips for Making the Best Smoothies / Shakes Ever
Want to really make this shake the best it can be? Here are a few of my (personally) non-negotiable tips!
- Use frozen fruit: I’ve recommended it so many times in the past, and that’s because it’s so important to achieving that optimal texture and thickness! If you love a thick smoothie, then this is essential!
- Play Around with the liquid amount: If you find that your smoothie is too thick to blend, don’t panic! It happens! Just add a bit more milk, blend, open the cover, scrape down the sides if needed, and blend again. And if you have both a high-speed blender and a smaller blender (like a Nutri-bullet), use the high-speed blender instead, as it will blend the frozen fruit much better.
- Blend your smoothie on medium speed. If you blend the smoothie too fast from the beginning, it’s really hard for the blender to properly blend the frozen ingredients – so start lower and then gradually increase the speed. Slow and steady wins the race, here.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so that I can repost them! xx
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Looking for the perfect smoothie to help kickstart your day? Well, look no further because this is it! My Tahini Date Coffee Smoothie is packed with healthy fats, natural sugars, and plant-based protein, with a special kick from my favorite morning ingredient: coffee! Make this "shake" any time that you need an extra boost of energy to power you through your day, or your workout!
Equipment
- 1 Blender You already know that my Vitamix is my ride-or-die blender. It is my favorite kitchen gadget, and I use it every single day!
- 1 French Press I love my Bodum French Press, for those days where I want to be more involved in my coffee making ritual!
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas frozen and sliced in half
- 2 Dates pitted
- 2 Tablespoons Tahini
- ¼ Cup Rolled Oats
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Brewed Coffee cooled
- ½ – ¾ Cup Non-Dairy Milk of Choice Depending on how "runny" you like your smoothies, you may want to add a little more milk!
- 2 Tablespoons Plain Yogurt for topping the smoothies – this is optional!
Instructions
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see what you made – tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Rate + Review
Tahini!!! The KJ secret ingredient!!
So so yummy!
I am so happy you enjoyed it!
Drinking this right now. Really delicious! My mornings are so busy, I love that I can have coffee and breakfast on the go with me! Will definitely have this again
I am so happy you enjoyed it, Kylie! Thank you so much for your review!
Soooo good. Our friends brought us some medjool dates from Dubai so this came at the right moment.
Just a secret though, didn’t share, it was that good and hubby was out so he won’t know, 😉
Yum! That sounds amazing, Monica! Thank you so much for your review!
Omg. And now I have found a “life changing” smoothie!
Delish. Love your recipes and this one didn’t disappoint! Ty Nicole
Yay! Nancy, that means SO much to me! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving the kindest review!
Tahini is not just for hummus.
Pair it with coffee and other delicious stuff and you got yourself a delectable smoothie. Thank you @kalejunkie for another great smoothie recipe
Isn’t tahini delicious in smoothies?! Thank you so much for your review!
Tried this smoothie for my breakfast this morning…. WOW!!!!! Felt like I was having dessert I loved it!!!! Tweaked servings since it was just for me but it was delish!!!! Thank you Nicole!!’
Andy, I am so thrilled to hear that! Thank you so much for making this smoothie, and for leaving the sweetest review! I’m so so happy it turned out so well for you!