Tahini Date Shake
Creamy, dairy-free shake made with tahini, dates and bananas. This rich smoothie would be a lovely after-dinner drink or afternoon treat!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 17, 2026
If you’re craving a cold and creamy treat with redeeming qualities, this date “shake” recipe is for you! It features nutty tahini and caramel-like dates, two of the Middle East’s most beloved ingredients. Frozen bananas form a creamy, sweet base in place of vanilla ice cream.
The dates and bananas take off tahini’s savory edge, making it taste like dessert. The result is a decadent treat that’s closer to a milkshake than a banana smoothie in terms of sweetness and richness. It’s dairy-free and vegan.
This Date Shake is Different
Date shakes made with vanilla ice cream have been served in Palm Springs, California, for nearly 100 years. It’s no wonder that a surplus of locally grown dates in the hot Coachella Valley desert would find its way into cold ice cream!
I created this recipe based on a memorable shake I sampled at a restaurant on the other side of the world, during a food tour in Tel Aviv, Israel. It’s so delicious that I wanted to share it with you again today, along with new photos. This recipe even inspired the Banana Pecan Shakes in my cookbook (page 207).
Whether you’re interested in a healthier taste of Palm Springs or you’re intrigued by a no-milkshake concept with tahini, I hope you’ll give it a try. Readers report that this recipe is so rich and creamy that they like to eat it with a spoon, like ice cream!
“What an excellent substitution for a shake. I have never tried tahini in a smoothie/shake before and man was I missing out! Thank you for yet another great recipe”
Recipe Tip
Fresh, plump dates are easy to work with, while older dates need special care. If your dates are shriveled and difficult to tear open, soak them in boiling-hot water for 5 minutes. Once drained and cooled, you can easily tear them open to remove the pits. They’ll blend well, too.
Please let me know how your date shake turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Tahini Date Shake
This creamy, dairy-free shake is made with tahini, dates and bananas. This rich smoothie would be a lovely after-dinner drink or afternoon treat! Recipe yields two small shakes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk or milk of choice (nut-free if necessary)
- 2 sliced and frozen ripe (but not overripe) bananas
- ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
- 4 Medjool dates, pitted and torn into pieces*
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon real vanilla extract
- Optional garnishes: pinch of cinnamon and/or sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the milk, frozen banana slices, tahini, dates, cinnamon and vanilla.
- Blend until smooth. Taste and add more vanilla or cinnamon if desired. If you’d like to lighten it up, blend in some ice as well. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Notes
*Date tip: If your dates are old and difficult to tear open, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes before using.
Change it up: Substitute nut butter for the tahini, like peanut butter, almond butter or pecan butter.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
thanks for the lovely recipe! I used some more milk and added pomegranat seeds on top
will definitely have this shake again :)
You’re welcome!
I finally made this for breakfast this morning after fantasizing about it for several weeks. Y’all, it delivered. I ended up taking half of it into work for my smoothie-obsessed coworker because it was too good not to share. It is so thick and creamy and exactly the right level of sweet. Another absolute winner- I’ve never made a recipe off this site that wasn’t a solid 10/10.
I’m glad you did! Thank you for sharing, Sofie.
Really delicious! Can’t wait to make this on a hot summer day.
This literally tasted like a vanilla milkshake – so delicious!!!
I didn’t plan on leaving a comment, but when I realized there were only 19 reviews, I was shocked! I absolutely love the recipes that you share, and this one is no exception.
I love tahini, and I can’t wait to try it out the day I visit Israel or even Ethiopia as they supposedly have the best sesame seeds in the world, but in the meantime, I have to content myself with what I have in China.
I used to drink smoothies with berries, but ever since I tried this tahini, banana and date smoothie, I fell in love to the point that I use those ingredients for my oatmeal as well.
Thank you for sharing this, and keep up the great work!
What an excellent substitution for a shake. I have never tried tahini in a smoothie/shake before and man was I missing out! Thank you for yet another great recipe
This was so delicious! And super quick and healthy! Perfect dessert!
Late but still relevant, I made this and really enjoyed it! I soaked the dates beforehand in warm water to make them easier to blend. I also froze 50% of the oat milk to make it a thicker texture as well!
Overall truly loved the subtle nuttiness of this. Will be making a lot this summer!
SO delicious! I doubled the recipe, but only used three bananas and it was more than enough. I think next time I will try with one less date as well. Such a treat, thank you as always for the foolproof recipes.
Where has this been all my life? So delicious
I decreased tahini to two tablespoons and added one cup spinach. This was my single serving morning smoothie. Absolutely delicious!
Great to hear, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Currently enjoying my delicious tahini milkshake! Thanks for this awesome recipe…makes me want to book a trip back to Israel
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Valerie! I appreciate your review.