Cinnamon Date Smoothie

Name: Cinnamon Date Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 1 cup low-fat buttermilk; 1 ripe small banana, frozen and cut into pieces; 2 medium medjool dates, pits removed; ½ cup ice cubes; 1 tablespoon flax seed or meal; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to garnish; ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract; Salt, to taste; 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (optional)

By Sohla El-Waylly

Published Jan. 17, 2025

Cinnamon Date Smoothie — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 5(497)
Comments: Read comments

When the craving for a cinnamon bun strikes but you don’t want to go through all the proofing, forming and baking, this smoothie almost hits all those notes in a snap: buttermilk steps in for the tang of cream cheese icing, dates offer their caramelly sweetness, and nutty flax brings that freshly baked aura. Don’t skimp on the salt, which helps all the flavors pop.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving

1cup low-fat buttermilk
1ripe small banana, frozen and cut into pieces
2medium medjool dates, pits removed
½ cup ice cubes
1tablespoon flax seed or meal
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to garnish
¼ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Salt, to taste
1tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Pour buttermilk into a blender. Add banana, dates, ice, flax seed, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until thick and smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Step 2
Using the back of a spoon, swirl the yogurt, if using, on the inside of a glass, then pour in the smoothie. Garnish with more cinnamon and serve right away.

Ratings

5 out of 5

497 user ratings

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Comments

MaddyChaddy5 months ago

I make a variation of this every day (ordered something like 45 pounds of organic pea protein too to save in money, if not space!) (1) oat milk (any milk is fine obvi) (2) 2 dates (3) 1 ripe frozen banana (4) 1-2 scoops of pea protein (we have a ton right now, see alone, so I’m drunk with power here) (5) cocao powder (6) splash of vanilla (7) salt! (Adds SO much!) and (8) mesquite bean powder (makes it taste more like a malt!) …. BLEND! Then add some (9) ice and blend some more! (This lets the ice not melt the first time around). Mesquite, and good dates, are more common in Phoenix, where we lived for a year. I recommend mesquite and especially good dates as much as I do NOT recommend Phoenix.

sara b5 months ago

Made this as written except I used regular milk instead of buttermilk because that’s what I had lying around and honestly, it was the best smoothie I’d had in a long time! Totally delicious.

Justine5 months ago

Used regular milk and added a shot of espresso. Tasty! Didn't include flax seeds.

Laura2 weeks ago

Made as written. This is ridiculously good

Amanda2 weeks ago

I followed this recipe exactly and it was delicious. The buttermilk adds a lot of flavor to the smoothie. Made a great breakfast! I'll try using some protein powder or maybe add a little almond butter next time to make it more filling.. but it's perfect as it is.

Ace2 weeks ago

Used a few strawberries since I was out of bananas. Couldn’t even taste them. This was seriously so good! I’m always amazed when something that seems so straightforward is so delicious.

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