Vegan Salted Tahini Date Chocolate Smoothie

This sweet and creamy chocolate smoothie is packed with goodness! I chose each ingredient carefully so that when they all come together, it's a nutritious chocolate smoothie powerhouse. This Salted Tahini Chocolate Date Smoothie is vegan and delicious!

This chocolate smoothie is my latest obsession! It tastes like dessert, but gives the nutritional benefits you need for a full meal. Make it for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert!

The Best Blender for Smoothies

You might know by now that I LOVE smoothies! I even have a Rock Your Blender cookbook all about my favorite smoothie recipes and resources. My favorite appliance is my high-speed blender. It's the best! It's powerful, easy to clean and will run for years.

Ingredients in this Chocolate Smoothie

This plant-based chocolate smoothie is easy to make and full of beneficial nutrients.

1. Dates - Dates offer dietary fiber, potassium, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron, vitamin K...can you believe this list?! They add such amazing sweetness and flavor with so many health benefits.
2. Tahini - Tahini is made from sesame seeds, which are a source of fiber and plant-based protein.
3. Frozen riced cauliflower - Cauliflower is high in vitamin B and more fiber, which is so good for digestion.
4. Vanilla - Sweet vanilla extract is all for flavor!
5. Ice - Ice makes the smoothie cold, thick and frosty.

Smoothie Add-Ins

You can boost the nutrition profile of this smoothie even more! Here are add-on items I sometimes throw in. These are great ingredients to have on hand if you enjoy smoothies!

• Chia seeds – for more dietary fiber, healthy fats, plant-based protein, antioxidants and minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium.
• Hemp seeds – even more dietary fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals (zinc, iron and more) and a source of complete plant-based protein.
• Raw baby spinach – provides plant-based iron and sneaks more veggies into this recipe.  One serving of raw spinach (½ cup) has only 5 calories and contains calcium, iron, 60% of your daily vitamin A, and 15% of your daily vitamin C.  

You could use almond milk or any plant-based milk in place of the water but I found it wasn't necessary.

Health Benefits of Dates

Let's talk more about dates! They're a fresh stone fruit that come from a date palm tree.  They are not considered dried; instead, they are naturally “dehydrated.”  They are sweet, moist, juicy and have a distinct caramel flavor. They're such a great addition to vegan desserts!

From a health perspective, they are full of amazing benefits.  They contain loads of fiber which aids in weight loss, digestion, and heart health.  Dates are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free and also contain nutritious vitamins and minerals including zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron and vitamin K.

Woah, that’s a lot.  And this fact blows me away: dates contain 50% more potassium than a banana (weight for weight). Potassium builds muscles, regulates your heartbeat, controls fluid balances and breaks down carbohydrates.  We all need it.

Why Unsweetened Cocoa Powder?

I use unsweetened cocoa powder in this chocolate smoothie recipe. Years of nutrition research show that chocolate may provide health benefits from antioxidants called flavanols found in the cocoa solids (as opposed to the cocoa butter). When consumed in large amounts, studies show that flavanols in chocolate may:

• Lower high blood pressure and decrease levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol leading to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke
• Promote lung health and protect against asthma
• Decrease the risk of diabetes and several types of cancer
• Benefit the brain and preserve cognitive abilities to lower the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease
• Improve mood and feelings of pleasure
• Benefit the vascular system by reducing the risk of blood clots and increasing blood flow in arteries and the heart

What's the difference between Dutch processed and unsweetened cocoa powder?

Many recipes call for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is cocoa powder that has been alkalized to remove the bitter taste. This process substantially reduces the flavanols (about 65% of the flavanol content is lost). Flavanols provide a dark pigment, so visually you can look for a darker color in your cocoa powder for more nutritional benefits. Always double-check the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t contain added sugar, cocoa butter or milkfat.

What is Tahini?

Tahini (sometimes called Mediterranean peanut butter) is sesame seeds ground together into a paste. I encourage you to make this a new staple in your pantry! It has a surprising amount of nutrients. It’s a great source of fiber, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, iron, calcium, plant-based protein, and has vitamin B and antioxidants galore. 

Lately I love the Soom brand of organic tahini.  As soon as I open a new jar I stir the oils well to fully incorporate them.  I also give it a good stir before each use.  This helps prevent it from hardening at the bottom over time. 

For this recipe (and most recipes that use tahini) you want the tahini to be runny (but not over oily) so stirring it vigorously each time is so important to maintaining good texture throughout the entire jar.

Want more easy, nutritious smoothies?

My favorite smoothie recipes are in my smoothie e-book: Rock Your Blender.  Download it instantly here.

This easy vegan chocolate smoothie recipe is naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, legume-free, egg-free, paleo-friendly and refined sugar-free. It works well for many types of diets and food sensitivities.

I cannot wait for you to give this recipe a try!  Let’s rock your blender!

Salted Tahini Chocolate Date Smoothie [vegan + refined sugar-free]

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Elaine Gordon
• Total Time: 5
• Yield: 1-2 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This sweet and creamy chocolate smoothie is packed with goodness! I chose each ingredient carefully so that when they all come together, it's a nutritious powerhouse. This Salted Tahini Chocolate Date Smoothie is vegan and delicious!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 cup frozen riced cauliflower
• 6 soft Medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch or two of fine salt
• 2 cups crushed ice
• Optional Smoothie Boosters: 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon hemp seeds and/or handful of fresh raw baby spinach
• Optional Garnish Ideas: tahini drizzle, chocolate drizzle, chocolate shavings, cacao nibs and/or sprinkle of salt

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Instructions

1. Add water, cauliflower, dates, tahini, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt to a high speed blender and blend from low to high speed for 30 seconds until smooth.  Add any smoothie boosters if desired along with one cup of the crushed ice.  Blend again for 20 seconds until smooth.  Add the second cup of ice and blend briefly until smooth, thick and creamy.
2. Pour immediately into 1-2 glasses depending on if this is meal replacement or snack.
3. Garnish with a drizzle of tahini, drizzle of chocolate, chocolate shavings, cacao nibs and/or a sprinkle of salt.  Enjoy immediately with a straw or spoon.

Equipment

Vegan Chocolate

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high-speed blender

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Notes

To keep the garnish refined sugar-free and vegan I use Hu chocolate “gems” [use code ELAINE for 15% off] (affiliate link)

The equipment section above contains an affiliate link to a product I use and love!

• Prep Time: 5
• Category: Smoothie
• Method: Blender

• Cauliflower
• Chocolate
• Dates
• Tahini
• Summer
• Gluten-Free
• Nut-Free
• Paleo
• Refined Sugar-Free
• Vegan
• Blender
• No-Bake
• Raw
• Easy
• Kid-Friendly
• Quick