Name: Salted Caramel Date Smoothie
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Yield: 1 smoothie
Ingredients: 3 to 6 Natural Delights Medjool Dates, pits removed; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup ice; 1/8 tsp sea salt (or to taste); 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (can sub vanilla greek yogurt); 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

This delicious salted caramel date smoothie is loaded with natural sweetness, creamy peanut butter, and a slightly salty sip. Add 3 dates for a slightly sweet smoothie or load this smoothie up with 6 dates for the perfect labor inducing drink!

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*This recipe was developed for a paid instagram partnership with Natural Delights Medjool Dates.

When I was pregnant with my first baby and finally reached the full term mark, I started to lean in to all of the “natural labor induction and support” tips that you can find online.

Red raspberry leaf tea.

Curb walking.

Bouncing on a yoga ball.

Any recommendation you can find, I did them all including trying to eat 6 dates a day to help with labor. While research is still emerging, there are some small studies that suggest that eating 4-6 dates a day in the final weeks of pregnancy can help with labor and delivery and reduce the need for intervention.

Even if dates DONT make a difference in your labor and delivery outcomes, dates are a naturally sweet way to fill up on nutrients like potassium and fiber that give you sustained energy throughout the day. Plus, they’re delicious especially when blended in easy recipes like this salted caramel date smoothie!

This smoothie is loaded with natural sweetness from 3 to 6 dates, creamy peanut butter, and a hint of salt for a well rounded smoothie that is also high in protein. Pregnant or not, this smoothie recipe is bound to be one of your favorites!

high protein date smoothie with peanut butter and sea salt.

Why you’ll love this high protein smoothie recipe:

You’ll love this high protein medjool date smoothie recipe because it:

Can be used as a labor inducing recipe: If you are full term and ready to start trying to explore some of the labor inducing tips, this smoothie recipe can be filled with the 6 recommended dates a day that may help with labor outcomes.
A full fruit serving: Don’t let their wrinkly skin fool you, medjool dates are actually considered to be a fresh fruit and adding ~3 dates to this recipe can help you get more colorful foods in your diet.
Is perfect for non-pregnant people: Not pregnant? Haha clearly you do not have to be to enjoy this smoothie recipe! You can definitely make this recipe as is OR scale back on the dates to reduce sweetness, natural sugar content, and the calorie content of the smoothie.
High in protein: This smoothie has a scoop of vanilla protein powder which enhances the texture and adds satisfying protein to balance out the natural sugar of dates. If you want to skip the protein powder, you can swap it for vanilla greek yogurt instead.
Minimal ingredients: This recipe is full of perfectly balanced flavors from only 6 ingredients.
Naturally sweetened: All the sweetness of the recipe comes from the natural, caramel like flavors of medjool dates!

Your entire family will love this creamy and delicious smoothie with dates!

Ingredients you’ll need for your date smoothie:

This salted caramel date smoothie gets all of its flavor from only 6 ingredients:

Medjool Dates: My favorite are the Natural Delights pitted medjool dates because they are delicious and convenient but you can buy their whole dates and remove the pits as well
Creamy peanut butter: Can swap for almond butter.
Milk: Any milk you like!
Ice: This will help thicken up your smoothie and you can add however much you want to get the texture you enjoy.
Vanilla protein powder: I used vanilla whey protein powder but you can use any brand you prefer. If you want to make a high protein smoothie with no protein powder then you can swap this vanilla protein powder for 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt instead.
Sea salt: Add this to taste but this will help accomplish the “salted caramel” flavor of this smoothie.

That’s it!

Step by Step Instructions:

Smoothies will forever be a favorite meal or snack of mine to make because 1) you can load them with healthy ingredients, 2) they are easy to make and 3) they are even easier to clean up! All you’ll need to for this smoothie is:

1) Add all of your ingredients to a blender or blender cup and blend until smooth.

how to make a salted caramel date smoothie.

2) Pour your smoothie into a glass of your choice and top with some sea salt. Enjoy!

salted caramel date smoothie in ribbed glass with straw.

Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:

This salted caramel date smoothie is one of my all time favorite high protein smoothie recipes because of its rich and creamy flavors. You can always modify this recipe to make it fit your own preferences and a few suggestions would be to:

Change how many dates you use: I used 4-6 dates when I was using this recipe as a labor inducing smoothie idea but you can add as many or as few of dates as you want! From both a sugar content and sweetness standpoint, I would not recommend exceeding 6 dates.

Add other fruit: If you cut down on the number of dates you use you could also add in other fruits! For example, add 1/2 a frozen banana for a delicious banana date smoothie or even chopped apples would pair well with the natural caramel flavor of dates.
Swap your ice for riced cauliflower: Trust me, this is one of the easiest ways to add nutrition to your smoothies!
Try different nut butters: I used peanut butter in this recipe but any nut butter of your choice would work! I would recommend both almond butter or walnut butter for this recipe.
Swap your protein type: I used protein powder in this recipe but you certainly do not need to! If you are looking for ways to add protein to a smoothie without protein powder then try adding 1/2 cup of vanilla greek yogurt, vanilla core powder, or even some cottage cheese instead!

Make this recipe your own and tag me on instagram with any fun ideas you come up with!

high protein salted caramel date smoothie.

Recipe FAQ:

Should I be worried about the sugar content?
1. This smoothie recipe is higher in natural sugar content because medjool dates are higher in natural sugars than other fruits! This smoothie has both protein and fat as well which will help balance out your blood sugar response to the sugar.
  If you want to make this a little bit lower in sugar then I would reduce the number of medjool dates you use and stick to adding a protein isolate which will be lower in carbohydrate!
Is this a toddler friendly smoothie recipe?
1. If you want to make this smoothie for kids or toddlers then I would swap the protein powder out for a lower protein option like vanilla greek yogurt or some cottage cheese. I would also lower the number of medjool dates used to reduce the natural sugar content.
What other ways do you suggest adding protein to a smoothie?
1. I have written an entree blog with 15 ways to add protein to a smoothie that could be a helpful resource for you!
  Some of my personal favorite ways to add protein without adding protein powder is to use vanilla greek yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, or even some silken tofu for a plant-based option.

Other smoothie recipes you will love:

Looking for other ways to blend up a delicious smoothie? Try some of my other smoothie recipes:

**Blueberry Raspberry Smoothie**

Get the recipe

**Strawberry Cottage Cheese Fruit Smoothie**

Get the recipe

**Orange Creamsicle Smoothie**

Get the recipe

**High Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie**

Get the recipe

**Peaches & Cream Cottage Cheese Smoothie**

Get the recipe

Yield: 1 smoothie

Author: Lauren Twigge