Homemade Frappuccino (healthy, creamy & dairy-free)
This creamy coffee smoothie is dairy-free and sweetened with fruit－but no bananas! It's much healthier than the popular Starbucks drink and makes a healthy breakfast, lunch or dessert.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (150ml) brewed coffee, chilled (decaf or regular)
- 4-6 Medjool dates*, pitted (soak in hot water for 15 minutes if not soft; drain well and cool slightly)
- 1½ tablespoons (12g) hemp hearts**
- 1½ tablespoons (24g) cashew butter
- A pinch sea salt
- 2 cups coffee ice cubes (can sub regular ice cubes for a weaker coffee flavor)
- Optional: 1-2 cups lightly packed baby spinach; 1 teaspoon cacao or cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the cold coffee, 4 of the pitted dates, hemp hearts, cashew butter, sea salt and optional ingredients, if using. Blend until the dates have broken down and the mixture is very smooth. Taste the mixture and add more dates if you'd like it to be sweeter. Keep in mind the smoothie will seem somewhat less sweet after the ice cubes are blended in.
- Add the ice cubes and blend until a thick, frosty-like texture is achieved. It should have the texture of a milkshake. Serve right away.
Notes
*Medjool dates are my pick for best flavor; they are also bigger than many other varieties, so you'd need more of the smaller dates to achieve similar flavor.
**For an alternative to the hemp hearts that provides a similar level of creaminess and health appeal, I’ve used ½ cup of frozen cauliflower florets. Note that, in this case, frozen cauliflower is preferable to fresh because it’s been blanched and will break down more easily.
Mocha option: I've recently taken to adding 1 level teaspoon of cocoa or cacao powder. Optionally, for a pronounced mocha flavor plus added protein, you can add a half scoop of chocolate protein powder.
Tip: I occasionally go a little heavy on the ice cubes, resulting in an extra-thick smoothie. If you find you'd like to thin the smoothie, a splash of your milk of choice will thin it with a delightful coffee + cream effect.
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