It’s been awhile since I shared a bevvie recipe with y’all, so please give a warm welcome to this Sweet and Spicy Almond Butter Date Latte. I’ve been drinking it at least twice a week for the last month, so I figured it was time to share it with you.
I don’t mean to toot my own horn so loudly, but this latte is truly life-changing. One sip and you’ll be taken to latte heaven, a place I didn’t even know existed until I tasted this sweet nectar. The almond butter and oat milk make the texture of this latte so creamy and lush, and the cinnamon-cayenne-vanilla-orange flavor combo is mindblowingly good.
And if you’re saying to yourself, “Okay, Nisha, calm down. I’ve had an almond latte before, it’s fine.” I understand your skepticism. But no, no no. This is not your standard plant milk latte.
you MUST try my creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate recipe!Why you’ll love this Almond Butter Date Latte
The most flavorful latte. Thanks to a powerful combination of cinnamon, cayenne, vanilla, and orange, the sweet-spicy-zingy flavors are a a straight-up party for your taste buds.
Fun vegan breakfast idea. If you’re tried of oatmeal and smoothies, give this date latte a try. There are a wide array of vegan breakfast recipes that most people don’t know about and this is one of my faves.
Texture on point. This latte is extremely creamy and frothy, and requires no fancy espresso machine. It is so creamy and indulgent that it tastes like dessert.
Wholesome. Despite being extremely creamy, this latte is made with good-for-you ingredients and sweetened exclusively with dates.
PS: If you’re thinking “I’m not a coffee person” or caffeine makes me jittery / gives me night sweats,” I’ve got two caffeine-alternatives for you in the recipe card!
Ingredient Rundown
Oat milk
I use oat milk because it is super creamy, which makes this latte as thick, frothy, and indulgent as a latte made with full-fat milk. But of course, this version is kinder to the environment, animals, and your digestive system!
If you can’t find oat milk (or have a sensitivity to oats), I recommend another similarly creamy plant-based milk, such as coconut drinking milk, cashew milk, soy milk, or macadamia milk. To keep this Paleo-friendly, use coconut, cashew or macadamia milk; to keep this soy-free, obviously, don’t use soy milk.
Medjool Dates
This latte is perfectly sweet (i.e., sweet but not sugary) thanks to Medjool dates. And you only need 2 of them.
These sweet and sticky gems are perfect in this recipe, but if you can’t find Medjool dates, you can use the smaller Deglet dates. Keep in mind they’re not very soft, so you might need to blend the latte longer, especially if you don’t have a powerful blender. Also, you’ll want to use more than two since they’re smaller in size.
Almond Butter
This is my absolute new favorite ingredient to add to a beverage. I mean, I love almond butter and eat it on the reg and even put it in my smoothies, but I was not prepared for how delicious it is in a latte. It’s very very very good.
You can use any brand of almond butter you like, but just stick to a smooth variety. Or, homemade almond butter is always a great idea. To see how easy it is to make almond butter (if you have a Vitamix), check out my winter meal prep video here (I make almond butter starting at 9:45).
Coffee
This is a latte, so we gotta add some coffee! I suggest a strongly brewed coffee, so that some of the coffee flavors shine through the sweet spiciness of the almond butter date milk. I used an Americano (espresso mixed with hot water), but if you brew coffee at home, just make it a bit strong.
If you’re sensitive to caffeine or don’t drink very much of it, (hi, that’s me!), just use decaf coffee or espresso (there’s a minuscule amount of caffeine in decaf). And if the taste of coffee just ain’t your thing, then try a hot black tea. English breakfast would be a great neutral flavor, but an Earl Gray would be insanely flavorful and uniquely delicious. And, of course, you can use regular or decaf tea.
Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Orange Peel, Vanilla
If the oat milk and almond butter are what bring the rich creaminess and the dates are what bring the sweetness, then these final ingredients pack in all the flavor!
Cinnamon and vanilla extract are fairly obvious choices, as they could spruce up almost any latte flavor. But the cayenne pepper and orange peel are real game changers, so please don’t omit them!
First, the cayenne pepper. If you’ve ever had a spicy Mexican hot chocolate, you know what I’m talking about. The heat pairs sooo well with the sweet milkiness. You need just a pinch and it adds this subtle background heat that pairs so seductively well with the sweetness.
Which brings me to the next ingredient, the orange peel. If you’ve ever zested an orange (or lemon or lime), you know that there’s so much flavor concentrated in the peel. And when you simmer that peel for 10 minutes and then blend it up until everything is frothy, you are extracting all of the flavor and freshness out of that peel.
The result is a sweet, spicy, floral, zingy latte that is utterly and indescribably delicious. It’s bursting with warmth and love and coziness.
More delicious vegan breakfast recipes
- Classic diner-style Vegan Pancakes
- Really good Vegan French Toast
- The best eggy Tofu Scramble
- Epic vegan Breakfast Burritos
- Wholesome vegan Breakfast Cookies
Watch! How to make Almond Butter Date Latte
If you love this latte, please share your feedback and rate and review the recipe below!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Sweet and Spicy Almond Butter Date Latte
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) unsweetened oat milk*
- 2 tablespoons creamy almond butter
- 2 soft large(ish) Medjool dates, pitted and torn in half
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, extra for dusting the top
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large strip of orange peel
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup (60 - 120 mL) strongly brewed hot coffee**
Instructions
- Add the oat milk, almond butter, dates, cinnamon, cayenne, orange peel, and vanilla to a small or medium saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer and maintain it for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Remove the milk from the heat and transfer it to a high-powered blender. Remove the center cap of the blender and cover with a dish towel to allow steam to escape. Blend on high until the mixture is very smooth and creamy, and all of the dates and orange peel are pulverized. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
- Divide the hot coffee into two coffee mugs and then pour the almond butter date milk into each mug. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!
Notes
I am always so amazed at how you marry spices nd ingredients together and that is always so delicious. I thought I knew my way around a kitchen until I started my journey on a plant based diet, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t as good a cook as I had thought all of these years. Thank You Nisha for opening my eyes to a whole new world of cooking.
Thank you so much for such a sweet comment, Venacia :) I’ll pass the message along to Nisha… I’m sure she will be honored to hear it!
Amazing.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Donna!
This is good. It was different. I like the combination of flavors. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you!
Thank you for your lovely comment, T! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make (even for someone like me who has zero clue on how to make a latter) – such a great weekend drink to enjoy first thing in the morning. Definitely better than buying takeout coffee, this is already a gourmet beverage!
I’ve found that Nisha’s recipes are very customizable and they will still work even when I use substitutes that I have on hand – for instance, I didn’t have almond butter, oat milk, and an orange peel. Instead, I used crunchy peanut butter, rice soy milk, and clementine peels (more than one ’cause I love citrus fruits), and it still worked really well! I also used a milk frother to really mix it together after I poured the last mixture into the coffee.
I read a comment on this website from someone who said they no longer buy takeout because Nisha’s recipes taste so amazing and healthy and I have to agree – I’ve definitely significantly reduced my takeout orders because her vegan meals are SO delicious. Thank you, Nisha, for your wonderful recipes!
Hi Sandy, thanks so much for such a lovely comment! It’s great to hear you were able to tailor the recipe to what you had on hand.
And what a sweet comment in that last paragraph- thank you so much for following along and trying the recipes. I will definitely pass the kind words along to Nisha :)
I left off coffee/tea and it was deliciouso. I used oat milk and walnut milk.
Thanks for sharing, Cassandra!
By far the best beverage I’ve ever had!
Aw, what a compliment, Issabel! :) Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
I have never tasted anything like this before it is so amazing
Hi Olivia, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
I have never tasted any thing better than that
It’s awesome to hear that, Olivia! Thank you for leaving a review :)
hi this looks yummy what is the spice ball thingy you use at the end when you sprinkle cinnamon ? i love one
Hi Antonia, thanks for reaching out! It’s called “OXO Good Grips Baker’s Dusting Wand for Sugar, Flour and Spices”, but you could also use any “baker’s dusting wand” brand you like with similar results. Thank you and we hope you enjoy this recipe!
WOW! Drinking this like is pure heaven! I had it this morning alongside blueberry and maple syrup pancakes (RPL recipe). I was in a food coma for hours. Honestly, your recipes have literally changed my life. I now enjoy eating food as well as making it and I have stopped takeout and going out for food as it does not taste as good as the food I make from your recipes!
Hi Wren, we’re so happy you enjoy the recipes! Thanks for leaving a review :)
Amazing! I forgot to buy orange, the rest I did just like in the recipe and it really is VERY very very good! My boyfriend, who was very sceptical about the “mind-blowing latte” also really enjoyed it ;-)) Highly recommend trying it!
Hi Anna, we’re so happy you two enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review :)
Made this today, it was very comforting. I used pinch of Indian red pepper since I did not have cayenne but still good. Love the date and orange flavors in the latte along with creaminess of almond butter.
Awesome, Urvashi. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Silly me…I just threw everything into the blender AND then I realized I needed to heat it first 🤣🤣🤣. I heated it LAST! It was still delish. I will make it again and do it right!
LOL, well we’re glad you enjoyed it either way, Tiffany!
This is truly the best latte ever! Feels so luxurious. I love the hint of spice.
Awesome, Michelle! Great to hear you love the latte.
YUM! I loved this. I was a bit skeptical about the orange peel so I used a smaller piece but there was no bitterness and the orange flavor was very minimal. Next time I’ll use a bigger piece. I also only made 1 serving of this so the milk mixture coagulated quite bit. So I just blended that along with the brewed coffee.
Thanks for sharing, Priya!
I made this as I had all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge so just wanted to see if it was as good as it sounded. I must preface this with the fact I am not really a coffee drinker but I like almond butter and dates lol. It was good maybe I added too much cayenee but overall I would not mind making it again maybe 2nd time with tea. I have leftover espresso from making the brownies and don’t want to make desserts so close to Thanksgiving!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Brenda! Good to hear you enjoyed it, we hope you enjoy it even more with the tea!
Omg I have died and gone to heaven!!! This is beyond dreamy!! 💚🌱
Donna, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This drink is delicious. It’s creamy, nutty, spicy and sweet. It’s comforting. I drink it with tea but I could drink it straight. I make this two to three times a week. I normally make a double batch because my family enjoys it too. It’s so easy to make. If I have time to plan, I put everything, except the oat milk, in a pot the night before to speed up the prep process for the next day. Because of this drink, I have not been to Starbucks in months!!!! It’s better than Starbucks.
Awesome, Keira. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!