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!
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
What a lovely cold weather treat. I especially love the hint of orange. Brilliant!
Absolutely delicious! Made extra (without the coffee) for the kiddos. Everyone loved it.
Wow, so delightful! This latte is everything. So flavorful, cozy, creamy, sweet, spicy, and healthy. I followed the recipe exactly as instructed. Cannot wait to make again, and possibly try with macadamia milk or black tea. So grateful for this latte, thank you Nisha for the recipe!
Delicious!! Rich, creamy, flavorful— I highly recommend this recipe! So often we go to coffee shops and order chai lattes and more often than not they are so disappointing. From now on, this is a recipe that we can make at home and *know*that we are going to have that tasty experience! For those that want to lighten the richness a bit, bring it up to say 2 Cups of oat/soy/almond milk. The almond butter and date makes it quite rich and tasty, but it could be a little too heavy depending on your mood and the time of the day. I used English Breakfast tea instead of coffee or decaf and it was wonderful.
Words can’t express how much I love this drink!! It’s the perfect amount of nutty and sweet to complement my espresso!
I was addicted to this drink from the first sip :)
Thanks a lot!
Great writing, tasty recipes, shared with precision and passion. Wonderful person <3
Super yummy – first a little sweet then the perfect hit of spice. I made this with tea instead of coffee and it was the perfect cozy drink for a snowy day!
Awesome! Such a nice treat on a cold winter day. Very hygge too!
Made this earlier and it was divine, thank you 💚👍🌱 Gotta lotta love for our Vitamix! 😄
OMG!! I could drink this all day! just yummy.
This was so delicious! Together with your gingerbread hot chocolate my favourite so far 😊
Made this latte for the first time today, so delicious! It’s perfect for the 4pm slump, so satisfying, it will definitely keep me full until dinner!
This latte tastes really delicious and is definitely my new go to beverage. Thanks Nisha for the recipe 😍
Wow this this amazing! Just a little heat, not too sweet and lots of "creamyness" with the almond butter.
I used soy milk and I used orange zest since I don’t have a working blender. I soaked the dates in hot water and blended all of it with a hand blender at the end. I always make a little blend of sugar and cinammon so I sprinkled that on top of my latte! Soooo good!
Paired with my tofu scrambled wrap with melted cheese, sliced avocado, shredded kale and spicy mayo this was a breakfast for the gods.
And to think that my husband is still sleeping! He’s missing out!!
Hi there! So happy you love the latte. You described it perfectly – creamy, a little sweet, a little spicy! And with cinnamon sugar, sounds absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing what you did differently, and hope your hubby can share in the latte fun the next time you make it!
What if we used a hand blender in the sauce pan instead of an actual blender? Do you think it’ll come out as good?
This is amazing!!!! I used a deglet not date because I didn’t have medjool and cashew milk instead of oat. So delicious and will definitely make again.
Rather than cook on the stove first, I was thinking about “cooking” it in my Vitamix and skipping the stove top step. The major difference is that the dates and orange peel would become pulverized while it is still cooking. Do you think that will work?
Hi Nancy, given how powerful the Vitamix is, I think it should work! If your dates aren’t soft, I would give them a quick soak in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
This is seriously heaven in a cup! My entire family loved this recipe…the latte is super creamy and flavorful. I know I will be making this time and time again!
Hi Nisha! This is such an amazing latte recipe! By far my new favorite! I love the addition of the cayenne and the orange peel! I’ll definitely be making this daily!
Omg omg so good!!! I used everything but the dates and I substituted it with maple syrup. Best latte I’ve ever had, hands down. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Hi Morgen, so happy to hear that it was the best latte you’ve ever had! That’s so lovely! Great idea to sub with maple syrup too if you don’t have dates!
Hi!
I’ve made this latte many times. It’s so delicious and comforting! I am currently out of dates though, but I thought about using maple syrup instead too! How much would you suggest I use? Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Hi Lissy, that’s so nice to hear. I love that it’s a go-to for you. Maple syrup would be a fabulous addition. I’ve done it myself when i was out of dates. I didn’t measure it but my guess is anywhere between 2 and 4 teaspoons. Start with the smaller amount, give it a taste while it’s heating up, and add more later as needed.
Thanks so much!
Very good! Simple and healthy. I used orange essential oil since I didn’t have an orange peel and it worked perfect. I also used an alcohol free vanilla that is delicious. Thank you! I’ll make this again.
Hi Sarah, so happy you enjoyed this latte! I love the use of orange essential oil – the aroma must have been amazing.