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
I don’t know how difficult it would be but I’d love it if you would include nutritional values, especially calories, in your recipes. I like to keep track of that stuff. LOVE your recipes!!
Thank you so much for the work you do.
Hi Mary, we don’t include nutrition facts on our recipes for a few reasons. If you’d like to read more as to why, you can do so at this link: https://rainbowplantlife.com/welcome/.
Many of our readers use apps like MyFitnessPal to calculate nutrition facts for their own purposes. Hope that helped!
Best latte I’ve ever had! Period! Thank you, Nisha!
Awesome, McKenna. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I used almond milk and it tasted very good, nice and creamy. Next time I’m going to substitute the cinnamon for cocoa powder. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Delicious! I added a sprinkle of nutmeg to the finished cup along with the cinnamon. I think it would be perfect all by itself ( no coffee ) 😃 next time I might try it with hot cocoa. I enjoy all your recipes, it’s made it much easier for me to eat vegan. Thanks so much!!!
I just tried this after seeing it in your video short, and it was incredible. I was skeptical about the orange but I’m so glad I tried it. This will be my Sunday treat going forward!
This one is so so good. The best hot drink I have ever had. I make it almost every alternate day. I like to add one block on Lindt 85% to have a slightly chocolatey flavor. Thank you very much Nisha for this gem of a recipe. You really make my everyday eating better :D <3. Lots of love!
Hi nisha.. can we use almond milk instead of oat milk
OMG. My SIL said it best – I could mainline this s**t. Seriously. And so easy to make. We’ll have this every Sunday brunch from now on.
OMG. My SIL said it best – I could mainline this s**t. Seriously. And so easy to make. We’ll have this every Sunday brunch from now on.
Literally been my breakfast all week-I even added teaspoon of chocolate powder a couple of times. Easy and amazing! The orange peel is definitely a perfect addition.
I made this for the first time last week and it will now be an every week thing. This recipe is everything you want in your coffe, it’s creamy, frothy, sweet without being overpowering, and just balanced. Honestly, I have yet to find a recipe here that I didn’t absolutely love.
Love the flavor of the orange and the creaminess of the nut butter. I used peanut butter and soy milk as those were what I had on hand, and turned out amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂
This is a delightful addition to my morning coffee! I tried this recipe on Saturday and omitted the orange and pepper. Today I added the orange and pepper and even topped it off with a dash of cloves! Delish either way! Thank you!
This is just so creamy and comforting! Gonna make it every week. Thank you for your recipes, Nisha. You make cooking easy :)
Frothy, spicy, slightly sweet—the orange and almond butter makes this latte taste so special. My favorite latte ever.
I tried this recipe this morning. Should’ve watched the video, I put a lot of orange peel (almost half an orange), gave it quite the bite but since I didn’t do a very good job blending, I was able to strain the peel out so it worked out. Lovely taste. Love it and will make it again! Thanks Nisha!
Delicious – like a warm hug! The zing of cayenne is perfect and the texture makes it feel indulgent. Thanks – this will become a regular in my house
My husband and I absolutely loved this!! I used the tea suggestion (thank you!) since it was nighttime but I can’t wait to try it with coffee for daytime! Highly recommend.
Delicious!!!! I even substituted peanut butter for the almond butter and black tea for the coffee, unsweetened soy milk for oat milk. Creamy, dreamy, just sweet enough, just spicy enough….divine!
Nisha, this is so yummy! Warm and comforting – like a hug in a cup! I agree the orange is a must, it just adds that little something special. I feel like I’m sipping a latte from my favorite coffee shop but in the comfort of my own home!