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
This was so lovely! Even on a thick and humid summer day we enjoyed it immensely! I made it with 1% cows milk because that’s what we had in the fridge and it still came out creamy and satisfying. And I didn’t have a fresh orange but I pulled out a couple orange rinds from the freezer that I had saved during orange season and that did the trick! Next time you go to eat an orange, shave off the rind first and stick it in the freezer so you have it at the ready for any recipe that calls for orange zest; it just needs a quick mince and voila! Or save it just so you can make this latte whenever you want :)
Hi Max, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Unbelievably delicious! I strained it to give it an even smoother texture since I only had chunky almond butter in the pantry. I would love to see more drink recipes like this one on the blog!
Thanks for sharing, Nimisha! We will pass the request to Nisha!
If one is diabetic, can the dates be replaced with Stevia? If so, how much Stevia would you recommend?
Hi David, yes they can but unfortunately we are not familiar with Stevia. We suggest using 1/8 teaspoon and adding from there if needed.
This was sooooo good! So grateful for the recipe! Thank you!
Great, P! Thanks for the lovely review!
Delicious! Loved this one, especially the kick the cayenne provides- great recipe!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jo!
This is ridiculously good! Tastes so fancy. :) Its rich in flavour, thick, creamy, sweet, lovely freshness from the orange peel. I’m freezing here in Sydney today. Just made a big mug of this and its actually giving me Xmas vibes :). Perfect winter warm up drink. 12/10 will make again. Thanks Nisha x
Rowan, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This is my new favorit kind of coffee. Where I live (Denmark) almond butter is very expensive but tahini can do the trix – and I am happy :)
Wonderful, great to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Iza!
Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sylvie!
Loved it very much. Medjool dates are the best. Reminded me of a drink called the Borgia. But it was a mocha with orange and nutmeg and no almond butter. Thanks
So great to hear you enjoyed the latte, Rosalie! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Lovely! So delicious. Orange peel.. magical! Thank you for this recipe! ☕️🧡
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Hilary!
My new favorite thing. Thank you so much for this heart-warming, delicious, AND healthy creation.
I don’t drink coffee so I add it to my Dandy Blend tea or Rooibos Chai and it is out of this world.
I make my own nut butter with either roasted pecans and/or walnuts, brazil nuts, etc. The nut butter gives it such lovely body.
I had a little bit of this glorious blend on its own and it was Divine. My husband drinks coffee and I can’t wait to add it to his morning brew, he will love it!
I have also shared with my entire clientele and friends.
I love your IG feed and what you are about.
Keeping shining bright.
Awesome, Dove. Thank you for sharing the recipes, for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Divine🙏💕🫂
C, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So delicious!! I didn’t have any almond butter so I used Tahini. I think my oat milk started to curdle or separate while I was warming it up but I put it in my vitamix anyway and it made the texture just fine, sorta hahaha
I’ll retry another time with another brand of oat milk or another type of milk.
Thank you for the recipe!
Interesting about the oat milk, Caroline! We personally love Oatly if you plan on making this latte again! So good to hear you loved it though :)
Oh! What a hearty drink!
Thank you Nisha!
Woiny, So glad to hear you loved this latte!
Hi Nisha,
Thanks for your reponse. I tried the recipe and it’s delicious! I put all the ingredients including the orange peel in my Vitamix then heated the latte in the microwave. It was frothy, hot and tasty. This may be my go to cozy hot bevy drink.
Yay, we are so happy to hear it Mamie! Cheers!
Hi, I haven’t made it yet, but already know I love it, thanks! Lately I’ve has serious addiction to Medjool dates, so this will give me a way to portion them out, rather than by the handful. Thanks again! :)
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Liz!
I can’t believe how delicious this is. I made a big batch of it and have been adding it to my coffee every morning. Love it!
That’s so great to hear, Shauna! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
This was soooooo very good! I can taste the cayenne! I used instant coffee and didn’t dilute. I’m sure everything would be more subtle. Look forward to making this again and making some adjustments on amounts to get it to my perfect liking. Thanks for the recipe. I’m so very impressed.
Ginger, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Hi Nisha,
What are the benefits of boiling the ingredients before blending. I have a Vitamix and was thinking of adding all the ingredients to it and blending without the boiling step to save on time. I’m new to you website and look forward to making this drink and trying your recipes. Thanks!
Hi Mamie, 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. You could definitely just blend the latte with the other ingredients without heating first. Enjoy!
Hi Nisha,
Thanks for your reponse. I tried the recipe and it’s delicious! I put all the ingredients including the orange peel in my Vitamix then heated the latte in the microwave. It was frothy, hot and tasty. This may be my go to cozy hot bevy drink.
Great with peanut butter, + almond milk (vanilla flavour) substitutes too.
Sabre, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Oh my GOSH I just made this and it is SO delicious.
Thanks for sharing, Catherine!