Tahini isn’t meant for just hummus…

Honestly I’ve tried the stuff solo on several different occasions but don’t care for it.

At all.

It’s just too bitter for my taste buds.

I also despise coffee (plus coffee flavored anything) and can hardly tolerate beer.

The bitterness detection section of my tongue is probably just overly sensitive.

And the sugar area is clearly the class bully.

Or something like that.

Anyway.

Tahini is more than welcome in my smoothies!

Or shakes…

Still not quite sure what the real difference is there, but I’ll go with shake for this recipe.

Because why not?

(Shakes do seem rather desserty and I’m a big fan of pretty much everything desserty… unless coffee is involved of course.)

So.

What the heck do you put in a cinnamon tahini date shake?

Bet you can guess at least three ingredients…

Super ripe, frozen banana slices and Medjool dates add that sweet factor that I personally need to balance out the bitter tahini flavors.

Cinnamon adds warmth (and I pretty much add a dash of cinnamon to all of my smoothies/shakes so it’s kind of a habit at this point).

Toss in a pinch of salt and add unsweetened vanilla almond milk to get the thing a blending then you’re set!

Chug chug chug.

P.S. In case you’re unfamiliar with tahini, it’s a creamy seed butter made from ground up sesame seeds. Inferior to peanut butter (and almond butter) for sure, but it’s not always a complete waste of time. It offers up some protein and a richness factor.

P.P.S. And what on earth is a Medjool date? Well they look like a jumbo raisin but they’re actually packaged fresh andddd they taste frickin amazing. They’re a bit pricey but our buddy Costco tends to keep them around. (Just don’t forget to remove the pits! Unless you have a crush on your dentist and just want another excuse to pop in his or her office.)

P.P.P.S. You could also use original unsweetened almond milk and then just a splash of vanilla extract if that’s what you happen to have going on in your kitchen. And while we’re on the subject of almond milk, feel free to add a bit more if you prefer a thinner shake. I like mine thick and creamy!

P.P.P.P.S. I garnished my shake with a drizzle of honey (not vegan… maple syrup is though) and some torn up dates. This was really just for looks so save yourself 46 seconds and skip all of that unless your main goal in life is to win an Instagrammy.