Blended Vanilla Almond Iced Mocha
An Indulgent Treat
A medium iced mocha at your favorite coffee chain, even if you skip the whipped cream and opt for a plant-based milk, is a pretty calorie-dense treat.
I'm not saying you shouldn't go for it once in a while if you love it.
But, if you'd be thrilled to make your own, healthier blended iced mocha drink and skip the refined sugar, big calorie count, and unnecessary chemical additives, then this could easily become your new favorite recipe.
Best part? It tastes decadent like a milkshake, and it's sweetened only with fruit. Dates, to be specific.
JOI
In this recipe, I'm using a product I recently discovered, called JOI (Just One Ingredient). It's a small container of milled almonds (it looks a bit like almond butter), which you can blend with water at home to make your own almond milk. It's also available in cashew, too.
The company sent me a container to try for free, and I'm delighted to report that I love it. (I wouldn't be sharing it with you, if I didn't.)
Here's what I love about it:
- It's yummy!
- It makes almond (or cashew) milk a bit more environmentally friendly, because it saves packaging.
- It lets you have delicious, all-natural plant-based milk, while skipping the fillers, binders and gums often included in store-bought almond milk.
- You get to control the almond concentration in your milk. For context, most store-bought almond milk has very little almond in it, and is almost entirely water.
- You get all these benefits without the mess and hassle of making almond milk from scratch at home (straining, cleanup, wondering what to do with the leftover almond pulp, etc.)
- And, you can use the JOI almond or cashew base in all sorts of fun creations, like smoothies, sauces, baked goods, and other beverages, like the blended coffee drink in this recipe.
I'm excited to continue experimenting with this ingredient, and to share with you what I discover. I think the cashew base will be amazing in non-dairy ice creams, for example, so stay tuned for more on that...
If you'd like to make your own almond milk and try JOI in this recipe yourself, I have a promotional code I can share with you.
Click here to order, and enter GREENSAGELIFE at checkout to save 10%.
I'll also receive a small commission for the referral, and I very much appreciate your support when you use my link.
So let's get to the recipe!
Ingredients
Some of the links in this recipe are referral links, which means I'll earn a commission if you use my links to purchase, at no additional charge to you. Thanks so much for your support!
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 Tbsp JOI almond base (see notes above)
- 2 tsp raw cacao powder
- 1-2 tsp instant espresso powder (depending how strong you like your coffee)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup crushed ice
- 1 cup of ice cubes
Instructions
1. Remove the pits from two Medjool dates.
2. Transfer the dates to the cup of a small blender, like a NutriBullet (any blender will work), and add 1 cup of hot water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, to soften the dates.
3. Add 1-2 tsp instant espresso powder, 2 tsp raw cacao powder, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract to the blender.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of JOI almond base.
5. Blend all the ingredients together, until smooth.
6. Add one cup of crushed ice to the mixture, and blend again briefly.
7. Fill a 16-oz glass with ice cubes. Pour your blended iced mocha over the ice cubes.
Now it's ready to serve.
Or... if you'd like to get fancy, you can froth some additional almond milk on the side, and then spoon that on top of your coffee drink.
I have a handy tool for frothing milk: an AeroLatte frother.
A sprinkling of raw cacao powder on top will make you feel like a pro barista.
As always, be sure to sip your Vanilla Almond Iced Mocha with a reusable straw!
