Vanilla-Almond Coconut Nib Chip Shake

This vanilla-almond coconut nib chip shake stutter steps between dessert, breakfast, and snack territory depending on how it's prepared. It's thick, rich, and creamy at its core, yet it can be thinned out to an icy delight with a few handfuls of frosty ice cubes. It packs a surprisingly generous amount of plant-based protein for a dessert (i.e., 10 grams) thanks to the addition of SILK's Protein Nutmilk, young Thai coconut meat, and almond butter. It also boasts 45% recommended daily value of calcium. With the addition of a modest amount of Medjool dates, it's only subtly sweet (read: breakfast- and snack-appropriate). Yet with the addition of just a couple more, its blissful sweetness shimmies gracefully into dessert territory. 

This post is sponsored by SILK. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is your shake destination. And this recipe? Well, it's merely a softly etched map detailing how to get there.

Please. Feel free to strut, to roam, and to skip gleefully off the proposed path.

To make this vanilla-almond coconut nib chip shake, you'll start by rounding up your ingredients:

»»» 1 cup young Thai coconut meat (use less for a slightly thinner shake). This is about the amount you'll be able to gather from one small young Thai coconut. To gather it, hack open the coconut, pour out the coconut water, and use a spoon to scrape the fleshy coconut meat away from the tough outer shell.

»»» 1 cup SILK Protein Nutmilk. This creamy almond-cashew blend packs a whopping 10g of plant-powered protein per serving thanks to the addition of pure pea protein. Plus, it has 50% more calcium than dairy milk. I've been adding it to all of my smoothies and banana ice cream blends lately for an extra protein boost.

»»» 1 to 2 cups of ice or more, to taste. The ice thins and cools the shake, so it's important to add a good amount. If you prefer more of a smoothie consistency than a shake consistency, you'll want to lean toward 2+ cups of ice.

»»» 4 to 6 soft, sticky Medjool dates. The dates naturally sweeten this shake, offering it a bit of caramel-kissed sweetness.

»»» A tablespoon of natural almond butter. The almond butter adds a lovely nuttiness and a punch of protein, vitamin e, and healthy fats.

»»» A tablespoon of cacao nibs (aka Mother Nature's chocolate chips). The cacao nibs fleck the shake with bits of chocolate. If you don't have cacao nibs on hand or you simply prefer chocolate chips, feel free to make the swap. Just be sure to add the chocolate chips later than you'd add the cacao nibs and pulse to incorporate (as opposed to blending) to maintain a bit of their delectable chip texture.

»»» A splash of vanilla for depth of flavor.

»»» A pinch of sea salt. Sea salt enhances the shake's flavor as well as its sweetness, drawing out all of that above-mentioned loveliness.

Once you have all of your ingredients rounded up, add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.

I recommend starting with the lower amount for each of the ingredients in the list that notates a range. Then, taste and and work your way up from there.

Once you've blended to your own personal perfection, pour into two glasses, top as desired, and sip away.

📖 Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Vanilla-Almond Coconut Nib Chip Shake

This vanilla-almond coconut nib chip shake stutter steps between dessert, breakfast, and snack territory depending on how it's prepared. It's thick, rich, and creamy at its core, yet it can be thinned out to an icy delight with a few handfuls of frosty ice cubes. It packs a surprisingly generous amount of plant-based protein for a dessert (i.e., 10 grams) thanks to the addition of SILK's Protein Nutmilk, young Thai coconut meat, and almond butter. It also boasts 45% recommended daily value of calcium. With the addition of a modest amount of Medjool dates, it's only subtly sweet (read: breakfast- and snack-appropriate). Yet with the addition of just a couple more, its blissful sweetness shimmies gracefully into dessert territory. 

Course Dessert, Smoothie, Snack

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 2 (10-ounce) shakes

Calories 410kcal

Ingredients

• ¾ to 1 cup fresh young Thai coconut meat* (from one small young Thai coconut)
• 1 cup SILK Protein Nutmilk
• 1 to 2 cups ice or more, to taste (to thin and cool)**
• 4 to 6 soft, sticky Medjool dates, pitted (to taste)***
• 1 tablespoon natural almond butter
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs, plus more for garnishing
• ½ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until smooth.
• Taste and adjust, adding more ice, Medjool dates, etc. and blend again until desired flavor and consistency is reached.
• Pour into two glasses.
• Top with cacao nibs, if desired.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

*Use less for a slightly thinner shake, use up to 1 cup for a rich, thick, and creamy shake. For an extra-cool and frosty shake, freeze the coconut meat overnight. SUBSTITUTION NOTE: Although I haven't tried it myself yet, I have a feeling that full-fat coconut milk could be substituted for the young Thai coconut meat. Just be sure to cut back on the amount to accommodate for the much richer coconut milk. I'd start with ½ cup of full-fat coconut milk and work your way up from there, to taste.

**Use less ice for a super rich, thick, and creamy shake; use more ice for a thinner, frostier shake. Just keep in mind that the more ice you add, the more Medjool dates you'll need to add to maintain the same level of sweetness.

***For a subtly sweet shake, use 4 Medjool dates. For a more dessert-like shake, use 6 or more Medjool dates. I recommend starting with 4 and working your way up from there, tasting as you go.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Fiber: 7g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 450mg | Iron: 3.4mg