This homemade vanilla tahini shake (Minimalist Baker) is a far nicer alternative to plastic-packed supermarket smoothies and shakes. It uses ice-cubes made from coconut milk (Nature’s Charm is a nice brand sold in tins, free from monkey-slave harvesting) and if you prefer fruit, there’s a strawberry shake recipe to try instead. Keep spices away from pets (read more on food safety for people & pets).
The shake itself is made with your favourite non-dairy milk (this uses almond milk, we like ReRooted as it’s organic and packed in returnable glass bottles). And frozen cauliflower (yes!) This is because the humble cauli is very mild in flavour, and makes things creamy (it’s even used to make cakes!)
The shake is sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla extract (don’t skimp, fake vanilla is sometimes made with beaver extract), then flavoured with tahini. If you’ve never tried it, tahini is basically just creamed sesame seeds (sold in light or dark versions in glass jars). It’s easy to find and is packed with calcium. You can spread remaining tahini on toast or drizzle it on porridge. If you want, you can finish off this shake with a drizzle of coconut whip (or look in stores for ready-made versions by Nature’s Charm or The Coconut Collab).
If you like making smoothies and shakes, you don’t need a £400 Vitamix, but it does pay to invest in a quality blender with a glass jug. Cheap plastic blenders will just burn the motor out quickly, if you make a morning smoothie every day. Just as important is to find one that’s easy to clean, so you’ll be inspired to use it, and not just leave it in the cupboard, gathering dust!
