Tomorrow is National Caramel Day! I love the sweet taste of caramel and I see that I am not alone as my “Caramel” Swirled Vanilla Bean Protein Shake is still one of my top pinned recipes on Pinterest! This is similar to that but a different caramel, Lucuma Caramel.
As I flipped through my Thrive Energy Cookbook I came across Lucuma Caramel Sauce and I was drooling. I love caramel and I like lucuma so I whipped some up and it was amazing. Of course my youngest thought it was a little too sweet, which I can see so we did tone it down a bit. We use to buy the pump of caramel sauce for our steamers and lattes in the morning (guilty pleasure) but over a year ago started making our own date caramel and almond butter & agave caramel. This will be another one we add to our rotation. It is even good with a pinch of cinnamon! If you have the Thrive Energy Cookbook I suggest trying Brendan’s recipe. So on to the shake…. I decided to whip a Lucuma Caramel Shake to drizzle the sauce over. I went to check to see what other lucuma shakes I had posted in the past and was surprised to see I haven’t posted any! I have made them before but didn’t realize I hadn’t posted any, just lucuma ice cream and other recipes using it but not as a feature flavor. I have enjoyed a few now tweaking to suit my needs. After a workout I add Vega Performance Protein and a date. In the afternoon Vega Viva Vanilla, maybe a little extra cashew butter, and I leave the date out. Like coffee? There is also another version which I will be sharing soon!
Lucuma Caramel Protein Shake
Makes 1
1 c almond or cashew milk (use So Delicious Almond Milk Plus for added protein or homemade almond milk, see below)
1 TBSP cashew or almond butter (I prefer raw cashew butter)
1 Medjool date, optional (I add if after a workout)
1 TBSP lucuma powder (Navitas Naturals)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (use Vega Performance Protein Vanilla after a workout, or Vega One French Vanilla or Vega Viva Vanilla Protein Smoothie depending on nutritional needs when making it)
ice, about 2 cups
Blend everything except ice in a Vitamix, or high-speed blender until smooth. Blend in ice until smooth. Top with Lucuma Caramel Sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Lucuma Caramel Sauce
3/4 c raw cashew butter or raw almond butter (made with cashew butter, this version without lucuma made with almond butter)
1/3- 1/2 c raw agave (if you like things less sweet start with 1/3 cup)*
2 TBSP lucuma powder (Navitas Naturals)
1 TBSP pure vanilla
pinch of sea salt
4-7 TBSP warm water, or more if needed to make smooth*
*If using almond butter use the full 1/2 cup of agave.
Starting with 3 tablespoons of water and 1/3 cup of agave if you don’t like things too sweet, blend everything together in a Vitamix or high-speed blender until smooth. Test for sweetness and add more if desired. Once desired sweetness is achieved add more water if needed to make it smooth. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks, it will thicken as it get cold so remove from refrigerator before using to warm up.
We also like adding a little cinnamon to ours sometimes to switch it up!
Recipe adapted from Brendan Braizer’s Thrive Energy Cookbook, which I highly recommend getting if you don’t already own it.
Almond Milk
1 c raw almonds, soaked overnight or at least 6 hours
3 1/2 c cold filtered water
2 TBSP raw agave or 2 dates pitted
3″ vanilla bean, or 1-2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon, optional
Soaked, rinsed, and drained almonds. In a Vitamix, or high-speed blender, blend almonds, water, agave or dates, vanilla, and cinnamon on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Strain through a nut bag. Store milk in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 days.
As a Vega Recipe Ambassador I receive Vega products, which I used as an option in this recipe. I use Vega not because it is given to me but because it has been my plant-based protein of choice since before I started blogging and some recipes are made with Vega products I purchase. I only write about foods I love, my blog is an extension of my hobby to make fun healthy food creations for me and my family.