Flavors · Indio

Date shake

Thick date shake with vanilla ice cream, with a caramel-like flavor. It originated at roadside date shops in California’s Coachella Valley.

Traditional drink from Indio, Califórnia

Also known as: Palm Springs date shake, date milkshake

Updated October 2026

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Date shake — Indio, the United States — Date shake

Date shake — Indio, the United States

The date shake is a date milkshake: the fruit, chopped or in paste, is blended with vanilla ice cream and a little milk until thick and caramel-like. Some places use fresh dates; others use date paste or dehydrated date crystals. There are versions with nuts and cinnamon and others that are dairy-free.

The drink was born from the agriculture of the Coachella Valley. Date palms were brought to Southern California’s desert in the early 20th century with saplings from North Africa, and the United States Department of Agriculture experimented with date cultivation in the region. The dry climate and groundwater made the valley an important date-producing area, and roadside date gardens and shops became stops for travelers.

The most frequently cited origin points to Valerie Jean’s shop, owned by Russell Nicoll’s family, near Thermal, south of Indio. With electricity and refrigeration, the shop began blending dates with ice cream and milk. In Indio, Shields Date Garden, opened in 1924 by Floyd and Bess Shields, helped popularize the drink and created the date crystals used as a base for the shake. The different versions make it impossible to identify a single inventor with certainty.

Travel press calls the date shake the unofficial drink of the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs. It appears at date shops, diners, and cafes across the valley and is a frequent feature at the county fair and the national date festival held in Indio, whose first edition was in 1921.

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Where it comes from

Indio , Califórnia
Drink of the Coachella Valley, linked to the date shops of Indio and Thermal and to Indio’s date festival.

Ingredients

Dates (fresh, in paste, or as dehydrated crystals), vanilla ice cream, and milk; some versions include nuts, cinnamon, or plant-based beverages.

How it is eaten

Chilled, served in a tall glass with a wide straw or spoon, as it is usually very thick. Date shops sell the fruit alongside the shake so you can sample varieties.

When it is eaten

Year-round, more popular on hot days; frequently featured at the county fair and the date festival in Indio in winter.

Your questions

Questions about Date shake

What is a date shake?

It’s the signature drink of the Coachella Valley, California: dates, ice cream, and milk blended into a thick, sweet shake.

Where was the date shake born?

In the Coachella Valley. The most common account points to Valerie Jean’s shop near Thermal; merchants in Indio helped spread the drink.

Why does the Coachella Valley have so many dates?

The desert’s dry air and groundwater are ideal for date palms. The first saplings arrived in the early 20th century, and the valley became a major producer.

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