What is a date shake?

A milkshake made with vanilla ice cream and crystals or paste from locally grown medjool dates. It tastes like a caramel shake and is the Coachella Valley's signature drink.

Where is the best date shake in Palm Springs?

Shields Date Garden in Indio is the famous benchmark, Oasis Date Gardens in Thermal is the local purist pick, and Great Shakes on Palm Canyon Drive is the convenient downtown option.

How much does a date shake cost?

Roughly $7 to $10 at most stands, depending on size and location.

Why are dates grown in the Coachella Valley?

Date palms need extreme summer heat, low humidity, and irrigation — conditions the valley's desert climate and groundwater provide. The valley produces the vast majority of U.S.-grown dates.

Is the date shake at Hadley's in the Coachella Valley?

Hadley's is in Cabazon, just outside the valley on I-10 — but it is the classic stop on the drive between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, next to the Cabazon dinosaurs.

The Date Shake Trail: Where to Find the Best Date Shake in the Coachella Valley

The valley grows most of America's dates — this is the official local drink

Palm Springs Spots Editors · Published Sep 5, 2026 · Updated Sep 5, 2026

The Date Shake Trail: Where to Find the Best Date Shake in the Coachella Valley

The Coachella Valley grows the overwhelming majority of the dates produced in the United States, and the date shake — vanilla ice cream blended with sweet, caramel-like medjool date crystals — is the valley's official unofficial drink. Here is where to get the best ones.

A date shake tastes like a caramel milkshake that grew up on a farm. The difference between a great one and a forgettable one is the dates: real medjool crystals or paste, blended thick enough that the straw stands up.

Shields Date Garden, Indio — the benchmark

The most famous stop on the trail, running since 1924. The shake is thick, heavy on date crystals, and best drunk on the patio after walking the garden path. While you are there, watch the 15-minute date film — it is wonderful. [Full Shields guide](/shields-date-garden).

Oasis Date Gardens, Thermal — the purist's pick

A working organic date farm on the way to the Salton Sea with a small tasting counter and a shake many locals consider the valley's best — less sweet, more date. Free date tastings let you pick your favorite variety (barhi shakes, when available, are honey-sweet and worth the drive).

Hadley's, Cabazon — the road-trip classic

Just outside the valley on I-10, Hadley's has been blending date shakes for freeway travelers for decades. It is the one to grab on the drive in or out of Los Angeles, next to the Desert Hills outlets and the Cabazon dinosaurs.

Windmill Market, North Palm Springs — the local errand

A roadside market and produce stand near the wind farms with an old-school shake counter. Less polished, genuinely local, and on the way toward the tram road from the north.

Great Shakes, downtown Palm Springs — the convenient one

A shake shop on Palm Canyon Drive serving date shakes made with local date crystals — the easy option if you are staying downtown without a car.

What to order

The classic is medjool. If a stand offers a barhi or deglet noor version, try it — barhi is sweeter and softer, deglet noor more subtle. Most stands will do a half-chocolate blend if you ask, which tastes like a Rolo and is not a mistake.

FAQ

What is a date shake?: A milkshake made with vanilla ice cream and crystals or paste from locally grown medjool dates. It tastes like a caramel shake and is the Coachella Valley's signature drink.
Where is the best date shake in Palm Springs?: Shields Date Garden in Indio is the famous benchmark, Oasis Date Gardens in Thermal is the local purist pick, and Great Shakes on Palm Canyon Drive is the convenient downtown option.
How much does a date shake cost?: Roughly $7 to $10 at most stands, depending on size and location.
Why are dates grown in the Coachella Valley?: Date palms need extreme summer heat, low humidity, and irrigation — conditions the valley's desert climate and groundwater provide. The valley produces the vast majority of U.S.-grown dates.
Is the date shake at Hadley's in the Coachella Valley?: Hadley's is in Cabazon, just outside the valley on I-10 — but it is the classic stop on the drive between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, next to the Cabazon dinosaurs.

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