Creamy caramel like date paste made with simple, natural ingredients. A delicious and healthy alternative to sugar that so easy to make!
When I first started this journey to pure clean health, sugar was one thing I knew I wanted out of our home. Everything I read on sugar, the effect it has on us, the addiction it causes, was not good news.
I never felt good eating it, ever, and it always made me want to eat more. So sugar was on my hit list. I started by doing a lot of research on all the different unrefined alternatives.
There are so many schools of thought out there when it comes to what constitutes “unrefined sugar.” After all I read, I decided that I fell into the category of “as long as it doesn’t go through a long chemically filled process of changing it from it’s original source and stripping it of natural nutrients,” I was okay with it.
We don’t have any blood sugar issues, so some sweetener was okay. I just wanted my sweetener to be as pure as I could find it.
All Things Sweet And Natural
I threw away ALL refined sugar I had in my cupboards, and began filling my baking sections with things like coconut palm sugar, sucanat, raw honey, maple syrup, and dates. It took me a little time to get the courage to make date paste. But the day I did it changed my life. IT. IS. AMAZING.
Date paste is super easy to make, stores well, and can even be frozen! I keep it in a mason jar in my fridge to use for our everyday needs. We put it in oatmeal, use it in baking, and any little sweet snacks we randomly come up with.
I often make a big batch of date paste and freeze it in small containers to pull out when I want to make something that I want it in.
What You Can Add To This Date Paste
Depending on what I’m making, I sometimes need to blend it a little bit with a dash of almond milk or water just to get it nice and creamy again, but it works like a charm! You need to try this little gem of a sweetener.
It is all natural, does not make you feel awful after you indulge, and you can feed it to your kids knowing they are eating something more wholesome and healthy than refined sugar. Date paste will be your new “go-to!”
- 24 pitted Medjool dates a little over a pound, other types can be used
- ¾ cup almond milk or milk of choice
- dash of Himalayan pink salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 pitted Medjool dates a little over a pound, other types can be used
- ¾ cup water
- Put all ingredients in a food processor, blender or high speed blender and puree until smooth.
- If using a high speed blender this will only take a few minutes. Traditional food processors or blenders will take longer, but eventually, the date paste will come out nice and smooth.
You can also make it chunkier by blending less. If you want a thinner paste, then you can always add more milk.
- Â I usually use Medjool dates as they are soft and sweet and I can find them easily. Another good soft and sweet variety are the Barhi dates.
- If you use something other than Medjool in this recipe you may make a different amount of date paste depending on date size. It may also turn out less sweet depending on the kind you use.
- Check out this great resource on the different types of dates. I use water in the paste I make for recipes but milk in the kind I use raw. I like the creaminess the milk adds when I eat it raw but prefer the water for my recipes as it is more neutral.
vegenista (@vegenista) says
Yuuuuuuuum! I want to eat this with a spoon! Have you tried soaking the dates first? Sometimes I see that people soak dates to soften them a bit before adding them to smoothies, etc?
veggiesdontbite says
Yes! I have but the result was not that different. It just takes a little less time to smooth out. I always forget to soak stuff so I figured cut the step out and make it something you can whip up last minute! But if you remember or have the time then by all means soak!
Laura says
Date paste is definitely my go-to sweetener! I use it in everything!
veggiesdontbite says
Awesome! Isn’t it amazing?!
Eric says
I’m excited to make the switch over! Is it a 1:1 substitute for sugar? 1 cup of refined sugar to 1 cup of date paste? And does it change the end product of baked goods? It seems like this would add more liquid which may need to change cooking time or amount of other ingredients. Thanks for the reply!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Eric! It’s not exactly a 1:1 sub, it really just depends on the recipe. It does add more liquid so using date paste would result in some other changes. Many of my desserts use it so take a look and see how I’ve done it. But feel free to ask any questions! I love it as a sweetener!
Natalie Tamara says
Ooooh this just looks heavenly! I keep finding so many recipes calling for date paste in place of sugar, it really is about time I made some. This really does sound so simple too 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you! It is so simple! I make it weekly and keep it in the refrigerator for daily use. I love it!
Abbie says
I love date paste! I have yet to use it in any baked goods, but I’m sure it’s an awesome replacement for refined sugar. (I love it to dip apple or pear slices in. so good.)
Pinning!
veggiesdontbite says
Yes!! It’s awesome as a fruit dip! It works very well as a sweetener in almost anything. We put it in oatmeal and even smoothies! Thank you!
Amy says
My kids could not get enough of the apples and “caramel” sauce tonight! Great recipe that takes out the added sugar for a sweet treat!
veggiesdontbite says
Awesome Amy!! Yes, it’s so nice to have a sweet treat for your kids thats actually not bad for them. I love the stuff and so do the boys. So glad it was a hit!
jillian says
opened pinterest and this was right at the top…and since i just bought a new vitamix yesterday we will take it for a spin with this recipe. i have not seen date paste before used in this way…how would i use it to sub in baking? thanks!
veggiesdontbite says
Awesome! I actually am working on a cookie recipe with it right now. Almost ready to post. I just sub it for the sugar, I used this whole date paste recipe for 36 cookies. Let me know how it works out!
Katie says
This sounds awesome, and I definitely want to try it in your cookie recipe! I was just wondering—how long does it keep for?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Katie, I usually make a big batch, put some in the fridge to use throughout the week, and put the rest in the freezer. Ours is always gone by the end of the week, but I would say that’s about the max. I generally don’t keep most stuff past a week. In the freezer it actually does well. I froze a batch last time and when I took it out and defrosted it, it held up great! Needed a bit of mixing again, but other than that it worked well. I put it in so many things: oatmeal, smoothies, baked goods…this summer when I pull out my ice cream maker again I am going to try it in ice cream! Hope you enjoy it!
Holly says
What’s the significance of the Himalayan salt? I have everything else on hand but that. Wondering if I can use regular table salt or sea salt?? Also, do you substitute for sugar with the same amount of date paste?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi there! Himalayan pink salt is unrefined and has retained its minerals. My husband’s cardiologist recommended we use it back when my husband had high blood pressure and we have used it ever since. You can substitute any salt that you have! As for the sugar substitution, I substitute the same amount. But remember that date paste is a wet sweetener and sugar is dry so you may have to adjust the amount of other ingredients depending on the recipe. It’s best to trial and error and see what you come up with. Let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks for visiting!
Emily Kemp says
I so need to try this I love dates and I’m all up for healthy sugars!
David says
The link you provide for Global Gourmet doesn’t work.
Could you provide an accurate link.
Thanks
veggiesdontbite says
Hi David! This is an old post and often links out to other sites that were active at the time, get deleted/changed/altered. Not much I can do about it, and since I don’t have the manpower to constantly check every outbound link, it just is what it is. I linked another site after doing a quick search about date varieties but if you find a better one let me know! Thank so much!
P J says
I love, love, love dates!!! One of the weird kids who actually liked dates… just learning how good they are for you. I will definitely try the date paste!!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi PJ! So happy you love it! It’s such a good way to get in sweetness without refined sugar.
Susan Parker says
Sophia. I’m making an apple pie and I’m wanting cinnamon in the filling. How much cinnamon would I add to the date paste to get that perfect taste
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Susan! Sounds delicious! I haven’t tried adding cinnamon to this date paste but based on the other sauces I have with cinnamon, I’d say maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons? But I LOVE cinnamon flavor so you may want to start with 1 teaspoon and see? Let me know how it goes!
Mare says
Do the dates need to soak overnight in the fridge? Or countertop?
veggiesdontbite says
Nope, on the counter is just fine!