How To Make Date Paste

Learn How To Make Date Paste! It’s a natural sweetener made with just dates and water. It can be used in many delicious ways and has many more health benefits than regular sugar.

Have you used date paste before? I recently started making my own, and I love using it in baked goods instead of sugar. While it’s still sugar, it is a natural sweetener, and you can feel better about using it than regular white, brown, or even coconut sugar.

Healthy Sweetener Recipe Ingredients

• Dates – When I make date paste, I like to use Medjool dates. They’re large, soft, and have great flavor and a high moisture content. You can either buy dates or non-pitted dates and remove the pit yourself. Either way, you want to ensure you aren’t adding any date pits to the recipe!
• Water – I use regular filtered drinking water to make my date paste. If you want to make it a bit sweeter, you can use fruit juice.

Flavor Additions

I usually use date paste by itself, but here are a few fun flavor add-ins you can use to make it even more delicious:

• Cinnamon – I love to add a little cinnamon to give it a cinnamon sugar flavor. I have an awesome pop tart recipe coming up later this week using cinnamon-flavored date paste.
• Cocoa Powder – A few teaspoons of cocoa powder will make this date sweetener chocolatey and delicious!
• Peanut Butter – A Tablespoon or two of creamy peanut or almond butter are great for sandwiches or spreads!
• Vanilla Extract – I don’t normally add vanilla extract to my paste, but it will give it a little more sweetness. Almond or maple extract are great, too.
• Spices – You can add any spices you like. Pumpkin spice is great for autumn, while ginger and molasses are great holiday additions.

How To Use Your Date Sweetener

Date paste can be used in many different ways; here are a few ways I enjoy it:

1. Baking: The big question is, how can you substitute date paste for sugar in a recipe? This can be a complicated question because the consistency of sugar is different than date paste, which will add more liquid/moisture to a recipe. I don’t recommend subbing it at a 1:1 ratio for granulated sugar; instead, use about 2/3 cup of date paste for every 1 cup of sugar. Check your consistency and add more dry ingredients if needed.  
   • This paste can be used in various baking recipes instead of sugar, but it won’t work for everything. Ask me in the comment section below if you have any questions!
   • I do use date paste with a 1:1 ratio when substituting for a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey. I have these baked oatmeal cups that are sweetened with just date paste, and they’re so delicious!
2. Aside from baking, date paste can be used as a naturally sweetened spread.  You can spread a spoonful on your morning toast, add a Tablespoon to your oatmeal, and even use it as a filling for homemade pop-tarts! You can make a peanut butter and date paste sandwich, instead of using jelly and even spread it on your pancakes or French toast instead of maple syrup.
3. It can be used instead of honey or maple syrup in sauces. You can add it to homemade peanut sauce or even teriyaki sauce. You can also use it as a sweetener when making homemade salad dressing.

What is your favorite way to use Date Paste?!

Health Benefits Of Dates

Dates are a source of fructose, a sugar found naturally in fruits. For this reason, I don’t call recipes that use date paste Sugar-Free, but dates are much better for the body than any other kind of refined sugar or even maple syrup and coconut sugar. Here are just a few health benefits of dates:

• Dates are high in a few vitamins and minerals such as potassium, copper, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
• They’re high in fiber. A 3.5-ounce serving of dates contains almost 7 grams of fiber  Fiber is important to keep the digestive system running smoothly.
• Dates are high in antioxidants, which protect your cells from free radicals that can cause disease. They also protect against heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.
• They’ve been shown topromote brain health and memory, which in turn can help prevent Alzheimer’s. 
• Lastly, they may play a role in smooth, natural childbirth. I’ve read that if you eat six dates a day for the last four weeks or so of your pregnancy it can really help with natural labor. I did this with my first child and had one of the longest, worst labors ever, but some people swear by it

Date Sweetener Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I use date paste as a 1:1 ratio to granulated/coconut sugar? No, I do not suggest that because the paste has much more moisture than sugar and will affect the texture of the recipe. Instead, I suggest using about 2/3 cup paste to every 1 cup of sugar and then evaluating whether you need to add more date paste or more dry ingredients.
• Can date paste be used as a 1:1 ratio for liquid sweeteners like maple syrup? Yes, they both have similar consistencies, so they can usually be used as a 1:1 replacement for one another.
• How thick/thin should I make my date paste? I don’t make mine too thin. I like to be able to spread it nicely on toast, but depending on what you’re using it for, you can make it as thin or as thick as you like.
• How should I store my date paste? I store mine in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a month or in the freezer for about a year.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

Check out exactly how I make this recipe here:

How To Make Date Paste

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 10 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Date Paste is easy to make and works great as a natural sweetener in baked goods or as a spread!

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Ingredients

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• 1 (12 oz) package medjool dates, pitted or with pits removed
• Water, 2-4 cups

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Instructions

1. Pour dates into a medium sized glass or ceramic bowl.  Add water to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil.  You want to add enough water to cover your dates completely when you pour the water over them.
2. Bring water to a boil and then carefully pour hot water over the dates in the bowl.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.  Drain the water from the dates, but reserve the liquid.
3. Add the dates to a food processor or blender, turn on and then slowly drizzle in your reserved date soaking water.  Depending on what you are using your date paste for you can make it as thin or as thick as you like.  I usually add a few tablespoons of water and make mine thick enough to be able to spread on a slice of bread.
4. You can use your date paste immediately or you can store it for use later on.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a month and in the freezer for about a year.  If frozen, thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator before using.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Condiment, Vegan
• Method: Stovetop, Blender
• Cuisine: American