How to Make Date Paste

Learn how to make date paste and indulge your sweet tooth with a natural, 1- ingredient sweetener that’s a deliciously healthy alternative to sugar.

Let the natural sweetness of dates sweeten your recipes in different ways with a super easy, tried-and-true process with health benefits courtesy of dates. You only need dates, water, and your food processor or blender!

This post contains helpful tips and tricks to make sure you're successful in your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!

Jump to:

• ⭐Why this recipe works
• 📋 About Dates
• 🔪 Pro tips & notes
• 💭 Common Questions
• 🍽 Serving & storage
• 📖 Related recipes
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe

⭐Why this recipe works

Date paste is an undisputedly healthy sweetener with health benefits that include added fiber and essential minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. This means that tablespoon for tablespoon, date paste exceeds even our favorite natural sugars such as coconut sugar, date sugar, or healthy forms of brown sugar. 

Unlike honey and some granulated sugars, date paste is vegan and is considered a suitable whole food, plant-based sweetener.

You can use this yummy liquid sweetener as a sugar alternative for baking, sauces, and any recipe that needs a bit of sugar flavor. Plus, the slight caramel flavor adds a depth of flavor that most sugars (especially white sugar or cane sugar) can’t deliver.

📋 About Dates

You only need dates for making date paste. But not all dates are the same, and the type of date you choose impacts flavor.

• Medjool - Also known as California-style date. Medjool dates are big, sweet, and have a subtle caramel-like taste. 
• Barhi – Soft, fragile dates that are somewhat syrupy. You probably won't need to soak Barhi dates before processing them because they are very delicate.
• Dayri – Distinctively long dates have a heavy sweet flavor. A little paste will go a long way with these.
• Deglet Noor – If you want date paste that isn’t so sugary, Deglet Noor dates are considered 'dry,' with a sweet, delicate flavor.
• Halawy – Another super-sweet, honey-flavored date. These are really nice right out of the bag, so try to exercise control if you intend to make date paste from them.
• Khadrawy – Rich but not overly sweet-flavored, these dates are a good option if you want something less sugary.
• Thoory – Sweet, with a nutty flavor. Sometimes called 'baking dates' because they are great in bread recipes.
• Zahidi – Sugary, semi-dry dates that look like large, golden raisins. They are also great for baking, but they are also meaty, so they are worthy candidates for date paste.

🔪 Pro tips & notes

• 1 cup of pitted dates yields 1 cup of date paste. How much water you add and how thoroughly you process the dates could impact this amount.
• Start with pitted dates before soaking or blending. Cut the date lengthwise, then use your knife or fingers to remove the pit.
• Soft dates are the easiest to blend and yield the smoothest result, which is why we recommend soaking them first. You can skip this step if you have fresh dates and a high-speed blender.
• To soak, place dates in a bowl and cover them with boiling or hot water. You need about an hour to fully rehydrate them. Ultimately, the amount of time you need depends on the age of the dates and your blending device's power. Place them in the refrigerator if you soak them overnight.
• Drain the soaking water before you process the dates. Reserve a cup of the water to add as needed for processing.
• Use a high-speed blender, food processor, or spice grinder to blend the dates. Start at a slow speed and gradually increase as the dates break down. Add a little water (about a tablespoon), blend, and repeat until you have a smooth paste with a consistency you like.

Can you make date paste without a food processor?

You don't have to miss out on the caramel-sweet flavor of date paste, even if you don't have a food processor or blender. The key is ensuring that the dates are very soft and warm so they are easier to mash. It's easiest to place the dates in a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the dates and water to simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add more water if you need to. Then, transfer the dates to a bowl and mash them with a fork or use a pestle and mortar.

💭 Common Questions

🍽 Serving & storage

Use date paste to sweeten up your favorite recipes, or enjoy the natural sweetness of dates on toasted slices of bread. Depending on which dates you use or how thick you date paste, you may need to adjust the amount you use in dishes like chili or hoisin sauce.

Date paste is a favorite way to sweeten salad dressings because it also helps to thicken them. This is particularly helpful if you like salad dressings with no added oil.

Add other flavors

When making date paste, consider what you might want to use it for. You can add a little coconut or vanilla extract for baking or even spreading. Add a little lemon juice, orange juice, or a pinch of cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg, and you've got a yummy dip for fresh fruit.

The instructions for making date paste can be applied to other fruit pastes. Consider using dried mangos, apricots, or figs. Have a fruit paste party, make several and freeze them for adding distinctive flavors to your favorite recipes.

📖 Related recipes

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