Date paste is a natural sweetener with fibre and essential minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Plus, it tastes like caramel!
Date paste is like nature’s caramel. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and pretty much allergen free. Unless someone has a date intolerance? But that would be super rare. I definitely have never heard of a date intolerance! Oh and date paste is certainly MUCH healthier than cream and sugar-based caramel! Not only that, it’s super easy to make! And it’s so lovely to bake with because it adds moisture.
Am I gushing too much about date paste?
what to make with date paste
Now that I’ve convinced you that date paste is the way to go, what do you do with it? If you’re like most people your experience with dates is limited to date squares. Which, by the way, are DELICIOUS. Date squares hold a special place in my heart. But we can do so much more with dates people, so much more.
- I would recommend starting off with some energy balls. With this recipe you can mix and match flavours but I’ve got 15 different concoctions ready to go if you’re more of the “follow a recipe to a T” type of person.
- Then, warm yourself up with some healthier hot chocolate. It’s thick,creamy, and rich without actually being full of cream and sugar!
- Then tomorrow a breakfast, substitute jam on your toast with a little date paste instead!
1) All you need to make this date paste are dates, water, and a fork! 
2) Pour the water over the dates and microwave on high for 1 minute.
3) Remove and mash with a fork. Repeat step 2 until you get a caramel-like ooey, gooey, yummy paste! 
4) Of course, using a food processor to smooth it out even more is a bonus… but not absolutely necessary! There’s no reason someone without a food processor can’t enjoy the goodness of date paste!
why this date paste is a smart choice
When you substitute dates for table sugar, you get a bunch of other nutrients along with your sugar! Sugar is just food that’s been stripped of all fibre, vitamins, and minerals, so why not make your treats sweet with something that actually provides all of those?
| 100g Dates (about 12) | 100 g Table Sugar (about ½ cup) | |
| Fibre | 8 g | 0 g |
| Iron | 1.02 mg | 0.05 mg |
| Calcium | 39 mg | 1 mg |
| Magnesium | 43 mg | 0 mg |
| Potassium | 656 mg | 2 mg |
| Sugar | 63 g | 99.8 g |
Nutrition Info retrieved from the Canadian Nutrient File database
p.s. For any expecting mamas, there’s also some research that eating about 6-8 dates daily from 36 weeks can increase your odds of going into labour spontaneously (vs being induced), shorten labour, and dilate your cervix!!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations!
date paste recipe (no food processor required)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dates pitted
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Microwave at 1 minute intervals.
- Mash with a fork in between.
- Once the dates are soft and it’s starting to look like caramel, mash, mash, mash!
- The goal is to end up with a thick paste (see photos). If your paste seems too watery, microwave longer to allow some water to evaporate.
- Alternatively, for an even smoother paste, blend in high speed blender or food processor. It's not absolutely necessary but it does make for a smoother paste!
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Is it possible to not have water when mashing? Does the addition of water make the dates less sweet?
I’ve never tried it without the water but I think it’s integral to soften them!
I’m wondering if using a hand immersion blender would work in creating a smoother paste.
Yes, it would! But I wanted to highlight with this technique that you can still make date paste even if you don’t have any electronic equipment 😉
Just tried this recipe out for a midnight snack and it’s out of this world delicious! Especially warm out the microwave. I cheated and used my Vitamix but it’s still so good. Thank you!!!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Can you use date paste in baking as a white sugar substitute??
I’ve been using this as the base for energy bars…I just throw in whatever sweet and salty things I have on hand in, along with some oats to give it some texture. Roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dessicated coconut, diced up dried mango and strawberries, dark chocolate chips…I could go on and on! And on a completely different tack..it makes a tasty and surprising substitute for honey in a Hot Toddy
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Making date paste in my food processor makes a lot of mess and waste – scraping and digging it out of the container is a chore but this method is terrific, I appreciate your help. 😉
I’m so thrilled this helped you! Thanks for your comment!
Was trying to make the “glue” for some nut bars. Tried my sad little food processor and ended up with a big, sticky blob…not to mention the mess. This post came to my rescue! I used a bit less water and my grandma’s old potato masher. I got the perfect consistency – so much easier and way less mess! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Yay! I’m so glad this recipe could help you out!
Lovely! I added 1 tbsp of cocoa powder, and they were extremely tasty…
Wonderful! Thank you for the adaptation idea!
Thank you so much!!!!
Hi would deglet noor dates work like this also or are they too hard?
For sure! Those are usually the ones I use.
Does date paste have less sugar content? Will it help me lose weight?
Less sugar content as compared to what? In terms of weight, there are a lot of factors that go into what a person weighs!
Made the paste, have kept some for a preserve on toast ..instead of jam ..the rest I have mixed with Dijon mustard and added water and will use it in my stir fry tonight ..will let you know how it turns out ..but it tastes delicious
Yes, it’s a great jam replacement!
I don’t have a microwave. How can I soften the dates?
That step could also be done in a pot on the stove!
I do not have a microwave so is there another way of making the date paste please
Yes, this step can be done in a pot on the stove!
How shoutthe date paste be stored and how long is its shelf life?
Good question! It should be stored in the fridge. It will last several weeks.
I have a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup of honey – can I substitute the date paste for the honey and would I use a 1:1 ratio?
Thanks 🙂
It really depends on the recipe!
It is for a sweet potato casserole, it calls for 1/3 cup of honey. Last time I made it I used maple syrup. I was looking for something that was a bit healthier. When I searched for alternatives, it suggested date paste – which led me to your blog.. 🙂
Is there a rule of thumb to follow when substituting?
Yes, I think the date paste would make a great substitution! If the recipe was for baking or a salad dressing, it probably wouldn’t work.
Omg this is the best recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jessica
I have a recipe that calls for 8 whole dates. How much date paste should I use in place of the whole dates?
Hi Carol! It really depends on what type of dates? Does the recipe call for medjool or deglet noor? They’re quite different in size.