Date Paste is a natural, fruit based sweetener made from dates and water. It’s easy to make and is incredibly nutritious!
Date paste (also known as date honey) is a natural fruit sweetener that you can use in place of honey or maple syrup in recipes. I use date paste to make coconut milk kefir and for treats like these coconut cookie dough bites! Dates are extremely nutritious and make for a healthy alternative to sugar. Dates are also “legal” on the GAPSâ„¢ diet, Whole 30, and other healing diets many of my readers follow.
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How To Make Date Paste
Before you get started you’ll need dates (I use this brand) and filtered water. I like to soak my dates in warm water for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before I make date paste. This allows the skin of the dates to soften and results in a smooth paste. You will also need a high power blender of food processor.
Soak 2 cups of dates in 1 1/2 cups of warm water for at least 30 minutes. Remove the dates from the water and set the water aside (don’t toss it!). Blend the dates on high speed in a blender or food processor. Add a few tablespoons of soaking water to the date puree and continue to blend until the date paste is smooth and creamy. Add more soaking water if needed. Store in air tight container.
This recipe will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer.
How To Use
You can replace honey, maple syrup with date paste in almost any recipe.
- 2 cups organic dates, pitted
- 1½ cups water
- Soak 2 cups of dates in 1½ cups of water for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Remove dates from water and set the water aside.
- Puree dates in food processor or blender.
- Add a few tablespoons of soaking water to the date puree and continue to blend. Blend until the date paste is creamy.
- Add more soaking water if needed. Store in air tight container.
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this sounds great and I can’t wait to use the paste, but how much paste to a cup of sugar please?
For the 8-hour/overnight soak, should they be in the refrigerator or is the counter fine? Our house is usually 77 degrees.
Still need help with the conversion, how much date paste to sub for sugar in my recipes and does it cause the liquid to be off?
I just made this date paste. What would you do with the liquid left over? I hate to throw it out since it has so much of the flavor and nutrients in it.
@Ellen I used the date paste for soaking chia seeds-it tastes delicious and sweet as they soak up all the flavor 🙂
Can this be used to bind ingredients ie whole nuts to make nut/fruit bars (similar to those we find in the “healthy” section of the shopping centres)?
so using my dried dates would be OK? should the soaking be longer?
Yes. That is what I used. 🙂
I bought some quite dry dates a while back, this would be the perfect way to use them.
This is awesome! I love date sugar but it’s too expensive. One question, could I substitute it straight across for sugar in baking? I know it would add moisture and I’d need to reduce that component but for sweetness, would it be similar? Thanks!
You can use it for baking. I’ve been using dates for my cookies for years. I also use Teff flour as I am gluten-free. Good luck!
Thank you so much! Missy B’s slowly transitioning off GAPS diet but still hasn’t added back in sugar so this is GREAT. Nice alternative to honey!
Yummy! Thanks!
what are some of the other healing diets followed you know of? I’ve heard of gaps.
I know of and follow the Paleo Diet myself which it’s main purpose is to avoid and reverse illness.
Depends what you are healing 🙂 I would go paleo/primal/perfect health diet (all very similar) minus the dairy for 2 months, trial dairy see if it effects you. If your issues don’t go away try gaps, gaps is very hard core and may be a bit much to start with, I know it scares me and I have been primal for over a year. But then if you are hard core do gaps first for a few months and add stuff back slowly and see how it effects you. It is all experimentation and seeing how your body reacts. Good luck.