Homemade Date Paste Recipe {Caramel + Chocolate Sauce} (2024)
By Amanda Le
Fall is here which means the holidays are right around the corner. Most of us probably hate to admit it but this also means consuming more sinful foods than we normally would, quite possibly in larger volumes as well. I know I’m guilty of this. Many of our favorite classic holiday dishes contain large amounts sugar that are dangerous to our health.
Desserts are not the only foods that contain high amounts of sugar either. There are plenty of savory dishes that call for sugar, but we need to be especially wary of the sugar in sauces. This is where people may not realize the presence of sugar.
It’s important to understand that not all sugar is the same. Refined sugar is stripped of all it’s nutrients during the refining process, leaving us with a byproduct that studies have shown is more addictive than heroin or cocaine. I was blown away when I first heard about this. We’re now at a point in our society where we are comparing sugar and drugs. Thinking about it makes me worry about the direction our country is heading in, if only I could spam everyone with my this recipe….
Refined sugar is everywhere these days, disguised with so many new names that it has become impossible to keep up with. Just because a label reads “no high fructose corn syrup” doesn’t mean it hasn’t been replaced with another harmful sweetener. Even more alarming, if foods do contain high fructose corn syrup they can still be labeled “100% natural” or “made with all natural ingredients” since there is absolutely no regulation over the term “NATURAL.”
The food industry has found every possible way around the rise in concerns regarding refined sugar, marketing their products with misleading and deceptive labels. That’s why sticking with ingredients you are 100% certain of is the only way to avoid the sugar trap.
When we know exactly what is in the foods we eat there’s no worrying about artificial flavoring or sneaky processed ingredients that are designed to trick us into thinking we are eating something that we are not. When we trick our minds into thinking we are having real food, we are only harming ourselves by depriving our body of the proper nutrients it needs.
All you really need for this recipe are dates and water if you want to simplify things, but I think adding vanilla gives the paste an even more enjoyable flavor. You can easily add powders like cacao and cinnamon if you really want to get fancy! I recommend buying dates in bulk since I use them in so many recipes, it’s my go to sweetener for pretty much everything. Plus they make for a great snack!
This date paste recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for three weeks. I personally can’t imagine it lasting any longer than 3 days in mine though. Use date paste in recipes to replace liquid sweeteners, drizzle over desserts or swirl into a smoothie. One of my new favorite things to do with date paste is spread it on apple slices and add crunchy toppings like nuts, cacao nibs and coconut.
If this is your first time making date paste, you are going to realize how amazing it is and you’ll wish you had known about it sooner but no worries, you know about it now! Let me know if you try out this recipe and what you do with your date paste in the comments below!
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until you get a creamy, uniform consistency.
Add in cacao powder for chocolate sauce.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Use date paste to replace liquid sweeteners in your other recipes. If you are not using fresh soft dates, soak them in warm water for at least an hour before blending. If using smaller dates, add more until you get a desired consistency.
Date syrup is nectar extracted from dates. Its syrup like consistency is great for topping pancakes, used as a glaze in cooking, to sweeten baked goods and much more! Date paste is pitted and puréed dates best used for raw treats, smoothies and as a binder & sweetener in baked goods.
When substituting granulated sugar for Date Paste use a 1:1 ratio where for every 1 cup of sugar use 1 cup of Date Paste instead. If you are using it as a substitute for maple syrup use a 2:1 ratio where you double the amount of Date Paste per required amount of maple syrup.
While dates are a concentrated source of sugar, they're considered lower glycemic than other refined sugars. The fiber in dates helps balance out the sugar preventing such a drastic blood sugar spike. This along with the additional nutrients make dates a great sugar replacement!
Date paste will last safely up to 3 months in the refrigerator, however after 1 month it may start to dry out. Keep the paste sealed in an airtight container in the fridge to use as needed. You can also freeze date paste for up to 1 year! Simply put it in a freezer-safe airtight container or bag.
A tablespoon of date syrup contains more than twice the potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels of maple syrup or honey, with up to 10 times the antioxidants. Refined sugar has none of that.
A 'normal' date (a pitted date in the baking aisle) is often half the size of a Medjool date and less chewy, use 2-3 to replace a medjool date. If you are using a pitted dry date in replacement of a Medjool date soak them in hot water for 5 minutes before using.
For drinks: you typically need to add more date paste as it isn't as sweet as sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar etc. Try substituting 1.5 or even 2x the amount of date paste! For baked goods: You'll likely need to add 1.5 or 2x the ratio of date paste in place of sugar.
Dates are rich in fiber and can aid digestion. Also, the daily consumption of date paste can lead to normal bowel movements, prevent constipation, and improve the function of the digestive system.
Eat four and you have 268 calories and 64 grams of sugar. That's nothing to bat an eye at. To put that in perspective, 100 grams of 60 percent dark chocolate has less sugar, around 37 grams, than 100 grams of medjool dates (about four dates), which contains 67 grams of sugar. There's good news for date lovers, though.
How do you substitute date paste for sugar? Substituting the puree for sugar isn't an exact science. As a rule of thumb, I recommend using 1:1 ratio of date paste instead of refined sugars. i.e., one cup of date paste instead of one cup of sugar.
Similar to fruit jam, date syrup offers a unique-tasting maple syrup alternative. Most date syrups can be used as a 1:1 ratio alternative in recipes that call for maple syrup as a sweetener. Dates are powerful and healthy food, rich in fiber and antioxidants.
What's the difference between date paste and date syrup? Date syrup is thinner than date paste and is more concentrated in sugar. It does not contain the pulp of the dates.
Both dates and date syrup contain the minerals calcium, potassium, and magnesium, but only in small amounts so they aren't considered good sources. So, all things are about equal, except for that all-important fiber.
We consider dates to be one of the healthiest sweeteners on the market. Minerals: With potassium, magnesium, and calcium in abundance, date paste promotes heart health, muscle function, and more. Fiber: High in dietary fiber, date paste aids digestion.
Date syrup can also be used as a natural sweetener for smoothies, beverages, salad dressings, marinades, desserts and baked goods. Try swapping date syrup in place of maple syrup or honey and drizzle it over yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes or waffles.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
