Date paste is a fantastic substitute for sugar, it’s delicious as a sandwich spread, it makes a great dessert filling, and you can use it as a binder for protein balls, just to name a few great uses!
You don’t need to buy it pre-made — it’s super easy to make and only takes a few minutes, especially if your dates are still soft and haven’t dried out.
Admittedly, I have a habit of buying too many medjool dates and not finishing them before they dry out into jaw-breakers. Instead of throwing them out, I make paste with them. If you’re using fresher dates, I have included instructions for those too!
This recipe yields approximately 2 cups.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups whole dates
4 cups water
INSTRUCTIONS — Hard, dried-up dates
- Heat up water until steaming, but not boiling or simmering (you don’t want to cook the dates, only soften them).
- Put dates into a bowl or container. Pour hot water over them until covered. Let sit for at least half an hour, until water and dates have cooled and dates have softened.
- Remove dates from water. Set water aside (it is full of nutrients from the dates and will be used in the next step).
- Pit dates and put fruit into food processor. Add 1/2 cup of date water to dates. Process on high speed for about 5-10 minutes (the longer you process, the smoother it will be). If paste is too thick, or the blades don’t seem to be working, keep adding water, a couple tbsp at a time, but don’t exceed 1 1/2 cups of water total. It should be thick like toothpaste.
- Once completely smooth, transfer to a glass jar/container and put in the fridge, where it can keep up to three months.
INSTRUCTIONS — Fresh, squishy dates
- If your dates are fresh, you can skip keeping them in hot water. Simply put 3 cups of pitted dates into a food processor with 1/2 cup of water and blend for about 5-10 minutes, until toothpaste-like consistency. If it seems too thick, you can add more water, tbsp by tbsp like above.
- Once completely smooth, transfer to a glass jar/container and put in the fridge, where it can keep up to three months.
TIPS
You can drink the rest of the date water plain, or add it as sweetener to your favourite drinks/cocktails.
I prefer to make plain paste and only add flavouring when I’m making a recipe.
For flavoured paste, I highly recommend the following:
1. Processing dates with 1/2 cup orange blossom water or rose water instead of date water or regular water
2. Adding 4 cardamom pods, crushed
3. 1 tsp nutmeg
4. 1 tsp cinnamon
5. 1/4 tsp salt
OR
1. 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2. 2-3 tsp vanilla extract
3. 1/4 tsp salt