I’ve been enjoying Medjool dates for years; plain, stuffed with peanut butter, cooked into oatmeal, baked into granola bars, stirred into yogurt… you name it. One application I just discovered is pureeing them with water into a syrup as a healthier alternative to liquid sweeteners.
Dates boast a whole slew of vitamins and minerals, as well as dietary fiber. They are also very sweet, rendering them perfect for naturally sweetening baked goods and other desserts.
When pureed with water, they form a thick syrup that can be substituted 1:1 for maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, and other liquid sweeteners.
If stored in an airtight container in the fridge, date syrup will keep for a few weeks. Use it to naturally sweeten plain yogurt, oatmeal, cookies, and most other sweets. This version is uncooked, so it can also be used in raw desserts.
I have already used some of this date syrup in the topping for a strawberry crumble – the recipe for which I will share soon – and the results were even better than I expected!
Have you used date syrup before? If so, how did you use it?
Date Syrup
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Date Syrup |
| Cuisine | Various |
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 20 minutes (if cooking) |
| Total Time | 30 minutes (including soak) |
| Servings | Approximately 2 cups |
| Yield | About 24 servings (1 tbsp per serving) |
Ingredients (1 jar)
- 10 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 1/2 cups hot (not boiling) water
Instructions
Combine pitted dates and water in a food processor. I used the container that came with my immersion blender. Blend until very smooth.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Use a 1:1 ratio when subbing date syrup in for maple syrup, honey, and other liquid sweeteners.
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
- Calories: 25 kcal
- Total Carbohydrates: 6.5 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
- Sugars: 6 g
- Potassium: 66 mg
- Calcium: 6 mg
- Iron: 0.1 mg
Please note that these nutrition values are approximate and may vary based on the specific type and size of dates used and the thickness of the syrup obtained during the cooking process.
