DATE SYRUP AND DATE PASTE
If you’re looking for a healthy and whole foods alternative to sugar, make your own Date Syrup and Date Paste! Refined sugar-free and made from a single healthy ingredient: Dates!
Jump to Recipe ⬇️In this blog post you’ll learn how to make Date Paste and Date Syrup, a couple of great natural sweeteners if you’re wanting to reduce your intake of added processed sugars. Date Paste is great to use in many kinds of baked goods as its super sweet and slightly caramel-like in flavour, plus it’s quite sticky which makes it a good binder. Date Syrup on the other hand is great as a liquid sweetener for your morning coffee or tea, and to add to sauces.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF DATES
There are so many reason why I love dates: They’re a delicious, sweet and sticky snack that satisfies a sweet tooth in a pinch with ZERO guilt, and they’re loaded with nutrition!
- Good for heart health as it may help regulate blood pressure
- Good for your eyes — high in Vitamin A (beta carotene) which is essential for overall eye health
- High in fibre which can help decrease cholesterol and high blood pressure, as well as blood sugar control. Have a low glycemic index.
- Great source of natural sugar, makes for great healthy energy boosting snacking. A much better option than reaching for candy when you want something sweet as the fibre in them will keep you fuller for longer
- Packed full of vitamins and minerals — potassium, manganese, copper, iron, vitamin B6
INGREDIENTS FOR DATE SYRUP & DATE PASTE
The BEST part of these recipes is that you only need to purchase a single ingredient to make them… Dates! Now that’s why I call the epitome of a whole food recipe! I also love that you can choose to add flavourings and spices to these recipes if you want, like cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt or vanilla for extra warmth, flavour and deliciousness.
ONE PROCESS, TWO RECIPES
There are many recipes on the internet that show you how to make either date syrup or date paste, but I rarely have found one that shows you how to make both of them at once. That’s where I come in! By using the ‘byproduct’ from making our date syrup, the date pulp, we not only eliminate waste, but easily streamline the whole process of making both recipes at basically the same time.
HOW TO MAKE DATE SYRUP
Making Date Syrup is as easy boil, strain, and reduce… literally! Here’s the breakdown:
- Bring the pitted dates in water to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Halfway through cooking time, break up the dates further with a spatula or potato masher to help extract more of the date sugar into the water.
- Strain the liquid into a heat safe bowl, pressing out remaining liquid from the dates through a fine sieve. Once cool enough to handle, transfer the date pulp to a nut milk bag and squeeze remaining liquid out by hand. Reserve dry date pulp for making date paste.
- Pour the liquid back into the saucepan, bring to a boil (uncovered) and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes until the syrup has reduced by half.
- Pour into a jar, let cool completely and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
HOW TO MAKE DATE PASTE
By using the remaining date pulp leftover from the syrup, whipping up the date paste takes very little time.
- Add remaining date pulp to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Seal the lid, and process until smooth, adding a few splashes of hot water until desired paste consistency is reached. A pinch of salt is recommended too, as it will bring out the nice sweet flavour!
- Transfer to a jar, let cool and seal with a lid. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
HOW TO USE DATE SYRUP: use as a liquid sweetener for coffee, tea, smoothies and cooking sauces. Great in baking, too!
HOW TO USE DATE PASTE: add to oatmeals, smoothies, baked goods (dough, batters) or simply use as a delicious sweet spread!
SATISFY YOUR SWEET TOOTH
Whether you’re trying to adopt a more whole foods diet, reduce your intake of refined sugars, or just want a fun and healthy way to incorporate dates into your cooking, making your own Date Syrup and Date Paste is the easiest, most delicious way to do that.
If you’ve made it this far into the blog post, you really are an exceptional human! Tried and loved this recipe? I’d be eternally grateful if you left a star-rating and review below! Looking for more sweet recipes to try out your date syrup or paste? You might want to check out my Sweet Potato Brownies, Chocolate Avocado Cream Pie, or Turmeric Ginger Banana Muffins!
Lastly, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget tag me @SteamyVeganKitchen + use #SteamyVeganKitchen! I always love seeing your yummy recreations!
Date Syrup and Date Paste
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 food processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound dates, pitted (I use medjool)
- 5 cups filtered water
Instructions
How to Make Date Syrup
- Bring the pitted dates in water to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Halfway through cooking time, break up the dates further with a spatula or potato masher to help extract more of the date sugar into the water.
- Strain the liquid into a heat safe bowl, pressing out remaining liquid from the dates through a fine sieve. Once cool enough to handle, transfer the date pulp to a nut milk bag and squeeze remaining liquid out by hand. Reserve dry date pulp for making date paste.
- Pour the liquid back into the saucepan, bring to a boil (uncovered) and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes until the syrup has reduced by half.
- Pour into a jar, let cool completely and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
How To Make Date Paste
- Add remaining date pulp to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Seal the lid, and process until smooth, adding a few splashes of hot water until desired paste consistency is reached. A pinch of salt is recommended too, as it will bring out the nice sweet flavour!
- Transfer to a jar, let cool and seal with a lid. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
