Date paste is one of my favorite sweeteners to use at home. It’s cheap, easy to make and has the best nutritional profile out of the liquid sweeteners that you can find out there. They are a great source of energy and fiber and contain essential minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. They also contain vitamin A, and vitamin K among others.
This is my super simple recipe for making date paste. I like making it thick because it lasts a bit longer in my fridge and because sometimes I simply spoon it on my toast 😉 but if you rather have a more runny paste, feel free to increase the amount of water.
Also, if you do not have a super powered blender such a Vitamix or Blendtec, I would also recommend adding a bit more water. A food processor, even a cheap one, will be able to make the recipe as it is here, but the result will be less smooth.
2 cups dates, pitted and rinsed
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
Simply put everything into the blender and operate until smooth. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. If you are using hard dates (meaning the non medjool varieties mostly) it’s best to soak them in warm water for a little bit before blending. It will make the job easier for your blender so no harm done for doing it even if your dates are quite soft. Juts bear in mind that the result might be thinner as the amount of liquid will be increased. You can, of course, reduce the water you add by a bit to counteract the effects of the soaking.
I also use this date paste as the base for my super famous caramel recipe by adding some lucuma powder and coconut oil. Give it a go this way with some apples- it’s amazing but also works a treat when making millionare shortbreads. Shall I post this recipe next?
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