Date sugar recipe – A one ingredient alternative sweetener that couldn’t be made any easier by using this step by step guide.
It’s been quite some time since I did a tutorial post. I don’t like to overwhelm my readers too much with “how to” posts so I often submit them periodically. Anyway, today I’m going to teach you how to make your own date sugar and I promise you will LOVE it.
If you haven’t noticed before I’m quite found of using dates in my recipes and I like to use them in various forms.
Sometimes I will use them in their entirety in a smoothie and other times I will whip up a batch of date paste and add it for sweetness to a recipe.
Nowadays more people shy away from processed white sugar and seek healthier ways to get their sweet fix. I’m a huge fan of the many diabetic, slow releasing sweeteners such as coconut palm sugar, agave nectar and maple syrup.
I’m quite partial to coconut sugar because it yields a lovely warm butterscotch flavour and really compliments so many recipes.
The sweetener that I would like to introduce you to is date sugar, yes you read correctly, DATE SUGAR…..now before you recoil in horror, there many health benefits in dates, so please bear with me.
As a society we quickly get so transfixed on the word sugar that we fail notice that some of these fruits actually contain other health properties that actually nourish the body.
The health benefits of date sugar
Dates are great for promoting bowel movement due to their incredibly high fiber content. If you’re afflicted with constipation I would highly suggest adding a teaspoon or two to your beverage.
We all know antioxidants contain cancer fighting agents, well dates are packed with them.
Also potassium which is a crucial mineral and eletrocyte that not only induces muscle contraction but also has the ability to reduce sodium levels and boost the body’s metabolism.
Another mineral to note is magnesium, great for keeping teeth and bones strong which lowers the risk of osteoporosis.
How to make date sugar in steps (with pictures)
This is how to date should look which is quite dark after roasting and will turn hard as the cool down.
Use a coffee/spice grinder to pulverise the dates into sugar date
What you will need to make date sugar:
- A baking tray
- A bag of fresh medjool dates
- Parchment paper
- Coffee grinder or food processor
How long should I roast the dates in the oven for?
Roasting the dates, it will take about 2hrs and 3o minutes. Please note the dates won’t be rock hard when they are taken out of the oven.
Allow them to cool completely and you will notice as picture, the dates have darken and harden the colder than become.
Grinding them in a coffee/spice grinder. I will go into much more detail further down, but you get the gist of what needs to be done.
How should I store the date sugar?
Once you have pulse the dates you can store the “sugar” in an air tight container for up to several months.
Suggestions for using date sugar
- Use as a sweetener
- Baked goods
- Porridge or puddings
How to make date sugar (paleo/gluten free)
How to make date sugar from scratch – Paleo, gluten free, vegan
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 2 mins
Ingredients
- 1 large baking tray
- A bag of fresh medjool dates (pitted)
- Parchment paper
- Coffee grinder or food processor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
- Spread the pitted medjool dates evenly on the entire baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking tray in the oven and allow the dates to roast in the oven until they are rock hard to not charr, so keep a watchful on them during the entire process.
- The dates should have reached the desired stage in approximately 2 to 3 hours..
- Once done remove from the oven, set aside and let the dates cool completely.
- Once cooled and hardened, pulse the dates in segments using either a food processor/coffee grinder into a powdery form. The sugar may lump after pulverising, don’t worry this is normal and still be used.
- Store in an airtight container (can last for several weeks)
Tina Dawson | Love is in my Tummy says
June 4, 2016 at 4:12 pmOMG this is so amazing! I never knew that dates could be used so! I’ve been trying to incorporate more dates into my diet. this is just perfect!!! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Charlene says
June 4, 2016 at 4:17 pmWe learn something new everyday and you are most welcome Tina 😉
Jill says
June 4, 2016 at 5:10 pmI didn’t know you could make date sugar. Will have to try this!
★★★★★
Charlene says
June 4, 2016 at 5:41 pmDefinitely! I hope you like it.
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
June 4, 2016 at 8:36 pmSweetening with dates seems to be very in right now! I do love coconut sugar, and of course maple syrup and honey, so I’m going to have to try this date sugar. Thanks for the great, easy recipe.
★★★★★
Charlene says
June 4, 2016 at 9:18 pmYes, another contemporary sweetener to add to the never ending list.
Tara says
June 4, 2016 at 8:58 pmI’ve never had date sugar before. Looks perfect! Such a great alternative sweetener.
Charlene says
June 4, 2016 at 9:17 pmYes it is, thank you!
Fareeha says
June 5, 2016 at 7:04 amWow, I would never have guessed it is so easy to make the date sugar. Love this
Charlene says
June 5, 2016 at 8:12 amThank you!!
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
June 5, 2016 at 12:14 pmI’ve used blended dates in recipes before instead of refined white sugar but never come across date sugar before. Great idea! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Charlene says
June 7, 2016 at 4:02 pmYou are so welcome Emma, happy to have helped.
Dunori says
June 21, 2016 at 11:17 pmHave seen it in the store before but never realized it was so easy to make. Thank you! I may try it with deglets instead of medjool just because they are cheaper.
★★★★
Charlene says
June 22, 2016 at 6:41 amAwesome, yes any dates will do the trick 😉
Monique says
January 13, 2017 at 2:36 amThank you! Do you grind the pits as well?
Charlene says
January 13, 2017 at 12:05 pmHi Monique. No I used I removed the pits. If you have a high speed blender like a vitamix or blend-tech then leaving them in would be fine. However, to be on the safe side I would suggest removing them first.
Zoe Tassava says
March 9, 2017 at 2:49 pmDo you use less or more date sugar in things compared to white sugar? If so, what’s the ratio? Do you use date sugar at all in baking?
Charlene says
March 11, 2017 at 9:24 pmI only use date sugar in some recipes as the taste is like caramel incomparison to white sugar. If using it in baking of would use 1/4 cup more as the sweetness is subtle compared to other sugar.
Mariam says
September 28, 2017 at 4:36 pmThis is brilliant!
How many grams of dates did you use for this recipe?
★★★★★
Charla says
September 29, 2017 at 11:00 pmHi Mariam, about 300grams at a guess
Ivory says
October 28, 2017 at 9:38 pmI placed the Medjool dates in the oven at 170°, and, after one hour they were moist. After two 1/2 hours, they were still moist.
Charla says
October 28, 2017 at 9:46 pmSorry to hear that. Try increasing the temperature a bit more? Has some of the moisture been removed? It doesn’t need to be super hard to achieve the date sugar just as long as most of the moisture is removed to make the sugar.
maryam says
December 30, 2017 at 8:11 amDoes baking for so long remove the nutrients in the dates?
Charla says
December 30, 2017 at 12:18 pmWhile any form of cooking will always remove some of the nutrients, because the dates are baked on such low heat, most of the nutrition can be retained.
nagmeddin says
February 16, 2018 at 5:12 amwhat is Parchment paper
and why you put it with the dates
nagmeddin says
February 16, 2018 at 5:16 amthank you i got it so it will not got sticky
Charla says
February 17, 2018 at 9:09 pmYes, that’s right!
Charla says
February 17, 2018 at 9:09 pmIt’s non stick paper that stops the dates from sticking to the tray. It acts as a layer.
Sylvie says
March 17, 2018 at 12:14 amHave you tried it with raisins? Do you think it could work? Thanks.
Charla says
March 17, 2018 at 10:03 amHi Sylvie. No I haven’t tried it with raisins. I think given how small raisins are you would need a VERY large quantity in order to successfully mill them into sugar. I’m not sure if you could successfully get them to become rock hard during roasting. I think a good alternative to dates would be prunes.
Sha says
November 15, 2018 at 3:48 amTried the recipe delicious ! I enjoy all your recipe keep sharing please 🤩 date sugar is amazing
Charla says
November 15, 2018 at 6:37 pmHi Sha. So glad to have another fan on board with date sugar.
Pelumi says
November 28, 2018 at 3:13 pmJust finished roasting them in the oven, it looks great. Cooling them now. Are they supposed to taste bitter after roasting?
Charla says
November 28, 2018 at 7:38 pmHi Pelumi. Are you referring to the dates once have finished roasting? If so, not it shouldn’t have a bitter taste. They might be a very subtle burnt taste due to the length of time it takes to roast but definitely not bitter.