This date sugar recipe is the perfect one ingredient alternative sweetener that couldn't be made any easier with the use of your oven and by following this step by step guide.
**UPDATED PLEASE READ THE RECIPE CARD/NOTES
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 dates should look which is quite dark in colour and slightly hard after roasting and will become hard as they cool down.
Use a coffee/spice grinder to pulverise the dates into sugar date
Ingredients you will need
- A baking tray
- A bag of fresh medjool dates (the dates should be pitted (without stones)
- Parchment paper
- Coffee grinder or food processor
How long should I roast the dates in the oven for?
This going to differ for each person, it may take a few hours. You are aiming for the dates to darken and become more solid. They shouldn't be mushy to the touch but not rock hard, somewhere in the middle.
Allow them to cool completely and you will notice as pictured
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.
Serving suggestions
- Use as a sweetener
- Baked goods
- Porridge or puddings
Troubleshooting *POST UPDATE*
** LET'S TALK**
A few people are running into problems with this recipe so I want to update the post to ensure that everyone gets this right the first time. I don't want to see anyone waste their time and most importantly money.
I take pride my posting the BEST recipes and do my up most to post step by step pictures to assist you all
Oven temperature differs - PLEASE note that oven temperatures differ, my oven runs very cool at 300F the temperature which I initially recommended. Depending on where you live and the altitude levels is will impact you temperature/roasting time
Moving forward now I'm going to recommend that you all set your oven temperature to 200F/100c. Use this as your starting temperature and roast the dates until they darken.
Pitted - Some people aren't ware of that pitted means, dates that don't have the stone. You want dates that are labelled pitted
Chop the dates in half - This something I am now recommending, chop all your dates before placing them on parchment paper (the step by step picture doesn't reflect this so I am stating it here)
Roasting time - This is going to differ, roast the dates until they are SEMI HARD, NOT BURNT! This will vary a few hours
Please keep an eye one your date while they roast, as soon as they begin to hard, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down.
DON'T NOT LET THEM BURN I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS!!
Other DIY Recipes to try
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How to make date sugar (paleo/gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1 large baking tray
- A bag of fresh dates pitted ,
- Parchment paper
- Coffee grinder or food processor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200f/100c
- Chop the dates in half and place the 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 SEMI HARD (not mushy) so keep a watchful on them during the entire process. How long the dates take to roast will be a few hours
- Keep a watchful eye on your dates as they SHOULD NOT burn, decrease the oven temperature if you need to, if they burn the recipe is ruined.
- Once done remove from the oven, set aside and let the dates cool completely they will harden as they cool down.
- 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)
Notes
Troubleshooting *POST UPDATE*
** LET'S TALK** A few people are running into problems with this recipe so I want to update the post to ensure that everyone gets this right the first time. I don't want to see anyone waste their time and most importantly money. I take pride my posting the BEST recipes and do my up most to post step by step pictures to assist you all Oven temperature differs - PLEASE note that oven temperatures differ, my oven runs very cool at 300F the temperature which I initially recommended. Depending on where you live and the altitude levels is will impact you temperature/roasting time Moving forward now I'm going to recommend that you all set your oven temperature to 200F/100c. Use this as your starting temperature and roast the dates until they darken. Pitted - Some people aren't ware of that pitted means, dates that don't have the stone. You want dates that are labelled pitted Chop the dates in half - This something I am now recommending, chop all your dates before placing them on parchment paper (the step by step picture doesn't reflect this so I am stating it here) Roasting time - This is going to differ, roast the dates until they are SEMI HARD, NOT BURNT! This will vary a few hours Please keep an eye one your date while they roast, as soon as they begin to hard, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down. DON'T NOT LET THEM BURN I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS!!Nutrition
Nope!! Not it. I’m sorry but after an hour my dates were burned and charred. When they cooled off they were so rock hard I couldn’t get the pit out. Heck I couldn’t even crack them open. Money wasted! 300F was way too high of a temperature to dry these out. I should’ve followed my gut and put the oven on 200F on the TOP rack for a few hours. I’m upset. Those dates cost so much money! But I thought I could trust this recipe to guide me since the sugar in the picture looks so good.
Hi Jasmine. I'm so sorry this recipe didn't work out for you. I have made this recipe many times at 300F with no problems but I am going to revise the recipe to advise users to set their oven to a lower temperature because this seems to be a core issue for so many people
No oven is build the same so while my oven doesn't run hot at 300F this may differ with others, will definitely note that as I certainly don't want my readers to waste their time and money.
Also, pitted dates are dates without the stone which is listed in the recipe card. The recipe card and post has now been updated so everyone gets it right the first time.
Hello Charla, I recently made jujube date sugar by drying them and grinding in my Ninja blender. Were lumpy at first so I let the material set in my cupboard for a few weeks and the chopped in the Ninja again. Turned out good when dry enough but when storing it gets a bit compacted again. Just need to break up again. So, my question is have you had experience with this date? It's called a Chinese date. (Jujube) I'm looking for how many carbs it has per tablespoon. Was trying to use your data as a close estimate but you do not give the quantity on your nutritional data. How many ounces or cups or grams?? We aquired property with these aready growing and I'm so excited I'm now able to make my own healthy sugar!
Hi Laura, I used 2lb (1kg) of dates for this recipe. My nutritional calculator doesn't calculate by the tablespoon but hopefully you can figure this out based on the amount I used. I hope that helps you somewhat.