Date Caramel

A creamy and rich Date Caramel with so many uses! No added sugar, just dates, water, salt and a food processor. Done in 5 minutes. And so much better for you than refined sugar caramel due its nutrients.

Use it as snack, to dip apples into it, on Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie or in Protein Banoffee Pie Yoghurt. And once you’ve tried it, I’m sure you’ll think of a million more ways to enjoy it. Of course you could simply eat it straight from the jar by the spoonful. I sure have!

 

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• Why You Will Love This
• The Ingredients
• How to Make This
• Meal Prep

Why You Will Love This 

TL;DR

• 4 Ingredients, 5 Minutes, No Cooking – Just dates, water, salt, food processor. That’s it. Zero stress, max reward.
• Way Better Than Sugar Caramel – No refined sugar, just nature’s candy. Lower glycemic index, packed with fibre, antioxidants & minerals.
• Use It On Everything – Apple dip? Excellent!
  Banoffee Pie? Yup
  Off a spoon straight from the jar like a gremlin? Always! (No judgment. I do it too.)
• Meal-Prep Friendly – Lasts over a week in the fridge. If you don’t eat it all before then.
• Bonus – Makes more than you need for the pie so your food processor can catch it. Lucky you.

Naturally sweet, ridiculously creamy, and actually good for you. What’s not to love?

Versatile

You can use it on my Banoffee Protein Mousse Pie or the Banoffee Protein Yoghurt, dip fruits into it or just spoon it right out of the jar. It keeps for more than a week in the fridge (I honestly don’t know how long, as it’s usually gone long before), so if you want to make said pie, you can prepare it ahead of time. EasyMaking this Date Caramel does not require any cooking, handling molten sugar, judging the colour of caramel or similar, which all can be a little daunting when doing it for the first time. All you need is a food processor and 3 minutes to puree your dates with some water and salt. It tastes amazing too!

This Date Caramel recipes makes more than you need for the pie, as otherwise the food processor has a hard time pureeing the dates. But then, I’m sure it won’t go to waste.

Better For You Than Refined Sugar Caramel

Due to dates having a lower glycemic index than sugar, they raise the blood sugar slower than refined (or cane) sugar and can help with controlling blood sugar levels.
They also come with a great amount of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, making them a fabulous choice not just for weight loss, but generally for adding to your intake of plants.
And as if that isn’t enough they taste plain addictive! 

Equipment Used

food processor

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Kilner jars

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Ingredient Notes

• Dates – I’m using Medjool dates most of the time, but any date will do. If using Medjool dates, you’ll need about 10 that you remove the stone from. Simply break them open lengthwise and pick it out. If using other types of dates, weigh about 160g/ 5.6oz after removing the stones, which gives you the same amount.
• Salt – I’m using Malton salt for this recipe instead of my usual kosher salt, as I love the flavour it gives. And you can sprinkle the pretty little crystals on top later, if you like. You can use any salt here. Just adjust the taste to your liking.
• Water – You’ll need about 1/4 cup of drinking water to add to the food processor* when processing the dates. If you want a creamier, milder caramel, you could also use plant milk or regular milk. Just be aware that regular milk will spoil faster, as it’s not cooked for this recipe.
• Optional – I haven’t used any flavour additions for this, since I feel it tastes just perfect as it is. But if you like, you could add a few drops of vanilla essence or even almond or cinnamon, to vary the flavour.

How to Make this

• Soak Dates – To soften them, soak your dates for 10 minutes by covering them with hot water. If you have very fresh Medjool dates, you can skip this step. But for any other type or slightly older dates, I would pre-soak to make them easier to process.
• Process – Add the dates, water and a pinch of salt to your food processor or high speed blender. Blend until you have a really creamy caramel like mass. Taste, add water or salt, depending on your taste and how soft you want this to be.
• Transfer to a lidded jar for storing

And you are done.

Meal Prep

Date Caramel will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Probably longer, but it’s always gone long before that in my house, as it’s just so snackable!

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

And if you enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating, sharing, or leaving a comment – your feedback truly helps my blog grow!

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