Natural form

Whole dried dates showing their characteristic wrinkled, amber-brown skin and oval shape.

Shows readers the recognizable exterior appearance, color, and size of dates as purchased.

Produce

Date

Caramel-sweet dried fruit for snacking, baking, and stuffing

Lusciously caramel-sweet, dates snack out of hand, stuff with cheese or nuts, and blend into a natural sweetener for bakes and energy balls. Keep them at room temperature.

Dates are nature's caramel — the dried (or semi-dried) fruit of the date palm, with a deep toffee-like sweetness, chewy or melting flesh, and notes of honey, brown sugar, and dried fruit. They're a snack and an energy food, but in the kitchen they shine as a whole-food sweetener (blended into bakes, energy balls, and date paste), as a vehicle for savory contrast (stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon), and as the soul of sticky toffee pudding. Soft Medjool is the luxury; firmer Deglet Noor is the everyday workhorse.

Measured in: g
Storage: Room Temperature
Shelf life: 90 days

Find it in

ProduceSnacks

Types & varieties

Medjool

Large, soft, moist, richly caramel; the premium eating/stuffing date

Deglet Noor

Firmer, drier, semi-sweet; the everyday cooking and chopping date

Barhi

Soft, creamy, butterscotch-like; sometimes sold fresh and yellow

Date paste / syrup

Processed forms used as natural sweeteners

How to choose

Want dates that look plump and glossy with slightly wrinkled (not cracked-dry) skin and a soft, yielding feel. A light dusting of natural sugar crystals on the surface is fine and even desirable, but heavily crystallized, hard, or shrunken dates are old, and a sour or fermented smell means they've turned. Medjools should feel soft and moist; Deglet Noor are naturally firmer.

How to store

Dates keep remarkably well thanks to their low moisture and high sugar. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard for a few months, or in the fridge (or freezer) to extend that to a year or more, especially for soft Medjools. If they dry out, a brief soak in warm water plumps them back up.

Airtight in a cool cupboard for months
Fridge/freezer for long keeping
Soak dried-out dates to revive them

How to prep and use as a sweetener

Almost all dates have a hard pit — slit each one and remove it before eating or cooking (date varieties are sold both pitted and unpitted, so check). To make date paste (a whole-food sweetener for baking, smoothies, and energy balls), soak pitted dates in hot water until soft, then blend to a smooth caramel with a little of the soaking liquid. Chopped dates add chewy sweetness to tagines, granola, and salads.

Remove the pit before using
Soak and blend into date paste to sweeten
Chop into both sweet bakes and savory dishes

Common uses

Sticky toffee puddingEnergy balls and barsStuffed dates (with cheese/nuts)Bacon-wrapped dates (devils on horseback)Date paste as a sweetenerTagines and stewsSmoothiesGranola and salads

Tips & pitfalls

Always check for and remove the pit, even in 'pitted' packs
Blend soaked dates into a paste to sweeten bakes naturally
Stuff with cheese or nuts, or wrap in bacon, for a sweet-savory bite
Soak dried-out dates in warm water to plump them
A few chopped dates add caramel depth to tagines and grain salads

Nutrition

277kcal

Energy

1159 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 2%Carbs 97%Fat 0%

Protein

1.8g

4% DV

Carbs

75g

27% DV

Fat

0.2g

0% DV

Fiber

6.7g

24% DV

Sugars

66.5g

of which

Sodium

1mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin B615% DV

Potassium15% DV

Magnesium13% DV

Niacin (B3)10% DV

Riboflavin (B2)5% DV

Calcium5% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Dates, medjool

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In the shops

Matched grocery products

No matched grocery products for Date yet.

Good to know

Peak season: Fresh dates in fall; dried dates available year-round
Flavor: Intensely sweet, caramel/toffee, honeyed; chewy to melting
Origin: Middle East/North Africa; one of the oldest cultivated fruits
Nutrition: ~280 kcal/100g (dried); very high natural sugar, fiber, potassium
How to buy: Plump, glossy, slightly wrinkled, not crystallized-dry or fermented-smelling

Substitutes