Date Paste and Date Syrup at Home

Dates make an excellent natural sweetener. With nothing but dates and water you can make a smooth date paste for baking, or a pourable date syrup for porridge, pancakes and drinks. Soft Medjool work beautifully.

Date paste

• Pit about 200 g of soft dates.
• Soak in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Blend with a few spoonfuls of the soaking water until smooth, adding more water for a softer paste.
• Store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Date syrup

• Simmer pitted dates in plenty of water for about 30 minutes.
• Blend, then strain through a fine sieve or cloth.
• Return the liquid to the pan and reduce gently until it thickens to a syrup.

How to use it

Swap it in for sugar or honey in many recipes, stir it into a smoothie or breakfast bowl, or use it in energy balls. Keep both in the fridge, see how to store dates.