Date caramel is rich and silky smooth caramel made with Medjool dates. This date caramel recipe is quick and easy to make using 4 simple ingredients. Use this date caramel sauce to top all your favorite sweet treats or as a healthier sweet dip.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely love dates. My Date Cake, Date Nut Bread, Date Cookies, Chocolate Covered Dates, Date Snickers and No Bake Brownies are a few date recipes I turn to when I want enjoy a healthier sweet treat. I am so excited to add this homemade date caramel recipe to the blog. I know you’ll love it just as much as I do because:
- It’s quick and easy to make. This date caramel sauce takes about 5 - 10 minutes to make after soaking the dates. Just add the ingredients to a blender or food processor, blend and enjoy.
- Easy to make vegan caramel. Dates have a naturally sweet and caramel adjacent flavor. Blending them with milk, vanilla and salt creates a vegan caramel that is absolutely delicious.
- The perfect sweet and salty dip or topping. Top anything from pancakes, muffins, french toast, waffles ice cream, cookies or cake. Or use this salty sweet date caramel sauce as a sweet and salty dip for apples.
Ingredients
This homemade caramel with dates is made from simple basic pantry ingredients. Here’s what you need.
Gather Medjool dates, milk, vanilla extract and salt.
Substitutions
If you need them, here are my recommended substitutions for this date caramel recipe.
- Dates: Feel free to use your preferred dates. I love using pitted Medjool dates from Trader Joes.
- Milk or Water: Feel free to use your preferred milk. To make this caramel sauce vegan, make sure to use a plant based milk. I prefer using a whole milk to create the creamiest and silkiest, more caramel like sauce.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Salt: This enhances the sweetness of the caramel sauce. Taste and adjust mid way through blending the dates. To make this caramel more like a salted caramel, top the finished caramel with Maldon salt.
- Optional Flavor Variations: Feel free to add up to ½ teaspoon of your favorite spice or spice blend such as chai or pumpkin spice. Create a chocolate date caramel by adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder or your preferred nut butter to make a date nut caramel.
How To Make
Learn how to make date caramel in a two easy steps.
- Add the pitted dates into a heat safe bowl. Pour enough boiling water to fully cover the dates. Top the bowl with a tea towel on top of the bowl. Leave the dates to soak and soften in the hot water for about 20 - 30 minutes. Drain the dates, gently press the dates to release any excess water.
- Transfer the dates to a high speed blender or food processor. Pour milk or water, vanilla extract and salt to the blender or food processor. Blend the dates, milk, vanilla and salt together for about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the blender or food processor. Taste the mixture and adjust as needed. Add more liquid for a thinner caramel sauce. Add more vanilla or salt if needed for your preference. Continue blending for up to 5 more minutes (10 minutes total) or until the dates transform into your preferred caramel consistency.
3. Transfer the date caramel sauce to a serving bowl or air tight container to store in the fridge.
How To Serve, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Serve: This silky caramel with dates is best served with any dish you would normally want to add caramel such as pancakes, muffins, french toast, waffles ice cream, cookies or cake. This salty sweet date caramel sauce also makes the perfect dip for apples.
- Store: This date caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. As the caramel cools, it will thicken. If the caramel is too thick for your liking, try warming the caramel up. If needed add a splash of milk or water and blend again to reach your desired consistency.
- Freeze: Place the caramel date sauce in a freezer safe and airtight container. Keep in the freezer for about 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the caramel to thaw in the fridge overnight. Warm the caramel in the microwave to reach your desired viscosity.
M’s Expert Tips
- Soak the dates. This is an important step in creating silky smooth caramel date sauce. Make sure to soak the dates for at least 20 minutes.
- Use room temperature milk. The caramel sauce is smoother when room temperature milk or water is used. To quickly bring milk or water to “room temperature” heat the milk or water in the microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds. Stir the liquid to incorporate the cooler liquid with the warmed liquid. This brings the milk to water to roughly room temperature.
- Taste and adjust the flavor as needed. Everyone has a different preference for texture and taste. Start off by adding the ingredient amounts listed in the recipe. If needed add more liquid, vanilla extract or salt.
- Add more flavor. Feel free to add up to ½ teaspoon of your favorite spice or spice blend such as chai or pumpkin spice. Create a chocolate date caramel by adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder or your preferred nut butter to make a date nut caramel.
FAQs
Blending dates with milk or water for an extended period of time transforms the dates into a caramel like consistency. Dates taste similar to caramel, but do still retain their own flavor.
Date caramel is a healthier, refined sugar free caramel made by blending Medjool dates with a liquid such as water, almond milk or regular milk, along with vanilla extract and salt.
The label of “healthy” means something different for each of us, but caramel made with dates does have some nutritional benefits that are considered healthy. Dates are high in fiber and potassium. They are lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar which means a lower spike in blood sugar when compared to regular caramel.
Feel free to use date caramel in any way you would use regular caramel. The only application that wouldn’t be great for date caramel is baking with the date caramel. It’s best used as a topping, dip or as a sweetener for drinks such as coffee.
More Dip or Spread Recipes to Try
If you try this Date Caramel recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Date Caramel Recipe
Equipment
- 1 heat safe bowl
- 1 high speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 18 pitted Medjool dates
- ¾ - 1 cup (180 - 240 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the pitted dates into a heat safe bowl. Pour enough boiling water to fully cover the dates. Top the bowl with a tea towel on top of the bowl. Leave the dates to soak and soften in the hot water for about 20 - 30 minutes. Drain the dates, gently press the dates to release any excess water.18 pitted Medjool dates
- Transfer the dates to a high speed blender or food processor. Pour milk or water, vanilla extract and salt to the blender or food processor. Blend the dates, milk, vanilla and salt together for about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the blender or food processor.¾ - 1 cup (180 - 240 ml) milk , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ teaspoon salt
- Taste the mixture and adjust as needed. Add more liquid for a thinner caramel sauce. Add more vanilla or salt if needed for your preference. Continue blending for up to 5 more minutes (10 minutes total) or until the dates transform into your preferred caramel consistency.
- Transfer the date caramel sauce to a serving bowl or air tight container to store in the fridge.
Leave a Reply