• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

VegKitchen logo

  • Vegan Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking and Sweets
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta and Noodles
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Wraps
    • Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups, Stews, and Chilis
    • Snacks and Dips
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Canning and Preserving
    • Cheese-y Delights
    • Global Recipes
    • Raw Vegan
    • Slow-Cooker
  • Vegan Living
    • Vegan Substitutions Guide
    • Green Kitchen
    • Healthy Eating Tips
    • Food and Produce Guides
    • Vegan Food Hacks
    • Kid Friendly
    • Vegan Product Reviews
    • More Vegan Living
  • About
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Vegan Living
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Freebie!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegan Living
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Freebie!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Healthy Eating Tips

    4 Great Tips for Using Dates

    Published: May 10, 2016 · Updated: Mar 4, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Are you ready for your hot date tonight? Don’t worry, I haven’t hacked into your social calendar—I am referring to the naturally sweet and energy-dense fruit. Dates are packed with fiber, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, and K. Here’s your guide to dating with ease. Excerpt from Très Green, Très Clean, Très Chic: Eat (and Live!) the New French Way with Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Season  © 2015 by Rebecca Leffler. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.

    1. Choosing a Nice Date
    Medjool dates are typically larger, softer, and sweeter than other dates, so they’re the ones to buy for making date paste, puréeing into a chocolate mousse or chia pudding, or adding to warm, savory dishes. Medjool dates taste like a sweet mix of cinnamon and honey with a caramel undertone. They have wrinkly skin and should have soft interiors. Go for organic when possible, or at least make sure your date hasn’t been treated with sulfur.

    2. Speed Dating
    Pour some hot water over the date and let it sit for 1 to 5 minutes (depending on how hard/dry the date is to start), until the date softens. Then, it’s time to get naked! (The date, that is.) Peel off the skin and—let’s pause. I know, there are lots of nutrients in the skin, but the rest of the date has nutrients too, and come on: your silky smooth mousse depends on this! After you peel the skin and remove the pit, voilà! Your date is ready for you to do with it what you will.

    Dates in a bowl

    3. Where To Take Your Date
    Don’t give in to routine—get creative! Blend your date (ideally in a Vitamix: your date, like you, deserves royal treatment) into a mousse, a creamy nut milk, or savory dishes for just a touch of sweetness.

    4. When To Date
    If you’re on a hardcore detox program or you need to watch your blood sugar, you may want to have a mere fleeting fling with your date—eat only as a sweet treat on occasion. However, if you do OK with natural sugars and are looking for a nutritious way to sweeten your recipes, get energized, or increase your intake of fiber, potassium, and minerals, then definitely take a date to be your lawfully wedded sweetener.

    Here are some recipes using dates here on VegKitchen:

    • Laura's Date-Nut Truffles
    • Date-Pecan Bars
    • Chocolate Date-Nut Lollipops
    • Nutty Cashew Dates

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Tasty Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
    • 6 Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 6 Basic Guidelines for the Nutritarian Diet
    • 7 Major Health Benefits of Maca Root

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    nicole malik from vegkithen.com

    Hi, I'm Nicole! I'm the creator behind VegKitchen, and the author of the popular cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. Learn more about me here.

    More about me →

    vegan substitution chart

    Featured Recipes

    • 25+ Vegan Valentine’s Day Desserts
    • 11 Best Vegan “Cheese” Recipes
    • Vegan Christmas Cookies
    • Vegan Jalapeno Poppers
    • Vegan Vodka Pasta
    • Vegan Banana Cake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • Free Vegan Cheat Sheet
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.


    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hook & Porter Media