Think of them as nature’s candy: The Middle Eastern dried fruits known as dates might be packed with sugar, but they’re a much healthier alternative to the processed confectionary you’d find in a colorful wrapper on a store shelf. In fact, dates are a potent source of nutrients that benefit your entire body, helping to boost your energy, fend off aging and illness, and even replace some of the added processed sugar in your diet.
Most of the time, fruit is a low-calorie option, but dates (like other dried fruit) are an exception. Dates naturally shrivel up as they ripen on the tree, maintaining only about 30 percent water content—compare that with the 80–90 percent water content you would see with other fruits like peaches, strawberries, or pineapple. Because they have less volume (that is, they take up much less space), dates have more calories and nutrients in a much smaller serving size than you would see with other fruit.
In some cases, this is convenient—a little bit goes a long way. But it’s easy to overdo it. A single date can sometimes have around 100 calories, and because most of those calories are from complex carbohydrates, they’ll provide long-lasting energy. Studies show that dates are a low-glycemic index food, thanks to their high fiber content, so you even though they taste super sweet, you aren’t suffering from any blood sugar crashes, which is especially good news for people with diabetes.
All that fiber content is also good for improving digestive health, lowering cholesterol, and helping you stay full between meals. Dates are also fat free.
They’re rich in potassium, which is lacking in most American diets. Potassium is an electrolyte important for maintaining fluid balance and staving off hypertension. It can counteract the effects of high sodium, which most people consume too much of. Additionally, dates are full of vitamin A for eye health and vitamin C for radiant skin, plus iron for transporting oxygen to every cell in your body.
Most people with a taste for dates will tell you they’re incredibly versatile. They make a great snack on their own, but they can also be stuffed with soft cheeses or nut butters. Some people prefer to chop them up to use in salads, or puree and mix them into smoothies and baked goods.
If you’re looking to reduce the amount of processed sugar in your diet, you can make a date paste by pureeing pitted dates in your blender with a little bit of water until it reaches a smooth consistency. Use this date paste in equal amounts as a substitute for sugar in recipes.
Here are a few more date recipes to help you use this fruit as a standout snack, appetizer, or side dish.
Stuffed Dates
Ingredients:
- 2 dozen dates
- 4 ounces chevre, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of salt, pepper, cinnamon
Slit the dates lengthwise with a knife and scoop out the pits. In a small bowl, combine chevre, honey, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Crush the almonds into fine pieces and stir into the chevre. Spoon the chevre-almond filling into the middle of the pitted dates. Finish with a drizzle of extra honey if desired.
Date Bars
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped dates, tightly packed
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup whole-grain flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Combine dates and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat and stir. Add a splash of water if necessary to create a smooth consistency. When the dates and syrup are smooth, add lemon juice and remove from the heat. Allow to cool. Combine oats, flour, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Chop the butter into small pieces and stir into the dry mix with a pastry cutter. Stir in the baking soda. Divide the butter-flour mixture in half. Spread half across the bottom of a lined baking pan and press into an even layer. Pour in the cooled date-syrup mixture; then sprinkle the remaining butter-flour crumble as a top layer. Bake for about 20–22 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Roasted Cauliflower with Dates
Ingredients:
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon za’atar spice blend (equal parts oregano, thyme, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds)
- 6–8 large dates
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
Preheat oven to 425F. Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil and spread over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with za’atar, salt, and pepper. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Set a small pan over medium heat and toast the pine nuts dry for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Remove the pits from the dates and chop dates into small pieces. Combine with toasted pine nuts. Stir baked cauliflower, dates, and pine nuts together and sprinkle with any extra za’atar if desired. Serve warm.
