Date paste is a vegan lifesaver when it comes to baking. From making your own to buying ready-made, it’s easier than you might think to bake with dates!
After I started the transition into vegan baking, I primarily started with substituting pureed bananas in for eggs or butter. Almost every article on vegan baking pointed to the banana as a suitable substitute, but I wasn’t quite buying it.
Depending on the recipe, the hint of banana was left behind and if I want a chocolate chip cookie, I want a straight up cookie. Before eating primarily vegan, I had never even touched a date in my life. They always seemed like these weird, gross, dried up things that my grandparents might have lurking in the back of their kitchen cupboards (they don’t by the way, my grandparents are pretty awesome).
I also wasn’t a huge fan of using a ton of plant-based butter substitute. Things like Earth Balance and coconut oil definitely have their time and place in sweet and savory treats alike, but I wanted to find a way around buying a large bucket of oil-based vegan butter that was more plant-based. In part, this was inspired by my dad, who is fully committed to eating a plant-based, no oil diet (diet isn’t really a word I love for this, but you know what I mean, a way of eating!).
I wanted to be able to share the vegan sweets I baked while he didn’t have to pass on. After talking it over with my dad and looking into suitable sub-ins for butter, he came upon date paste. Hooray! Now, how do we go about making/buying this magical plant-based stuff?
How to bake with dates
The first option is to buy date paste (in this case, prune paste) pre-made. While this can be hard to find, the convenience factor makes it worth extra effort. I haven’t been able to find this or an equal substitute anywhere like Whole Foods or any other health stores yet, but I am always on the lookout.
The basic rule of thumb is that the Lighter Bake is substituted in for half the amount of butter that is called for in the recipe. No, I won’t lie to you and say that the results are just like that of using butter, but, I never seem to get complaints when I bake with it in the right recipes.
The second option fur substituting in dates is to make your own paste. This can either be done each time you need a batch of date paste or in bulk and stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks. By soaking dates in water and giving them a whirl in a food processor with a bit of water, the result is thick, but a great substitute for butter in some recipes.
This tutorial from The Chalkboard Mag gives a pretty good step by step of how to make the best paste and ensure great results. I love making a batch and having it around, rather than waiting for the dates to soak each time.
Baking with dates instead of sugar
Now, all of that being said, I want to bring up the point that not all recipes are cut out to have date paste used as a sub-in for butter or sugar. I’ve found that the best recipes to use date paste/Lighter Bake in are the ones that have other flavors going on rather than the buttery component.
For example, my No-Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great way to use date paste instead of butter, because a number of chocolate chips still gives the cookies a good amount of flavor and sweetness, while still needing the paste as a binder. On the other hand, chocolate croissants or lemon bars aren’t going to do well with date paste in them. But that’s ok! Baking with dates has their time and place, and it isn’t in everything.
On the other hand, something that relies on a fat/buttery component needs something on the neutral flavored side to hold up as the main flavor profile, like Sugar Cookies.
All that being said, give it a try! I know it seems weird at first, but it’s one of my favorite baking tricks now! I know this was exhaustive and detailed about little teeny dates, but what can I say, more dates paste=more chocolate chip cookies, so I’m down with it.
Here are more recipes using my beloved date paste!
Recipes for baking with dates:
Pepita and Pecan Pie Pumpkin Bread
Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
Mini Double Chocolate Almond Cakes with Chocolate Glaze
Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Topped with Peanut Butter Walnut Frosting
Karis says
It’s cool to hear how committed your dad is to plant-based eating and I love that you want to share vegan sweets with him.
The Frosted Vegan says
I figure, if I share with him, he will share with me, right? : )
sprinklesandsauce says
Great baking recipes! Thank you!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you, they are a few favorites!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
This helps me so much. I am trying to go dairy free and I need some back to basics help! Thank you!
The Frosted Vegan says
So happy to help Pamela! : )
Belen Varan Guevara says
Have you tried it on brownies?
Heart of a Baker says
I haven’t, but I would love to!
Kelsey G says
Do you have a ratio for replacing it with butter/oil. 1:1?
Heart of a Baker says
I would use half the amount of date paste to butter or oil, and add in a tablespoon or two of non dairy milk as well!
ruby josephine says
This is so interesting! I’ve only ever heard of dates being used as a sweetener (all the time here in Morocco, where it is date-heaven), but never as a butter or oil substitute! I am so curious to try out some of your recipes 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Yes! It doesn’t work in ever recipe, but something about them works in some of them!
Connie says
Abby, thanks. This was really useful, especially as I myself have been trying to get away from using too much coconut oil/vegan butter and have really been leaning on applesauce or banana ‘mush.’ When I’ve used dates in raw desserts in the past, my kids didn’t care for the taste, but I think I could get away with it for baked goods.
Heart of a Baker says
I hope this helps! I think using a little bit of both makes it easier to sneak them in!
Deanna says
I love baking with dates to sweeten! I’ve done so by pureeing in my food processor and by using Date Lady date syrup and Date Lady date sugar. I even picked up a little baking with dates cookbook at amazon. I’ll have to try the ideas above. Thanks! Unsweetened applesauce is also a good (1:1) oil substitute I’ve used very successfully in banana bread.
Heart of a Baker says
Great tips here Deanna! Love it!
Donna Schmidt says
Middle Eastern grocery stores will most likely have date paste. It’s lovely, and so easy to use.
Heart of a Baker says
Yes! That’s a great point!
Denisa says
I’m definitely making that Pepita and Pecan Pie Pumpkin Bread when I can harvest pumpkin from my garden. I just have to wait a bit more. I love the idea of using dates instead of sugar. These are some of my favorite fruits but I just tend to eat them plain instead of sweets so it’s time to use them more in recipes, too. Thanks, Abby!