Homemade Date Sugar
This homemade date sugar is the perfect way to use up those extra dates that you have, and transform them into a natural sweetener that you can use for all your baked goodies and sweet treats.
Just like my salted date caramel, it's super easy to make- all you'll need is some dates and your trusty Air Fryer.
I've recently using dates for a lot of my recipe experiments. My candied dates and date puree are both big hits in my household, but this time, I wanted to try and use my batch of dates to make a homemade natural sweetener- one that I could store for later.
And that's when the idea of drying them out and making date sugar struck me!
Quick Look: Homemade Date Sugar
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Dates.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Thinly slice dates 🡢 air fry until dry 🡢 cool completely and grind 🡢 air fry the ground dates again until completely dry 🡢 cool and crush any clumps 🡢 store or use immediately.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Use as a natural sweetener in cookies, muffins, breakfast bowls, porridges, and puddings (like almond milk rice pudding), or sprinkle over popcorn.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The simplicity of this recipe has to be one of its best features. You'll just need a few minutes of hands-on time to make it, and using your Air Fryer really speeds things up.
- You'll need just 1 ingredient to make it- no fancy ingredients or additives. It's actually a great way to use up your leftover dates too- just like my homemade date syrup.
- And best of all, it's one of the most versatile and delicious natural sweeteners you'll ever make.
Recipe Ingredients
Dates: Use the best quality pitted dates you can find. Feel free to use any kind, but for this recipe, I would highly recommend using ones that are dry and have less water content, as it makes them easier to dry out in the Air Fryer.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Homemade Date Sugar
Thinly slice the dates into strips as shown.
Arrange them in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between them. Air fry them for 5-8 minutes or until they start to shrink and appear dry.
Let them cool down completely, then transfer them to a food processor or a spice grinder and grind them until you get a coarse mixture like this.
Transfer this back to the Air Fryer basket and cook again for a few minutes until all the moisture disappears.
Allow this to cool down completely and crush it further using a rolling pin if you notice some clumps.
Use immediately or store for later.
💭Top Tip
To keep the sugar in the dates from clumping, you can add half a teaspoon of cornstarch into the mix while grinding it.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I've air fried the dates twice- once before processing and once after, just to get them as dry as I can. You can choose to process them only once, if that's what you prefer.
- Keep an eye on the dates at the 6 minute mark. If the dates look dried and ready, get them out quickly. Keeping them in too long can cause them to burn.
- Depending on your personal preference, you can process the dates into a fine ground consistency or keep them a little coarse- like I did!
- Make sure you allow the dates to cool down completely before you grind them, or they can clump together. To do this quickly, you can pop the air fried dates into the freezer for a few minutes.
- If you still have some extra dates, use them to make sugared dates or cream cheese stuffed dates- two incredibly delicious and versatile appetizers.
How to Use Date Sugar
There are lots of ways to use your homemade date sugar. It's an excellent natural sweetener to use for your baked goodies like cookies and muffins, and can also be amazing when added to your morning breakfast bowl- I love using it in my caramelized banana yogurt bowl.
It's also an excellent sweetener to add to your porridges and puddings- especially banana custard. I love sprinkling it over my freshly made homemade popcorn too!
Troubleshooting & FAQs
You can! Preheat your oven at the lowest temperature, and pop in the sliced dates on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 45-60 minutes or until the dates appear dark, but not black.
Allow the air fried dates to cool down completely, and then try to break them using your fingers. If they snap easily, they're ready to be processed and used. If they are bendy and don't break easily, you will probably need to air fry them again to get them crispy.
Store your homemade date sugar at room temperature in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks, preferably in an airtight container or a glass jar.
And if you have some extra dates that you want to store for later, I would recommend freezing them. I have a detailed guide about how to freeze dates that you can check out.
More Homemade Essentials
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this date sugar or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Date Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates
Instructions
- Thinly slice the dates into strips as shown.
- Arrange them in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between them. Air fry them for 5-8 minutes or until they start to shrink and appear dry.
- Let them cool down completely, then transfer them to a food processor or a spice grinder and grind them until you get a coarse mixture like this.
- Transfer this back to the Air Fryer basket and cook again for a few minutes until all the moisture disappears.
- Allow this to cool down completely and crush it further using a rolling pin if you notice some clumps.
- Use immediately or store for later.
Notes
- I've air fried the dates twice- once before processing and once after, just to get them as dry as I can. You can choose to process them only once, if that's what you prefer.
- Keep an eye on the dates at the 6 minute mark. If the dates look dried and ready, get them out quickly. Keeping them in too long can cause them to burn.
- Depending on your personal preference, you can process the dates into a fine ground consistency or keep them a little coarse- like I did!
- Make sure you allow the dates to cool down completely before you grind them, or they can clump together. To do this quickly, you can pop the air fried dates into the freezer for a few minutes.
