Date Paste: What It Is, How to Use It and Which to Buy

Date paste is stoned dates minced or pressed into a thick, sticky paste: at its simplest it is nothing but dates, while flavoured versions add sesame, black seed or spices. It is the classic filling for maamoul and date rings, and a spoonful also sweetens porridge, yoghurt and smoothies or adds depth to sauces and marinades. This guide covers how to use it, how it differs from date syrup, how to soften and store it, and how the pastes in our date paste and syrup range compare.

Our date pastes and syrup at a glance

Ingredients are as stated on our product pages; check each pack for full ingredients and allergens.

How date paste is made

Making date paste is simple. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization's guide to date palm products says it is normally done in mincers, with the size of the holes in the mincing plate setting how fine the paste is. Producers may steam or soak the dates first, as moisture largely decides how soft the paste is. The guide also notes that the paste tends to harden in storage even when its moisture stays the same, so a firm block is normal and easy to soften.

As with whole dates, the variety shapes the flavour and colour; our guide to types of dates compares the main ones.

Date paste vs date syrup

Date paste is the whole flesh of the fruit. Date syrup, also called dibs, is the dates' sugars drawn out with water and then concentrated. Dates cannot simply be pressed for juice like grapes or citrus, the FAO guide's chapter on date juice and syrup explains, because their soluble solids are too concentrated. In one traditional method from southern Iraq, dates are boiled with water, the juice is pressed through weighted filter bags, and it is then concentrated in open pans by the heat of the sun over several days. Basra Date Syrup is an Iraqi-style dibs, made in the Netherlands since 1998.

Use syrup when you want to pour it over yoghurt, porridge or pancakes, or swirl it with tahini; use paste when you need body, as in maamoul, bakes and smoothies. You can loosen paste with hot water into a quick sauce, but syrup is too runny to use as a filling.

Which date paste should you buy?

• For maamoul and big bakes: Madina Date Paste, in 1kg or 5kg, is made from dates only. Leen Date Paste, 100% pitted, pressed Saudi dates, is made by Aliat Taibah Factory for Dates in Al-Madinah. Aliat Taibah Saudi Date Paste comes as a 1kg block of smooth Saudi date paste from Madinah.
• Ajwa date paste: Madina's is made from Ajwa, the small, almost-black dates of Madinah covered in our Ajwa dates guide.
• Medjool date paste: Madina's is a thick paste made from Medjool, the large, soft dates with a caramel-toffee sweetness described in our Medjool dates guide.
• Ready-flavoured: Madina's flavoured paste, in sesame, black seed or cardamom, saves flavouring your own fillings and spreads.

The sesame versions contain sesame, so check the allergen information on each product page.

How to use date paste

• Baking: fill maamoul and date rings, or add it to flapjacks, cookies and sticky toffee pudding. When using date paste for baking, beat it with the butter or loosen it with a little hot liquid first, so it mixes evenly.
• Breakfast: stir it into porridge, swirl it through yoghurt or blend it into a smoothie.
• Spreads: mash it with tahini or butter for toast and flatbread.
• Sauces and marinades: stir a spoonful into a tagine, or whisk it with hot water, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin from our spices and herbs as a glaze for chicken or vegetables. Brush it on near the end of cooking, as sweet glazes catch easily.

It is a sweet ingredient, so add it to taste. If you have diabetes, follow your GP or diabetes team's advice.

A basic maamoul filling

Maamoul are shortbread-like biscuits made with semolina, flour or both, filled with dates, walnuts or pistachios and pressed into moulds traditionally carved from wood. They are made especially for Eid and Easter. For the filling:

1. Soften 500g of plain date paste (see below).
2. Knead in 1 to 2 tablespoons of soft butter, ghee or a neutral oil until smooth and pliable.
3. Flavour to taste with half a teaspoon of ground cardamom or cinnamon, or a teaspoon of orange blossom or rose water.
4. Roll into small balls for maamoul, or thin ropes for date rings, and keep them covered while you make the dough.

Short of time? Our sweets and bakery range includes ready-made date maamoul, such as Leen Date Maamoul and Herfy Maamoul with Dates.

Date-sweetened porridge

Stir a teaspoon or two of paste per bowl into porridge as it finishes cooking, so the heat melts it in, then add more to taste. Finish with chopped nuts or a drizzle of date syrup.

Date and tahini spread

Mash two tablespoons each of softened paste and tahini with a splash of warm water until spreadable, adjusting to taste, and spread on toast or warm flatbread. With date syrup it is quicker still: swirl tahini and syrup together in a shallow bowl for dipping bread.

How to soften date paste

Soften only what you need:

1. Let it warm up. Paste from the fridge is much stiffer, so leave it at room temperature for a while.
2. Warm it gently. Heat it in a covered, microwave-safe bowl in 10-second bursts, kneading between each, or set a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water. Check the middle before handling: it can be hotter than the outside.
3. Knead in fat for fillings. Work in soft butter, ghee or oil a teaspoon at a time until pliable.
4. Beat in liquid for stirring or spreading. Add hot water or milk a teaspoon at a time, and only loosen what you will use soon: the FAO notes that the risk of browning and fermentation rises with moisture.

How to store date paste

• Unopened: store it as the label says and use it by the best-before date. UK government guidance on best before dates explains that they relate to quality, and that food not stored properly could reduce in quality sooner.
• Opened: wrap it tightly or keep it in an airtight container so it doesn't dry out, follow the pack's advice on refrigerating it, and use a clean, dry knife or spoon.
• Frozen: unless the pack says otherwise, divide a large pack into well-wrapped portions and freeze them, then thaw what you need in the fridge.
• Throw it away if it smells sour or alcoholic, fizzes or shows any mould.

The same goes for date syrup: once a jar is open, follow its label.

Ordering and delivery

Browse our full date paste and syrup range. We deliver across the UK only: Standard delivery usually takes 3–5 working days and Express 1–2 working days from dispatch (working days are Monday to Saturday, excluding UK bank holidays), and delivery is free on orders over £45. See our delivery information.

Frequently asked questions

What is date paste made of?

Plain date paste is just dates, stoned and then minced or pressed into a thick paste. Madina Date Paste lists dates as its only ingredient, and Leen's is 100% pitted, pressed Saudi dates. Flavoured pastes add sesame, black seed, cardamom or cloves, so check the label if you need to avoid an allergen.

Is date paste the same as date syrup?

No. Date paste is the whole flesh of the date, thick enough to hold its shape in fillings. Date syrup, or dibs, is made by drawing the sugars out of dates with water and concentrating the liquid. Drizzle syrup over yoghurt, porridge or pancakes; use paste where you need body, as in maamoul.

How do you soften hard date paste?

Warm it gently: leave chilled paste at room temperature for a while, or microwave it in a covered bowl in 10-second bursts, kneading between each. For maamoul and other fillings, knead in a little soft butter, ghee or oil; for stirring or spreading, beat in hot water or milk a teaspoon at a time.

Does date paste need to be refrigerated?

Check the pack first, as its label tells you how to store that product. Keep an opened block tightly wrapped so it doesn't dry out, refrigerate it if the pack says so, and keep water out of it: the FAO notes that the risk of fermentation rises with moisture and that refrigeration may be needed to prevent it.

What can I use date paste for?

It is the classic filling for maamoul and date rings, and also works in flapjacks, cookies and sticky toffee pudding. Stir a spoonful into porridge or yoghurt, blend it into a smoothie, mash it with tahini for a spread, or loosen it with hot water for glazes and marinades.