Recipes and Cooking Desserts & Baking No Bake Desserts Date Caramel Sauce Be the first to rate & review! Meet your new favorite dip. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on March 10, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: CJ Younger Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 1 cup Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Our date caramel sauce takes just 15 minutes and calls for four inexpensive ingredients. It's a versatile recipe that can be used as a spread, a dip, a topping, and can be made without coconut with just a few tweaks. It's subtly sweet flavor complements most crackers, veggies, and fruits, but the real magic of this sauce is the way it enhances the foods it's paired with without overwhelming their natural flavor. It's a great alternative to dairy-based caramel sauces and can be used in the same way. The key to achieving the perfect caramel-like consistency is soaking the pitted medjool first in boiling water. This softens the outer skins and helps them completely blend. We recommend soaking them for 10 minutes but if your dates are firm and dried out, you could soak them for longer. Once they're soaked, blend them with coconut milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk), vanilla extract, and salt. Don't skip the salt! It helps balance the sweet flavors. Pair this date caramel recipe with apples or pretzels for a tasty afternoon snack or try spreading it on a piece of toast or oatmeal for breakfast. Level it up by adding it to a charcuterie board adorned with layers of meat, cheeses, crackers, veggies, and fruits. It's great paired with crisp apples, Parmesan cheese, and crackers. 4 Steps to a Gorgeous Charcuterie Board Your Guests Will Devour Ingredients 12 pitted medjool dates (6 oz.) 1 cup coconut milk ½ tsp. vanilla extract ⅛ tsp. salt Directions In a small bowl, cover the pitted medjool dates with boiling water; let stand for 10 minutes until softened. Test Kitchen Tip: You can use whole medjool dates for this recipe. Just be sure to remove the pits before soaking. Strain off the liquid. In a blender, add the dates, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Cover and blend until the homemade date caramel is smooth. Store any leftover date caramel in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. Date Caramel Spread Variation To turn the date caramel recipe into a spread, start with ¾ cup of coconut milk. If it is too thick, continue to add coconut milk 1 Tbsp. at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Store the date spread in the fridge for up to one week in a covered container. Label the container to ensure you consume it within one week. Try using the spread on toast, drizzle it on cake, or eat it over ice cream. Test Kitchen Tip: To create a coconut-free date caramel, omit the coconut milk. Cover the pitted dates with 1½ cups of boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes. Add the dates to the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and blend until the sauce is smooth. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 115 Calories 6g Fat 17g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 115.3 % Daily Value * Total Fat 6.1g 8% Saturated Fat 5.3g 27% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 35.6mg 2% Total Carbohydrate 16.8g 6% Dietary Fiber 1.4g 5% Total Sugars 14.2g Protein 1g Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 0.3mg 1% Calcium 18.7mg 1% Iron 1.1mg 6% Potassium 210.5mg 4% Fatty acids, total trans 0g Vitamin D 0IU Alanine 0g Arginine 0.1g Ash 0.7g Aspartic acid 0.1g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 4.5mg Copper, Cu 0.1mg Cystine 0g Energy 482.7kJ Fluoride, F 0mcg Folate, total 7.1mcg Glutamic acid 0.2g Glycine 0g Histidine 0g Isoleucine 0g Leucine 0.1g Lysine 0g Methionine 0g Magnesium, Mg 24.5mg Manganese, Mn 0.3mg Niacin 0.5mg Phosphorus, P 40.3mg Pantothenic acid 0.2mg Phenylalanine 0g Phytosterols 0mg Proline 0g Retinol 0mcg Selenium, Se 0mcg Serine 0g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0mg Tryptophan 0g Tyrosine 0g Valine 0g Vitamin A, IU 31.7IU Vitamin A, RAE 1.5mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 0.6mcg Water 25.3g Zinc, Zn 0.3mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.