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Jujube paste and Medjool date paste in glass jars on a wooden board.
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5 from 6 votes

How to make Jujube Paste and Medjool Date Paste

Learn how to make date paste (with Medjool dates) or jujube paste (with Chinese red dates) for an easy way to naturally sweeten baked goods, beverages, and other recipes WITHOUT refined sugar.
Prep Time15 minutes
Date Soak Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Servings: 20 tablespoons
Calories: 49kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

  • high powered blender or food processor

Ingredients

Medjool Date Paste

  • 12 oz medjool dates or about 24 Medjool dates (2 cups packed) - if you can find pitted organic dates this is best as it saves time. However, if your dates have pits, no problem. Watch our video below and we show you how to remove them easily.
  • boiled water enough to cover the dates in a bowl. We used about 2 cups of water.

Jujube Paste (Red Dates)

  • 12 oz jujubes or about 65 Chinese red dates (2 cups packed) - if you can find pitted organic dates this is best as it saves time. However, if your dates have pits, no problem. Watch our video below and we show you how to remove them easily.
  • boiled water enough to cover the dates in a bowl. We used about 2 cups of water.

Instructions

  • Decide if you want to make Medjool date paste or jujube date paste.
  • If you want to make Medjool date paste, Set aside 2 cups packed Medjool dates (or about 12 oz or 24 dates).
    However, if you want to make jujube paste (Chinese red date paste), set aside about 2 cups packed red dates (or about 12 oz or 65 red dates). Red dates are much smaller in size compared to Medjool dates. Wash red dates under cool water before using, especially if not using organic dates.
  • If your dates have pits, remove them and also the little end to the stem that looks like a little flower (in the Medjool date). Jujubes compared to Medjool dates are more difficult to remove the pit. Watch our video to see this process.
  • Boil enough water to cover your dates in the bowl. We needed about 2 cups of boiling water.
  • Pour the boiling water over the dates. Leave soak for about 15 minutes or until soft.
  • Drain the water from the dates and reserve the juice. Do NOT throw away the juice that the dates were soaking in. You will need some of this to thin out the paste to get it moving in the food processor. (Red date juice that is not used in this recipe can be saved and drank as a delicious tea)
  • Place the drained jujubes or Medjool dates in the food processor or high speed mixer. Add about 3 spoonsful of the juice the dates were soaking in and blend on high until smooth. You will need to brush down the sides often with a spoon and add a little more water if needed to get the dates moving in the food processor. We added approximately ⅓ cup of the date juice just a little at a time to obtain a smooth paste. Red dates compared to Medjool dates needed less water to get the food processor moving. Please note, the more water you add to the date paste, the less sweet it will be, so add as little as possible.
  • Scoop either your jujube paste or Medjool date paste into a sealed container for use in all your favorite recipes. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • To make individual portions we place prepared date paste in ice cube trays and freeze. Then, we remove the prepared date paste from the ice cube tray. Store the date paste cubes in a freezer safe baggie. Then, you are ready to go any time you need to add a little sweetness to your morning oatmeal, smoothies or even in soups and curries.

Video

Notes

Please note the the nutrition information for this recipe at the bottom of the recipe card is for 1 tablespoon of prepared jujube paste. 
Further nutritional information for 1 tablespoon of jujube paste is...
Calories 49kcal Net carbs 13.93 grams Fiber 1.3 grams Iron 1.07 mg Vitamin C 45.7 mg potassium 45.57 mg Magnesium 6.54 mg  Phosphorus 14.2 mg Protein 0.99 mg
The nutritional information for 1 tablespoon of Medjool date paste is...
Calories 47 kcal Net Carbs 14.3 grams Fiber 1.4 grams Iron 0.19 grams Vitamin C 0 mg Potassium 146.16 mg Magnesium 11.3 mg Phosphorus 13.0 mg Protein 0.38 grams
How to pick the best dried dates?
  • Avoid dried dates that are so dried that they do not give with a little squeeze.
  • Dates that have formed odd crystals and start to form white spots.
  • They should not be congealed into one nasty mushed mess. You should be able to recognize each individual date.
  • Mold or funny odd smells. They should smell sweet and delicious.
How to make jujube paste without a food processor or high powered blender
We have only tested this method making jujube paste but it also works well. First and foremost, wash red dates, especially if they are not organic. Next, we remove the pits or at least cut the jujubes in half.
Then, bring your water and dates up to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for about 15 minutes or until your dates smash easily with back of spoon. Strain and reserve that delicious liquid and serve as a tea for later.
Place the dates over a wire mesh sieve device and use a spoon or spatula to press the fruit pulp through, keeping the skin and/or pits behind. Now you have delicious jujube date paste. Cool and store for your next recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 90mg | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg