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Dates

Dates are the sweet fruit of the date palm, eaten fresh or dried and used in desserts and savory dishes.

Dates — illustrative ingredient image

About Dates

Dates are the edible fruits of the date palm, with sweet flesh surrounding a single elongated pit. They are eaten out of hand and used in desserts, pastries, confections, drinks, grain dishes, salads, stuffings, sauces, and savoury cooking. They may be enjoyed fresh, semi-dried, or fully dried, with each form used somewhat differently.

Their skin can be yellow, amber, reddish brown, or dark brown, while the flesh ranges from moist and soft to chewy, dense, and firm. Dates have a deep sweetness often suggestive of caramel or honey, though flavour, moisture, and texture vary with cultivar, ripeness, and drying stage.

Dates are sold whole, pitted, chopped, pressed, or packaged as soft dried fruit. Removing the pit makes them easier to eat or process. Chopping distributes them through baked goods and salads, while soaking, warming, blending, or cooking softens the flesh and helps it combine with other ingredients.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where dates appears

8 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Showing 1–8 of 8

Desserts

Sauces

Drinks

Breakfasts

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for dates

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Dates

English

Ajwa dates

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Deglet Noor dates

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

deglet nour dates

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Kenta dates

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Medjool dates

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Dates nutrition & diet

Dates nutritional value

Reference: Dates, raw, flesh and skin

Per 100 g of the edible portion of the stated reference food.

Calories
124kcal
Protein
1.5g
Carbs
31.3g
Fat
0.1g

Reference example for the named food and preparation, per 100 g edible portion. This is not a universal value for every recipe or brand; packaged products should be compared with their own label. CoFID 2021 food code 14-083. Carbohydrate follows the dataset’s available-carbohydrate convention. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Portions & preparation

Match the reference to the specific date-palm variety and to fresh, semi-dried, or dried whole fruit. Count only edible flesh after removing pits and stems, and distinguish whole dates from chopped, pressed, stuffed, or cooked forms. Added coatings, fillings, or cooking liquids should be recorded separately from the fruit.

Compare the right form: Use a reference matching date variety and fresh or dried whole fruit, with pits and stems removed; do not substitute paste, syrup, or filled dates.

Diet considerations

Dates are plant-derived fruits, with fresh and dried forms differing in texture and typical carbohydrate pattern per portion. Stuffed or coated dates may contain nuts, dairy, chocolate, or other additions. Desserts and savory dishes can add cereal ingredients, eggs, meat, fats, or sauces, so compatibility follows the full preparation.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically compatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically compatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically compatible
The plain form fits the conventional paleo food groups. Added ingredients and individual interpretations can differ.
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 — Dates, raw, flesh and skin ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .