Date syrup: two best recipes - how to make date syrup at home

The use of date syrup is very wide. It is used to prevent ailments such as insomnia, anemia or a decrease in the body's immune forces. In cooking, date syrup is used as a dessert dish. It is used to pour various pastries, casseroles, ice cream, and also prepare soft drinks based on it.

How to choose the right dates

Special attention must be paid to the selection of dried dates, otherwise syrup made from low-quality products may be harmful to the body.

On sale there are beautiful dates with shiny skin and completely unsightly-looking dried fruits. Preference should be given to dates that meet the following requirements:

• Skin. It should be matte in color, without damage or voids. When touching dried fruits, they should not stick to the skin of your hands. The glossy sticky surface indicates that the dates are coated with glucose syrup.
• Pedicel.The presence of a stalk on a date indicates that the fruit was plucked from a palm tree branch and was not collected by carrion. Also, the presence of the stalk, with the integrity of the skin, can guarantee the absence of worms in the fruit.
• The fact that the dates are not infected with worms is also indicated by the absence of black dots on the surface of the skin.
• The dates should be medium soft to the touch and slightly springy when squeezed between your fingers.
• You should not buy candied dried fruits. Crystallized sugar can hide the staleness of the fruit.
• You should avoid purchasing pitted dates, as such dried fruits can be contaminated with mold fungi.

A video from the channel “Everything will be good” will tell you about all the rules for choosing quality dates.

Before preparing date syrup, dry fruits are washed with warm water and the seeds are removed. In the recipes described below, the number of dates is taken without taking into account the weight of the seeds.

Homemade Date Syrup Recipes

Method number 1 - without cooking

Dates, 300 grams, pour a glass of cold boiled water. The liquid should completely cover the dried fruits, so increase the amount of water if necessary. The bowl of food is covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator or cellar for 24 - 36 hours. The maximum infusion time for dates is two days.

Date infusion with fruits is ground with a submersible blender. The mass turns out to be quite thick, so to bring it closer to the consistency of syrup, add another 50 - 100 milliliters of cold boiled water.

In order for the mass to be homogeneous and more transparent, it is filtered through a fine sieve or several layers of gauze.

The finished syrup is packaged in clean glass bottles and sent to the refrigerator. The shelf life of this syrup in the cold is 2 weeks.

Method No. 2 - boiled date syrup for the winter

To prepare, take 1 kilogram of pitted dates and 2 liters of water.

Washed and slightly dried dates are poured with water and simmered over low heat for about 2 hours. All this time it is necessary to control the water level in the pan. Dried fruits must be constantly covered with liquid. If the top of the dates is exposed, add the required amount of water to the bowl.

After 2 hours, turn off the heat and allow the dates to cool naturally in the pan under the lid.

The next step is to filter the mass through cheesecloth, and squeeze the cake thoroughly. It is later used as a filling for sweet pastries.

The syrup is placed on the fire and boiled for another quarter of an hour until slightly reduced.

The finished dessert is poured hot into sterile containers and covered with lids treated with boiling water. Store the product in a cool place for up to six months.

Mikhail Vegan in his video blog talks in detail about all the stages of preparing date syrup at home

Freezing syrup

Date syrup can be frozen in portioned containers, such as ice cube trays. Frozen syrup cubes, one day after being placed in the freezer, are removed from the molds and subsequently stored in a separate container or plastic bag. Frozen date syrup is added to mineral or regular drinking water to prepare soft drinks. Sweet cubes are also added to porridge, replacing sugar with them.