This vegan date caramel sauce is all-natural, smooth and ready in 5 minutes. Made with a few simple ingredients and no refined sugar. Perfect for dipping and drizzling.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's the best vegan caramel sauce - the resemblance to traditional caramel sauce is uncanny. Plus I take you through using non-medjool dates and what to do if your coconut cream isn't thick.
- Can be used as a dip, dripped, or drizzled
- An all-natural alternative to traditional caramel sauce. Creamy, nutritious, and feels indulgent without any refined sugar or butter.
- Ready in five minutes!
- Dietary friendly - vegan, dairy free, gluten-free, grain free, oil-free, corn free and soy free.
Ingredients and Variations
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
The Dates
Medjool dates are my go-to dates as they have a natural caramel creaminess taste and texture. They should be soft (best at room temperature as they blend better, leaving little to no flecks upon blending), pitted and halved.
Other dates - I have made this date caramel sauce with dark dates sold at Aldi. Again, these dates were at room temperature, and are generally less fleshier and require more blending. These dates are also a lot smaller than Medjool dates, so I used double the quantity and half of the other ingredients to get the sauce consistency I needed, which is a deeper caramel color and just as delicious, perhaps a little sweeter.
Always check in the insides of the dates as you half them, make sure they are all okay, unfortunately, sometimes there is mold inside.
Coconut cream - use the thick creamy part, usually the top of the can. There have been times when I have opened up a can of coconut cream that didn't have any thick cream. In this case, I have used the runnier cream and left out the dairy-free milk. This made sure the sauce was thick like caramel, though there is a slight variation in the texture.
Dairy-free milk you can use any you prefer, I used almond milk. Only use this ingredient if your coconut cream is super thick, see the previous ingredient note. Try and find one that has minimal ingredients if you are buying it.
Maple Syrup helps to create a rich caramel sweetness.
Salt - a pinch is all you need, which makes a noticeable difference. I like using Himalayan salt (affiliate link).
A dash of vanilla can also be added to adjust the flavoring and the salt can be increased to make it more like a salted version.
How To Make Date Caramel Sauce
Prepare the Dates
I like to purchase pitted Medjool dates, this helps me to save time. Otherwise, slice each date in half lengthways, pry it open and take out the pit and the stem.
Blend
Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until it is smooth and creamy.
You will need to scrap the sides of the blender down several times. This step may take several minutes.
The consistency of this can be adjusted by adding more or less coconut cream and dairy-free milk.
Serve and Storage
Pour the date caramel sauce into a dipping bowl and enjoy as needed. See serving suggestions below.
Store any left-overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. If your sauce got a little warm from blending, let it cool down to room temperature before placing in the fridge.
Pro Tips
This vegan caramel recipe requires a high-powered blender. It's crucial as it will puree the Medjool dates and create the right consistency for this sauce. I like to use the Froothie G2.6 blender (affiliate link - use discount code "Plantbasedfolk15" to get $15AUD off your next purchase (AU only)).
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this vegan caramel sauce with any of the following suggestions;
As a dip with fruit - I personally like it with apples, try it with this kiwi Christmas tree during the festive season.
In a smoothie bowl or smoothie such as a banana peach smoothie or banana apple smoothie.
On ice cream such as this caramel nice cream
Topped onto overnight oatmeal or with porridges, such as this quinoa flakes porridge.
FAQ
Caramel sauce made with dates tastes like hints of all the ingredients included (dates, maple syrup, and coconut), which is sweet and similar to traditional caramel flavoring without the added butter or refined sugar.
Leave them out at room temperature until they have softened. If they do not soften, add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water to the pitted dates and allow them to sit in this for a few minutes, then discard any excess liquid. You may need to adjust the quantities of coconut cream and milk to accommodate the added water.
More Vegan Sweet Recipes
Another recipe using dates is my easy all natural black sesame cookies.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
All Natural Vegan Date Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool dates stem off, pitted and halved
- ½ cup Maple Syrup
- ½ cup Coconut cream best if thick
- 2 tablespoon Dairy free milk
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until it smooth and creamy. You will need to scrap the sides of the food processor several times. This step may take several minutes. The consistency can be adjusted by adding less or more dairy free milk.10 Medjool dates, ½ cup Maple Syrup, ½ cup Coconut cream, 2 tablespoon Dairy free milk, 1 pinch Himalayan salt
- Pour into an air tight container and enjoy as needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Shelley
Delicious! Usually I'm not a fan of caramel as I find it too sweet. I made this to drizzle on my husband's Mango & Vanilla ice-cream birthday cake I also made. It was a hit. I added a level teaspoon of White Miso paste and used just under a 1/2 cup of honey. The miso paste gave the caramel a bit more depth and a slight umami flavour. Yum!
Janelle Hama
Wow Shelley, I would have never thought to add miso to this sauce, I will have to try this, I am intrigued! I am thrilled it was a hit with you guys!