Date caramel sauce is a silky-smooth, five-minute vegan treat made with just a few simple ingredients and no refined sugar. It’s perfect adding sweetness to your favorite desserts!
I can't believe how incredible my vegan date caramel sauce is! It's the closest thing to classic caramel, and the taste is amazingly similar. It's also very versatile; you can dip, drizzle, or use it in various dishes, like my caramel nice cream.
The best part? It only takes five minutes to make, just like my spicy maple syrup.
You can try it in a few different ways, such as with overnight oatmeal or porridges, like quinoa flake porridge. It's also delicious with persimmon chocolate pudding.
Personally, I love using it as a dip for fruit, especially apples. The combination of the soft sauce with crisp apples is simply amazing!
Ingredients and Variations
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Medjool dates are my favorite choice because of their natural caramel-like creaminess in both taste and texture. They should be soft, ideally at room temperature, as this helps them blend better and minimizes flecks when processing. Make sure to use pitted and halved dates.
For other types of dates, I've successfully made a date caramel sauce using dark dates from Aldi. Like the Medjool dates, these should also be at room temperature, but they tend to be less fleshy and may require more blending to achieve the right consistency. Additionally, these dates are smaller, so I doubled the quantity and halved the other ingredients to achieve the desired sauce consistency. The resulting caramel sauce is a deeper color and is just as delicious, possibly a bit sweeter.
Coconut cream is essential for this recipe, but it's important to use the thick, creamy layer from the top of the can. If the cream isn't thick enough, skip the dairy-free milk to maintain a thick, caramel-like consistency. When I do use dairy-free milk, I typically choose almond milk, but only if the coconut cream is very thick and needs a bit of loosening.
A touch of maple syrup adds rich sweetness to the sauce, just as you'd expect from a caramel sauce. Don't forget to add a pinch of salt! I prefer Himalayan salt for a nice burst of flavor, it truly makes a difference. If you're aiming for a salted caramel flavor, feel free to add a little extra salt along with a dash of vanilla to enhance the overall taste.
The Steps
Prepare the Dates
I prefer to buy pitted Medjool dates to save time. If you have unpitted dates, slice each one in half lengthwise, pry it open, and remove the pit and 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.
Janelle's 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 ( use discount code "Plantbasedfolk15" to get $15AUD off your next purchase (AU only)).
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
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.
- 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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Amy McClure
My son has many allergies so this recipe is great, except he is allergic to coconut. Dairy is also an issue so I can’t substitute cream. I’m wondering what the function of the coconut cream is in the recipe to help me better understand how to replace it. I’m sure it adds creaminess, is it meant to thicken or whip at all? Thank you! I think I will try oat milk. I’m wondering if I should also add cornstarch to thicken or aquafaba to whip. I’m sure I will have to play around a little. Thanks!
Janelle Hama
Sorry to hear about your son's allergies. The coconut cream makes this caramel silky and thick, the texture is so close to caramel with it. I have made this sauce with no coconut cream and just DF milk but had to adjust the quantity of liquid to 1/8 maple syrup and 1/4 milk. The texture was the same, not as smooth, but it still tasted delicious. Play around with the quantities till you hit the mark.
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!