Description
This easy salted date caramel is super smooth and rich and is a must-have pantry staple throughout fall and winter! Soft medjool dates are blended with sea salt, vanilla bean paste, soy milk, and tahini until very smooth. The resulting vegan date caramel has a well-rounded caramel flavor that can be used in desserts, snacks, and even breakfast.
Ingredients
- 12 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
Instructions
If your dates have been refrigerated or feel firm to the touch, place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes to soften. If your dates are fresh and soft, you can skip this step!
If you’ve soaked your dates, drain them before adding them to a blender along with the sea salt, vanilla bean paste, tahini, and ½ cup of soy milk. Begin blending on a lower speed then gradually increase to high as the dates start to break down into smaller pieces. Blend on high until very smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. If you prefer a thinner consistency for drizzzling, add up to ¼ cup more milk to reach your desired consistency.
Transfer the date caramel to a jar or container. Store leftovers in the fridge and make sure to enjoy within two weeks.
Notes
- If you can only find dates with pits, use a knife to cut down the center lengthwise, then remove and discard the pits.
- The skin of the dates likes to stick to the sides of the blender so I highly recommend stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. This will help ensure a super smooth texture.
- If you are allergic to or do not have tahini, you can use an equal amount of unsweetened cashew butter. I do not recommend using peanut butter as it will give it a peanuty flavor.
- The date caramel will firm up in the fridge. It can be softened by stirring in additional soy milk or by placing the jar in a bowl filled with a couple of inches of hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes and stirring until softened.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Optional Soaking Time: 15-20 minutes