Dates powder is dried dates, usually the hard Arabian kharek rather than soft khajur, ground fine. It is the oldest sweetener in the Indian kitchen and it behaves quite differently from sugar. Here is how to actually use it.
The substitution ratio
Dates powder is less sweet than white sugar by weight. As a starting point, use about 1¼ cups of dates powder for every 1 cup of sugar, then adjust to taste.
It also brings fibre and a little moisture, which changes texture. In baking, expect a denser, chewier result — usually welcome in laddus, cookies and cakes, less so in anything meant to be light and airy.
Where it works well
In milk. A teaspoon into warm milk, plain or with cocoa. Dissolves better if you make a paste with a little cold milk first.
In porridge and kanji. Stir in after cooking rather than before.
In laddus and energy balls. Excellent — it sweetens and helps bind at the same time.
In kheer and payasam. Add at the end, off the heat.
In cookies and cakes. Works, with the texture caveat above.
In smoothies and milkshakes. Blends cleanly and adds body.
Where it doesn't
Anything that needs to stay pale. Dates powder turns everything a light brown. Fine in a chocolate cake, obvious in a vanilla one.
Meringues and light sponges. The moisture and fibre work against you.
Clear drinks and syrups. It doesn't fully dissolve; it will cloud and settle.
Caramelising. It won't behave like sugar under heat.
Making it at home
Use dry dates (kharek), not soft khajur — soft dates hold too much moisture to grind into a stable powder without turning to paste.
De-seed, chop roughly, and dry-roast on very low heat for 4 to 5 minutes to drive off any residual moisture. Cool completely. Grind in short pulses, letting the mixer rest in between — continuous grinding heats the dates and turns them sticky. Sieve, and re-grind the coarse bits.
Store airtight. It keeps two to three months, and clumps in humid weather — a few grains of rice in the jar help.
Dates powder compared with jaggery
Both are unrefined. Jaggery is more intensely sweet and dissolves cleanly, which makes it better for syrups and drinks. Dates powder brings fibre and a fruitier flavour, and works better where you want body as well as sweetness.
Most Indian kitchens end up keeping both.
A note on quantity
Dates powder is unrefined and carries minerals that refined sugar doesn't, but it is still a concentrated source of natural sugars. It is a better sweetener, not a free one.
Our Arabian dry dates powder is a single ingredient, ground fine, with nothing added — in 200g and 300g packs, plus blends with nuts and seeds.
General information about food and cooking. Not medical or dietary advice.