If you love caramel, you’ll love our creamy date caramel dip. Of course it tastes great, but it’s also super easy and only has 4 ingredients! Not to mention, it can be made vegan and gluten-free. Traditional caramel is made with butter, cream, and sugar, which of courses tastes amazing. But we love our healthy caramel dip because it’s made with dates, so all of the sugar in this date caramel is natural (you still want to watch portion sizes though!). Dates have a slightly caramelized flavor and when combined with creamy milk, hint of vanilla extract, and touch of sea salt, you have an easy and healthy caramel dip. This creamy date caramel is great for dipping apples, mixing into Greek yogurt, sweetener in tea or coffee, or as a topping on your favorite dessert!
Ingredients
- Dates – these are the star of the recipe! We highly recommend using pitted dates to save time and frustration as dates normally come with a seed or pit in the middle that will need to be removed before blending. Our favorite brand is Natural Delights!
- Milk – you can use any type of milk here! Cow’s, soy, almond, oat, coconut, cashew, or even heavy cream if you want to make this healthy caramel extra creamy! Just be sure to get unsweetened because the dates are sweet enough 🙂
- Vanilla extract – this gives the date caramel more of a vanilla flavor. You could use part vanilla extract and part butter extract if you prefer a more buttery caramel!
- Sea salt – a small amount will go a long way but there’s just something about the sea salt + caramel combo. You can use regular table salt if you prefer.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! They are sweet and have a caramel-like flavor, which is why they’re perfect for making a healthy caramel dip.
Depending on how fresh your dates are, they may be hard. Simply soak the dates in warm water for 10-15 minutes and they’ll soften up!
Dates are a fruit and naturally-occurring so they are healthier than more processed sugars because they contain nutrients like fiber, iron, potassium, and magnesium. However, they are very high in calories (because of the sugar content) so it’s best to consume in moderation (unless you have very high energy needs)!
Other recipes you may like
If you like this creamy date caramel dip, you may like these:
Rate, Review, & Share!
If you try our healthy caramel recipe, please let us know what you think by rating and reviewing below! We would love to hear your thoughts. We’d also love to see your creation so snap a photo and tag us on insta @theperfectpear8!
PrintCreamy Date Caramel Dip
Dates have a slightly caramelized flavor and when combined with creamy milk, hint of vanilla extract, and touch of sea salt, you have an easy and healthy caramel dip. This creamy date caramel is great for dipping apples, mixing into Greek yogurt, sweetener in tea or coffee, or as a topping on your favorite dessert!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 20 large pitted dates (any type will work but we use Medjool dates)
- 1/2–1 cup unsweetened milk of choice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract*
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- If dates are hard, soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes or until soft. Drain before blending.
- Place dates, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt in a blender or food processor and blend on high for ~2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of milk at a time if needed. The consistency should be smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor a couple of times!
- Serve with sliced apples and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in refrigerator for up to one week or freezer for 2 months. If frozen, the texture may change.
- *Use 1 tsp vanilla extract + 1 tsp butter extract for a more buttery caramel flavor!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
- Calories: 58
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 121
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 13
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: healthy caramel recipe, caramel dip, date caramel dip, healthy dessert recipes, date recipes, creamy date caramel, caramel recipe, date caramel, date caramel recipe, creamy date caramel recipe
I didn’t know how this was going to come out because I had never heard of date caramel before but WOW. It’s creamy, sweet, and so good.
I’m so glad, Alex! Yeah, date caramel sounds kind of weird but the dates have that caramel-y flavor that makes this recipe so good! 🙂