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Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

Raisin Paste: an Awesome Substitute for Dates

Published: Oct 23, 2014 · Updated: May 9, 2023 by Laura Fuentes · This post may contain affiliate links

Need a substitute for dates in your smoothies, baking, granola bars, and more? Look no further. Here is how I use raisins to substitute dates.
5 from 22 votes
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Looking for an easy and natural substitute for dates for many of the recipes you see online? Look no further than this simple recipe for raisin paste!

 small white bowl of raisin paste on a wooden counter with golden and purple raisins off to the side

Cheaper Substitute for Dates

Lately, I’ve noticed that a lot of real food recipes call for dates to sweeten them. From smoothies to granola bars, they seem to be in everything.

Dates, while easy to find at most grocery stores, are not cheap. Pitted dates are usually a dollar or so more expensive and in some recipes, it can bring up the cost of the recipe by a lot! They can cost as much as $9 per pound!

Enter my friend, the raisin. A couple of years ago, I began to use raisins instead of dates in my smoothies, grain-free Morning Glory Muffins, overnight oats, and preserves. They are sweet, delicious, and a lot cheaper than dates.

White bowl of raisins on a wooden counter

It is true that dates have many health benefits but so do grapes! They are both quite similar in nutritional benefits and in texture.

When I look at how dates are being used in many recipes they are used as a filler (like in homemade bars) and as a sweetener. Regardless of how you use them, I’ll show you my two methods of using raisins as a substitute for dates.

Making healthy swaps is just one simple way that you can eat healthier, cleaner food as a family. And it doesn’t have to be expensive! See how your family can eat clean on a budget here.

Tips to help Substitute Raisins for Dates

If you are going to substitute raw dates for raisins in baking recipes, like in muffins, brownies, and Lara bars, you’ll want to soak the raisins for about 2-3 minutes in hot water. Soaking the raisins for about 3 minutes will reconstitute some of the moisture and give them a similar texture to dates. Then, all you have to do is drain and pat dry with a a paper towel.

raisins soaking in water to make them plumper

For smoothies and everything else I make raisin paste and keep a small jar in the fridge at all times. To substitute for 1 large date you will need about 1-2 teaspoons of raisin paste.

raisin paste in the food processor

It might not be the prettiest of all things, but raisin paste is an inexpensive an easy substitute for things like green smoothies. I drink a green smoothie daily, so one teaspoon of raisin paste is all I need to make the “greenness” tolerable.

Raisin Paste – Date Paste Substitute

Laura Fuentes
Need a substitute for dates in your smoothies, baking, granola bars, and more? Look no further. Here is how I use raisins to substitute dates.
5 from 22 votes
Servings 24
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups dried raisins
  • water

Instructions
 

  • Place raisins in a glass bowl. Pour boiling water over them, just enough to cover raisins. Wait 10 minutes or so to reconstruct the raisins into plump fruit. Reserve ¼ cup raisin water and drain. Transfer into a food processor.
  • Turn food processor on and let it go until you have a thick paste. Begin adding water, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a smooth peanut butter like consistency.
  • Store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze raisin paste into cubes and be kept in the freezer for months.
  • Use 2 teaspoons of raisin paste for every date in most recipes.

Notes

Yield: 1.5 cups paste

Equipment

Best Grain-Free Meals on the Planet
Food Processor

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 27kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.05gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.002gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 75mgFiber: 1gVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.2mg
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    Recipe Rating




  1. Thena

    October 05, 2022 at 10:01 am

    5 stars
    I much prefer raisins to dates, and this was so good!

    Reply
  2. Luane

    September 24, 2022 at 4:03 am

    5 stars
    This was great. I served it on toast

    Reply
  3. Samantha

    April 20, 2021 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this! Very useful, I’ll check out your other recipes too 🙂

    Reply
  4. fran lehen

    December 07, 2020 at 10:54 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful suggestion, I use dates all the time. Another question: I’m trying to turn a paleo chocolate cake recipe into a pudding cake by adding unsweetten applesauce, frozen banana; since these aren’t dried, do you think I can add pealed grapes instead of raisins to make it a little bit more liquidy inside? Or do you have a suggestion?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      December 10, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      Fran, unfortunately, I cannot advise on a recipe that I haven’t tried making myself. I will say that grapes do not bake well. I suggest you soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes to make them moist and then add them to your recipe.

      Reply
  5. Joanne Altom

    July 28, 2020 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    could I use frozen (thawed) grapes instead of raisins? I have lots of extra grapes so have them waiting in the freezer.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 29, 2020 at 5:19 pm

      Unfortunately, no. Sorry!

      Reply
  6. Jonathan Palmer

    July 03, 2020 at 9:15 pm

    5 stars
    My brain told me I could substitute raisins for dates, but how to do it was a mystery. The blender tip is very helpful. I am making no bake oatmeal date power balls for the family picnic, now using raisin paste.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 20, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      Perfect!

      Reply
  7. Robyn

    April 01, 2020 at 10:46 pm

    5 stars
    Due to the Coronavirus covid-19 grocery store craziness I was unable to purchase dates (of all things!) today. I made some lactation balls today using this raisin paste instead and they turned out perfect. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 13, 2020 at 8:52 pm

      I’m so glad this worked for you Robyn!

      Reply
  8. Alythia Wilson

    November 13, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing, thank you for this recipe. I am allergic to dates amongst a few other things and have had to skip A LOT of recipes as they include Dates, but not anymore!! ❤

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      November 18, 2019 at 7:36 am

      You can make ANY recipe that calls for dates with this method. Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Kandy

    May 30, 2018 at 11:54 am

    5 stars
    Great suggestion, looking forward to trying this, thanks for the tips!! I haven’t been liking the date taste and am hoping that the raisins will give a lighter flavor, yes?? Plus the lower cost will be nice =) Thanks again!!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      June 06, 2018 at 1:47 pm

      Flavor is similar but a different sweetness, I think. Totally more cost-effective. MUCH.

      Reply
  10. Marta

    April 19, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Laura,
    Sometimes a recipe calls for a certain number of whole dates ie. 5 dates, so what would be the equivalent in whole raisins?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 20, 2018 at 11:34 am

      Marta, you would measure the dates inside a measuring cup and then the equivalent volume in raisins.

      Reply
  11. Joel

    April 03, 2018 at 8:03 am

    5 stars
    How long does it take for your food processor to reach this state of thick paste? Mine seems to stay granular for a while…. not sure what’s wrong.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 09, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      Add a little water, your dates might be too dry. Enjoy

      Reply
  12. Andrea Walker

    October 10, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    5 stars
    I need to make a date caramel for a recipie but can’t find dates. Can I use this paste as a replacement?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 11, 2017 at 12:23 pm

      I’ve never tried a date caramel but this works exactly as dates would.

      Reply
  13. Sylvia Thompson

    September 26, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    5 stars
    Trying to make a cake that calls for Medjool dates, can’t find them here in my city, nor do I won’t to give a kidney just to try out a receipt. Can I use this past or do I need to chop the raisins instead?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      September 28, 2017 at 9:16 am

      You can just “plump” the raisins in hot water as mentioned in the recipe and use those. Same amount. So, if the recipe calls for 1/4 cup dates, use 1/4 cup plump raisins. Enjoy!

      Reply
  14. Chris Crofton

    August 17, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks – just found a simple healthy muffin top recipe and have no dates. Will give it a shot but appreciate that I found this.

    Reply
  15. Sonia | Inglourious Bananas

    August 07, 2017 at 5:22 am

    I love dates but Medjool are difficult to find this time of the year where I live so this recipe is exactly what I needed. Thanks! I’m going to try it very soon 🙂

    Reply
  16. Steak Recipes Sauce

    July 13, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    Marinade your steak for a minimum of half an hour prior to you prepare it
    so the taste of the steak marinade dish can soak into the
    meat.

    Reply
  17. Julie

    April 26, 2015 at 9:16 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for the info. Do you suppose this would work to make Craisins paste when date paste is called for?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 27, 2015 at 11:22 am

      You can definitely make paste out of dried cranberries. However, they will need to soak longer. I don’t think it would be a great substitute for dates since they are not as sweet. if you are ok with that, then you are good to go!

      Reply
      • Marcus Clarke

        October 26, 2020 at 4:46 am

        5 stars
        How much paste would i need in my coffee to replace 4g of sugar?

        Reply
        • Laura Fuentes

          November 02, 2020 at 1:34 pm

          about 1 teaspoon. but it depends on the recipe you are trying to use as a substitute for dates.

          Reply
  18. Taylor

    March 16, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! I don’t own a fruit processor. Do you think I could make this paste in my blender?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      March 17, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      Yes you can. You’ll have to stop the blender and assist with a spatula a few times but it will work.

      Reply
  19. Linda

    February 14, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    What a great idea! Can I use raisin paste in bread recipes to sub out the sugar?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      February 14, 2015 at 5:02 pm

      Linda, raisin paste is not a 1:1 ratio to granulated sugar. It is used whenever dates are called for in recipes.

      Reply
  20. Anne Stuck

    December 17, 2014 at 11:28 pm

    Hi! Do you know how to substitute raisin paste for dates in recipes using a cup or more? It seems like it would be difficult to count out 2 teaspoons of raisin paste for every date, when my recipes don’t call for a certain number of dates, but rather by the cup. Thanks for your input, I would really like to try this!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      December 18, 2014 at 10:57 am

      Anne, you can substitute raisin paste for date paste 1:1. 1 cup of dates will yield about 1/2 cup of paste.

      Reply
      • Amber

        January 28, 2015 at 1:19 pm

        Thank you! I was wondering this as well.

        Reply
  21. Liz @ Tip Top Shape

    October 24, 2014 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    I would have never thought of this!! It’s so smart!

    Reply
  22. Isabella

    October 23, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    I wish I’d know this last weekend when I made some data and cacoa balls, without the dates because I had run out.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 24, 2014 at 4:51 pm

      now you know! you can make them again with a less expensive and easy alternative! 🙂

      Reply

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