Flavor add

Medjool dates in a smoothie

The sweetener with fiber attached — one date does the work of a spoon of honey.

Short answer

About 1 medjool date in a glass — 24 g and 66 calories at that amount. The readings are 1 of 3 for thickening, 1 for creaminess and 3 for sweetness. Sweetness is what medjool dates are really for. Whatever the blend needs on the other two axes has to come from somewhere else in the glass.

A date is the whole-food answer to the sweetener problem. It is intensely sweet, it brings fiber and a trace of body with it, and unlike honey or syrup it leaves something behind in the drink besides sugar. It is also the only sweetener on the site that changes the texture at all.

In the ratio model every ingredient fills one of five roles. Medjool dates are a flavor add: nothing in the texture changes when it goes in, so the ratio model gives it no share of the glass. That is what decides how much of it goes in, which is the next question on this page.

How many medjool dates to put in a smoothie

The ratio model does not portion medjool dates at all — it takes up no meaningful room, so it goes in on top of a finished blend rather than instead of something. One date is 24 g.

There is no texture penalty for using more of it, only a flavor one — and overshooting with medjool dates is easier than people expect. Taste before the second spoonful, not after.

Taking up no room is not the same as costing nothing. One date of medjool dates is 66 calories, which lands on top of whatever the rest of the glass already carries — the table below is the whole of it.

24 g
Typical, one glass

1 medjool date, portioned by the same model as the ratio calculator.

24–24 g
The whole range

The model portions one amount for this role, so there is no range to work within.

66
Calories per date

Change the amount and this moves with it — the calorie calculator does the arithmetic as you build.

What medjool dates do to the texture

Every ingredient on this site is rated out of three on the only three jobs that matter in a blender. Those ratings are what the substitution engine scores against, so they are the same numbers the rest of the site works from.

Thickness 1 / 3
A little body

Expect a small amount of body from medjool dates — enough to notice against water, not enough to build a blend on. Take it as a bonus rather than the reason it went in.

Creaminess 1 / 3
A trace of creaminess

The edges soften slightly. That is the difference between a blend that tastes finished and one that tastes like fruit and water, but the mouthfeel is not being carried here.

Sweetness 3 / 3
One of the sweetest things you can blend

This is the top of the sweetness scale — the reason a blend does not need honey, and the reason it can taste like a milkshake without one.

Sweetness is what medjool dates are really for. Whatever the blend needs on the other two axes has to come from somewhere else in the glass.

Medjool dates nutrition

Per 100 g so it can be compared against anything, and per date so it matches what actually goes in the jar. One date of medjool dates weighs 24 g.

Basis
Calories
Protein
Carbs
Sugar
Fat
Per 100 g 100 g · 6.7 g fiber
277 kcal
1.8 g
75 g
66 g
0.2 g
Per date 24 g · 1.6 g fiber
66 kcal
0.4 g
18 g
15.8 g
0 g

Figures for medjool dates. Everything on the site — every recipe, every calculator — sums from these same numbers, so a total you see elsewhere will always agree with this table.

What goes well with medjool dates

Its best partners

cocoa powder , banana , peanut butter , rolled oats and almond milk . Each of those either covers something medjool dates do not do, or leans the same way hard enough to make the drink taste deliberate.

What to use instead of medjool dates

Each stand-in is scored against medjool dates on all three jobs at once, by the same engine behind the substitution calculator. Calories and sugar are for one everyday measure of the replacement; the smaller figure underneath is the difference against the same measure of medjool dates.

Swap
Thickness
Creaminess
Sweetness
Calories
Sugar
Honey Per tbsp · keeps 7 of 9 · listed swap
Close
Close
Match
64 -2
17 +1
Maple Syrup Per tbsp · keeps 7 of 9 · listed swap
Close
Close
Match
52 -14
12 -4
Frozen Banana Per cup (sliced) · keeps 5 of 9 · listed swap
Differs
Differs
Match
134 +68
18 +2

Build a blend around it

Put medjool dates in, add whatever else is in the kitchen, and watch the calories and macros move as you go.

Open the calorie calculator

Estimates, not advice. Every figure on this page is calculated from published per-100 g reference values and standard household measures, so your own brands, portions and equipment will move it. Nothing here is medical, nutritional or dietetic advice — talk to a qualified professional before acting on it, particularly if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or feeding a child.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

More on blending with medjool dates

Do you need to soak dates before blending?

In a high-powered blender, no. In anything else, yes — a dry Medjool tears into chewy threads that never fully break down, and you find them in the last mouthful. Ten minutes in hot water softens one enough for any jug, and the soaking water can go into the blend rather than down the sink. Check for the pit before it goes anywhere near the blades.

How many dates in a smoothie?

One is usually enough, and two is the ceiling for a single glass. Dates are the sweetest ingredient by weight, so they are easy to overshoot — sweeten with one, taste, and only then add more.

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