Dried Pitted Dates | Unsweetened

Dried Dates.

Dried pitted dates have a rich, caramel-like sweetness with layered notes of honey, toffee, brown sugar, and a subtle earthiness. The flavor is among the most complex and satisfying of all dried fruits, genuinely dessert-quality sweetness from pure fruit sugar. The texture is soft, yielding, and slightly sticky, almost fudge-like in Medjool varieties, slightly firmer in Deglet Noor. Dates are a premium snacking and cooking ingredient that deliver sweetness without any additions.

Store Gerbs Dried Pitted Dates in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. Dates are naturally very high in sugar content, which gives them exceptional shelf stability, unopened, they keep for up to 12 months at room temperature, and longer under refrigeration. After opening, dates are best kept refrigerated in an airtight container, where they will stay fresh for 6-12 months. At room temperature after opening, they keep for about 3-4 months. Dates may harden in cold temperatures, bring to room temperature before eating if taken from the refrigerator.

When you’re shopping for dried dates with food allergies in mind, you want assurance that nothing unwanted was introduced during processing. Gerbs Unsweetened Dried Pitted Dates are made in our family-owned, dedicated allergen-free facility in Johnston, Rhode Island. Our facility has never handled gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, crustaceans, mollusks, milk, eggs, sesame, or any of the 14 major allergens. No shared equipment. Every bag is packed by our own trained staff on dedicated kosher-certified equipment.

Dates (Phoenix dactylifera) are the fruit of the date palm tree, cultivated for over 5,000 years across the Middle East and North Africa. They are among the most naturally sweet of all fruits, Medjool and Deglet Noor varieties can contain upwards of 60-70% sugar by dry weight, making added sugar entirely unnecessary. Dates have a rich, caramel-like sweetness with notes of honey, brown sugar, and a subtly earthy complexity that makes them uniquely satisfying as a natural sweetener, a direct snack, or a base for dessert preparations.

Dates are pitted for convenience, ready to eat, stuff, blend, or chop into recipes without any prep. Their natural sugar profile makes them a popular choice for energy-dense snacking and as a whole-food sweetener in smoothies and baked goods.

Dates are the fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), one of the oldest cultivated trees in human history, archaeological evidence of date palm cultivation dates to at least 5,000 BCE in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Dates are classified as drupes (stone fruits) and are among the most naturally sugar-dense foods in the plant kingdom, with common varieties like Medjool and Deglet Noor containing 60-70% sugar by dry weight. “Pitted” simply means the seed (pit) has been removed for convenience. Dates have a rich, caramel-like sweetness with notes of honey, toffee, and a subtle earthiness. They are naturally sweet enough that no added sweeteners are ever necessary. Today, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are the world’s largest date producers.

Natural Sugar Energy: Rapid and Sustained

Dates are among the most energy-dense fruits in the plant kingdom, providing approximately 280 calories per 100g (USDA FoodData Central) from natural sugars, primarily fructose, glucose, and sucrose. This makes them a practical source of rapid, readily available energy. Athletes and active individuals have long used dates as a pre-workout or mid-exercise energy source.

Potassium

USDA FoodData Central reports approximately 696 mg of potassium per 100g of dried dates, roughly 15% of the Daily Value.

Magnesium

Dried dates provide approximately 54 mg of magnesium per 100g, roughly 13% of the Daily Value. The NIH identifies magnesium deficiency as common in developed countries.

Dietary Fiber

USDA FoodData Central reports approximately 8g of fiber per 100g of dried dates, including both soluble and insoluble fractions.

Iron and Copper

Dates provide approximately 0.9 mg of iron and 0.36 mg of copper per 100g (USDA FoodData Central). As with all foods, individual results may vary. Gerbs makes no medical claims.

Natural Sweetener (Blended)

Dates are one of the most effective whole-food natural sweeteners available. Blend soaked pitted dates with water to create date paste, a thick, caramel-sweet paste that substitutes 1:1 for refined sugar in many recipes. Use in energy balls, raw desserts, smoothies, salad dressings, and marinades. Date paste is the foundation of most “raw vegan” dessert preparations.

Direct Snacking

Eat dates directly as a natural candy alternative. Their fudge-like sweetness and satisfying chew are genuinely dessert-quality without any additions. A single large Medjool date contains roughly 18g of natural sugar and 1.5g of fiber, a snack that requires no preparation.

Stuffed Dates

Slice dates lengthwise and stuff with seed butter (sunflower, pumpkin) for an allergen-free version of the classic stuffed date. Press the halves closed around the filling. The caramel-sweet date and the savory richness of seed butter create a combination that is genuinely confection-quality, an elegant simple snack or party food.

Baking

Chop dates and fold into date-nut-style bars (without nuts, use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead), spice cakes, sticky toffee pudding preparations, and granola bars. Dates add natural sweetness, moisture, and a caramel depth to baked goods that refined sugar alone cannot replicate. Their fiber content also adds body to dense baked goods.

Smoothies

Add 1-2 pitted dates to any smoothie as a natural sweetener in place of honey, maple syrup, or added sugar. The dates blend completely smooth when using a high-powered blender and add a rich, caramel sweetness alongside potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Particularly useful in thick, meal-replacement-style smoothies.