Date Caramel Sauce

Date caramel sauce is a healthy alternative to caramel made with sugar, butter, and cream. Blending the dates with oat milk makes it extra creamy and delicious, and prep is SO easy! In just a few minutes you can whip up a batch of vegan caramel sauce to serve with everything from ice cream to fresh fruit. No coconut milk or vegan butter required!

I have a special place in my heart for healthy vegan desserts. I love decadent ones, too! But knowing how to transform a somewhat intimidating, non-vegan recipe like caramel sauce into a surprisingly easy and wholesome version is just plain fun.

Since most vegan caramel sauce recipes call for coconut milk and/or vegan butter, I thought it would be fun to try oat milk, similar to this mind-blowing vegan chocolate sauce.

The natural starch in oat milk blends with sweet medjool dates, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to create a warm, creamy, light caramel sauce that's perfect for serving with healthy homemade treats like banana nice cream and oil-free brownies.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make Date Caramel Sauce
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment Needed
• Recipe FAQs
• Top Tip
• Ways to Use Date Caramel
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

• dates - look for fresh medjool dates in the produce section of the grocery store. They're great for making vegan caramel sauce because they naturally taste like caramel! Also, the fresher the dates, the more soft and plump they will be, which is easier on your blender.
• oat milk - if you've ever made oat milk at home you're probably familiar with the "slime" factor. Well, in this vegan caramel that works in our favor by adding a bit more of a stretchy and creamy quality. But store-bought oat milk works, too! See the Subs section below.
• vanilla extract - adds another layer of sweetness and irresistible aroma.
• maple syrup - optional but recommended if you want a slightly sweeter caramel. Using more dates will obviously make it sweeter, too, but they also make it thicker and more like a paste than a sauce.

See the recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.

How to Make Date Caramel Sauce

The first thing we want to do is soak the dates so they're nice and soft and plump and easy to blend. To do this, place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water.

Set the dates aside to soak for at least 15 minutes.

Next, drain the dates and transfer them to a blender, preferably a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt.

Gradually increase the blender to high speed and blend until the dates are fully broken down and the mixture is silky smooth.

You can enjoy the date caramel straight from the blender, but I like to heat it briefly on the stovetop to enhance the flavors and activate the starch in the oat milk.

Tip: Start on medium heat and slowly bring the caramel mixture to a simmer. It will start to bubble up and splatter, so be careful not to burn yourself! Immediately reduce the heat, and whisk constantly to keep the bubbles from popping and spitting.

After a few minutes the date caramel will be thick and slightly darker in color. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Substitutions

• other milks - other non-dairy milks work, too, such as almond, soy, or coconut. But since they don't thicken when heated in the same way oat milk does, you may want to start with a lesser amount.
• maple syrup - the warm sweetness and flavor of maple syrup really tastes great alongside the dates, but if you don't have any and want to sweeten the mixture after blending, brown rice syrup is perfect. You can also whisk in cane sugar, light brown sugar, or coconut sugar.

Variations

• boozy - add a splash of your favorite bourbon, whiskey, or dark rum.
• cinnamon caramel - especially delicious on vanilla oat milk ice cream, add ground cinnamon, to taste.
• miso caramel - for a salted date caramel with a hint of umami, use white miso paste instead of sea salt. Start with ½ teaspoon and taste and adjust while it's in the blender.
• make it richer - as written, this date caramel has no added fat (unless you use an oat milk that contains oil). For a richer caramel sauce feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of vegan butter, coconut cream, or your favorite nut butter.

Equipment Needed

A high-speed blender is needed to fully break down the dates. A regular blender is fine if you don't mind seeing small bits of dates throughout the sauce.

You'll also need a small sauce pan and a whisk.

Recipe FAQs

Ways to Use Date Caramel

Recipe