Date butter

Date butter, not date ‘butter’

'Date butter' sounds faintly innuendo-ish and might even bring to mind that infamous 70s movie. But it in fact is a very innocent and very delicious kind of compound butter, with a multitude of uses and even some health benefits.

Because what we present here is proper, dairy butter rather than what vegans call ‘butter’ and is just a paste made out of dates, without a molecule of protein in the contents and frankly a waste of good dates, in my humble opinion.

How healthy is date butter?

It is open to question, to be honest, but some studies claim eating dates with butter is a good hit of energy and a gratifying snack, similarly pleasing but much healthier than any processed foods. The fibre in dates mitigates the sugar content and the fat in butter lowers glucose and insulin spikes.

Dates stuffed with chunks of butter are viral on TikTok – though admittedly that by no means provides a certificate of healthfulness.

How delicious is date butter?

Now this is the unquestionable, unarguable and irrefutable fact: date butter is to die for tasty.

I first tried it from sadly now defunct Oklava restaurant in London, in a bacon toastie. I think it might have been the best sandwich I have had in my life, and The Weather Man (who is a devoted bacon butty lover) firmly states it was his.

Bacon or no bacon though, I can just eat it with a spoon, so I necessarily make it in small quantities.

How to make date butter?

It’s too easy: depending on whether you want it chunky or smooth, chop up a few pitted medjool dates or pound them in a mortar and pestle.

Medjool dates are definitely required, as they are the best: jammy, tender and sweet. If you use lower quality dates, unless you blitz them to a really smooth paste, bits of skin will be annoying and the flavour not as good.

Really softened unsalted butter is needed, the best you can get, though it doesn’t have to be the super expensive cultured kind. I prefer to use unsalted butter to start off with, then add pinches of salt to taste.

Once the dates are pureed or chopped, all you do is mash them into the soft butter with a fork, tasting and salting as required. It’s a risky business though: I once got so much into tasting and salting, there was no date butter left when I finished.

How to use date butter?

Lightly toasted, thickly sliced good sourdough bread is the perfect vehicle for this butter. And if you want the heavenly bacon butty experience, use thus smeared bread to make a bacon sandwich.

But it also tastes incredibly well spread on rye bread, be it pumpernickel or something like Biona or Vogel seedy rye bread, if you don’t bake your own.

And it’s not just toast and bread: date butter gives a new dimension to teacakes, buns, scones and crumpets, plus it’s sweet enough so you won’t need jam on top. Health points scored!

It will be delicious spread on pancakes and any type of cake you are always tempted to put butter on: banana bread, Irish brack, brioche or Christmas fruitcake.

And as I owned up above, I just eat it. On its own.

Variation: balsamic butter

I have added a less popular and, frankly, less heavenly (but taste is not to be judged) variation to the recipe: balsamic butter. It is not as sweet, but it has an interesting tang which will be the nicer, the better quality your balsamic vinegar.

Add a few drops of honey to sweeten it. Alternatively use balsamic glaze which is available in the shops, a concentrated, sweeter version of aceto di Modena, and no honey.

You can use balsamic butter exactly in the same way as date butter, and both will keep in the fridge for weeks, just like ordinary butter would.

More butter and spread recipes

Compound butter in three flavours: herb lemon butter, perfect for steak, chilli crisp butter to transform cooked vegetables and chive butter, dreamy on baked potatoes. It’s a new world of flavours for a butter lover!

Thick and flavoursome cranberry butter is like cranberry sauce on steroids and it can be used as jam, jelly or confiture too. There's no dairy in fruit butters!

Smoky tomato butter with incredible flavour is a creamy spread, sauce, condiment, everything. The most gorgeous way to use a glut of summer cherry tomatoes.

More date recipes

Date and nut squares, with chunks of Medjool dates and a mix of almonds, pecans and pistachio in rich, chewy batter. There’s a reason why these are called ‘food for gods’.

Date porridge is naturally sweet, prepared the night before and cooked within minutes into chunky, nutritious and kick-ass breakfast.

Sticky toffee pudding, topped with chopped nuts and toffee sauce. Dates and dark brown sugar are key to a good sticky toffee, and it’s as lovely warm as it is cold.