This healthy Vanilla Date Caramel is made with just 3 ingredients, dates, coconut cream, and pure vanilla extract and is the perfectly healthy caramel for all your Fall treats! Simply combine everything together in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy!

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the Healthy Little Vittles blog, you know that I am a huge fan of dates! They are nature’s candy, and not only do they taste amazing and satisfy my sweet tooth, they are pretty high in nutrients as well! Dates contain fiber, which we all need more of! They also are a great source of potassium, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, copper, vitamin K, and magnesium.

Dates do contain sugar, but surprisingly dates have a lower glycemic index (the amount of time it takes a food to raise your blood sugar) than other natural sweeteners, which makes it a better sweetener choice for those with blood sugar issues.

I also love dates for their natural caramel flavor, so it makes total sense to use dates as the base for a healthy, homemade caramel without dairy, added refined sugars, artificial coloring, or gluten.

The Date Caramel Ingredients

Dates. You will need 10 large medjool dates. Preferably as fresh as you can find, however, to help soften them if they’ve gotten a little dry, we’re going to microwave the dates submerged in water. Read more about that below.

Coconut cream. For this caramel recipe you will need 1/4 cup of coconut cream- the solid part of the coconut from a can of coconut milk. You can buy cans that specifically say coconut cream, but you may also use full fat coconut milk. I don’t think there is a strong coconut flavor to this caramel, but you may alternatively use a different plant milk if you really don’t like the taste of coconut.

Vanilla. You’ll want to use pure vanilla extract in this homemade caramel recipe.

How to Make This Easy Date Caramel

This date caramel is so easy to make, but you do need a food processor or high speed blender.

Pit the dates and add them to a microwave safe bowl/measuring cup.

Cover with water and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain and add to a food processor or high speed blender.

Add the vanilla and coconut cream and blend until til smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, until creamy.

Keep stored in an airtight container for up to a week. You may refrigerate to keep longer, but the coconut cream might make the caramel hard, so allow it to sit at room temperature to soften slightly before use.

How to Use This Date Caramel

Aside from just eating it with a spoon like my daughter did 🤣, you can use it as a dip with apples and other fruit, you can spread it on toast, stir it into your morning bowl of oatmeal or chia pudding. Use this date caramel to make Caramel Filled Chocolate Eggs or Caramel Apple Crumb Bars.

I also use this 3-Ingredient Date Caramel in my Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies.

I’d love to hear how you’re using this 3-Ingredient Date Caramel! Let me know what you think about this simple, healthy caramel recipe down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover a nutrient-loaded caramel sauce! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make it!