If you’ve been hanging around my kitchen long enough (virtually or literally), you’ll know one thing — nothing goes to waste. Not even the pulp from making date syrup.
This post is a two-in-one treat: first, I’ll walk you through how I make my homemade date syrup — perfect for coffee, baking, pancakes, or just licking off a spoon (no judgment). Then, because we’re not about tossing goodness in the compost if we can help it, I’ll show you how I turn the leftover date pulp into chocolatey date bars my kiddo devours without question.
Spoiler: these bars are naturally sweet, packed with nutrients, and might just help kick worms out too. #MomWin
Why Make Date Syrup From Scratch?
Good question. With shelves lined with syrups and sweeteners, why go through the effort?
Because most store-bought options are:
Loaded with refined sugar or questionable “natural flavors”
Missing the fiber, minerals, and nutrients that make dates so magical
Overpriced when you realize how easy this is to make at home
And let’s be honest: once you start actually reading labels and researching ingredients, it’s hard to go back.
Homemade Date Syrup Recipe
You’ll need:
- A jar of dates (any variety — Medjool is great, but use what you have)
- Filtered Water
How to make it:
- Soak your dates overnight in just enough water to cover them.
- Pour everything (dates + soak water) into a pan.
- Add 2 parts more water. So if you started with 1 cup of dates, add 2 cups water now.
- Simmer on low until soft and gooey.
- Blend the whole mixture until smooth.
- Strain through cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or a clean tea towel. Don’t throw that pulp out!
- Return the liquid to the stove and simmer until it thickens to your liking. The longer it cooks, the richer and thicker it becomes.
- Cool and store in a clean jar in the fridge. Use it in your coffee, make milkshakes for the kids, drizzle it over pancakes, or stir into oats for a bit of extra sweetness.
Chocolate Date Bars (Made From the Pulp!)
So you’ve got this sticky, sweet pulp staring at you. Good. Because we’re turning it into no-bake, nutrient-packed date bars — and topping them with homemade chocolate.
You’ll need:
- The leftover date pulp (about 1/2 a cup, more is fine)
- ½ cup peanut butter or any nut/seed butter
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup mixed seeds (I used sunflower, flax, chia, sesame and pumpkin — bonus anti-parasitic powers!)
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
For the chocolate topping:
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup date syrup (yep, from earlier!)
- 2-3tbsp milk powder
- A dash of salt
Steps:
- 1. Mix all the bar ingredients in a bowl until it forms a dough.
- 2. Press into a lined dish.
- 3. Melt the coconut oil, then stir in cacao, milk powder and date syrup.
- 4. Pour chocolate over the base and pop in the fridge to set. Cut into bars or squares, and store in the fridge or freezer (if they last that long). If you have a silicon mold that works great too
Why This Recipe Is a Mama’s Best Friend
- No refined sugar
- High in fiber and minerals
- Kid-approved AND
- gut-friendly (pumpkin seeds are nature’s worm whisperers)
- Totally customizable
- And most importantly, you’re getting TWO recipes in one — with zero waste.
Final Thoughts: Sweeten Life Naturally
Once you start experimenting with whole food sweeteners like this, it’s hard to go back to store-bought syrups with mile-long ingredient lists. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress — and teaching our kids that real food comes from the kitchen, not a factory. Plus, who doesn’t love a good excuse to make chocolate?
Let me know if you try this and share your wins with me on socials @homesteadmompreneur
Happy munching!
Till next time..
