For better oatmeal, skip the sugar—dates do more with less.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

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You don’t need sugar to make oatmeal taste good. A handful of chopped dates adds sweetness, richness, and a welcome chewy texture.

On mornings when you want something warm and sustaining, oatmeal is an easy choice, but what you add to it is what makes the bowl memorable. Part of oatmeal’s appeal is its reputation as a healthy breakfast that’s easy and flexible: Oats are fiber-rich, filling, and neutral enough to take on whatever flavors you pair with them.

That blank-canvas quality is both its strength and its downfall. Because oats are mild, many people end up compensating with spoonful after spoonful of sugar—it’s an easy, familiar ingredient that takes no extra thought or time to add. But adding a lot of sugar can quickly push the bowl in a direction that feels more like dessert than breakfast (which, to be fair, isn’t always a bad thing—but maybe not what you want every morning).

One ingredient solves the problem of oatmeal tasting too dessert-like: dates. They’re just as easy to reach for as granulated or brown sugar—no special prep, no extra steps. They add sweetness, but they also bring depth, richness, and texture. Dates and oats are already a proven pairing—Zaynab Issa’s Sticky Date and Brown Butter Oatmeal for NYT Cooking is one of my favorite examples of how well their flavors play together—but you don’t even need a specific recipe to tap into what dates do for oatmeal. Kept in the pantry or fridge, they’re a reliable ingredient worth having on hand. Just a few chopped dates stirred directly into the pot while the oats cook can transform your breakfast into something you really look forward to eating.

Why Dates Are the Best Sweetener for Oatmeal

Dates bring a caramel-like sweetness that pairs especially well with oatmeal. As they warm in the pot, their sugars soften and spread into the surrounding liquid, giving the oatmeal a gentle, even sweetness rather than sharp bursts of sugar. Dates also change the texture of the oatmeal in a way that other sweeteners don’t. As they soften in the oatmeal, they give it more body and a faintly "sticky pudding" quality, especially if you’re using very soft Medjool dates. Firmer, semi-soft varieties—like Deglet Noor or Zahidi—keep more of their shape, adding chewy bites that break up the creaminess of the oats. Either way, you’re not just adding sweetness; you’re adding richness and structure.

On top of that, they contribute fiber, which works alongside the fiber in oats to make the bowl more filling. The result is a breakfast that feels wholesome but tastes far more interesting than plain oats with a spoonful of sugar.

How to Add Dates to Oatmeal

Here are a few easy ways to add dates to oatmeal, each offering a slightly different texture and level of sweetness.

• **Add chopped dates. **The easiest way to use dates—and the one I rely on most—is to pit and chop a few into small pieces, then stir them directly into the pot with the oats. Medjool dates melt into the oatmeal, giving the bowl a rich, sticky texture, while semi-soft varieties like the aforementioned Deglet Noor and Zahidi hold their shape for a chewier contrast. As a general guide, use 3 to 5 dates (depending on their size) for 3/4 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats and about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of water or your milk of choice.
• **Cook the chopped dates, then stir them into the mixture. **For even more concentrated sweetness, I’ll sometimes cook the pitted and chopped dates down in a little butter or ghee before adding the oats and milk; they soften more, and their sugars begin to caramelize, giving the oats a deeper, toffee-like flavor.
• **Use soaked dates. **If you want the chopped dates to soften more quickly or disperse their sweetness more evenly, soak them in a bit of hot water for a few minutes (about 5 minutes before adding them to the pot). The fruit begins to break down, the liquid becomes lightly sweet, and both can go straight into the pot, helping the sweetness spread more uniformly through the oats. Use the same date-to-liquid-and-oats ratio as above.
• **Add date molasses. **A small spoonful of date molasses adds a deep, concentrated sweetness. It’s a good option when you want a quick drizzle-style sweetener that still fits the overall flavor profile. Just note that you won’t get the sticky, chewy texture of chopped dates.
• **Use date paste. **Blending softened dates with a little water in a blender creates a smooth paste that evenly sweetens the entire bowl. It’s useful for batch prep but requires equipment, so it’s less practical for everyday use. Alternatively, you can buy store-bought date paste instead.

Flavor Pairings That Work Especially Well With Dates and Oatmeal

A bonus is how naturally dates work with the flavors people already reach for in oatmeal:

• Cinnamon and cardamom: their warmth amplifies the dates’ caramel notes.
• **Vanilla: **rounds out the sweetness without overpowering it.
• Tahini or other nut butters: add richness and balance. Dates and sesame or nuts are a classic pairing for a reason, with the slight bitterness of the nuts offsetting the dates’ jammy sweetness and adding richness to the oatmeal.
• Peanut butter: especially good here, its roasted, nutty richness playing directly into the dates’ caramel-like sweetness.
• **Cocoa powder or cacao nibs: **add a deep bittersweet edge.
• Orange zest: brightens the bowl without overshadowing the dates.
• Fresh fruit, such as bananas or blueberries, echoes the dates’ fruitiness while adding freshness.

But even without any extras, dates do a lot of heavy lifting and make a plain bowl richer, layered, and more satisfying.