· By ODM Masala
Khajoor Uses: How to Eat Dates & Swap Out Sugar
Quick answer: Khajoor is eaten straight from the box, soaked overnight in water or warm milk, or blended into a smooth paste that stands in for sugar in ladoo, halwa, shakes and chutney. Two to three dates a day is a normal serving for most healthy adults, and the soft Medjool variety works best for cooking because it blends without leaving lumps.
Khajoor is also known as dates in English, khajur across most of North and East India, kharjura in Sanskrit, and pericham pazham in Tamil. Hard, sun-dried dates are a different thing — those are chuwara or kharek, meant for soaking and cooking rather than eating straight from the packet.
Most Indian kitchens keep a box of khajoor for Ramzan, for fasting days, or as the thing you hand a child instead of a toffee. But dates can do far more than sit in a bowl on the shelf. Here is how to actually use them.
How do you eat khajoor every day?
The simplest uses are the ones you will actually keep up with:
- Plain, with morning tea. Two soft dates in place of a biscuit. No preparation at all.
- Soaked overnight. Drop three or four dates in half a cup of water at night and eat them in the morning. Soaking softens the skin and makes them easier on the stomach.
- In warm milk. Simmer two dates in a glass of milk for five minutes, mash them lightly, and drink it at night. A pinch of green cardamom lifts the flavour.
- Stuffed. Slit a date lengthwise, pull out the seed, and push in half a walnut or a whole almond. This is the easiest festive sweet you can make, and there is no sugar in it at all.
- In the lunchbox. Chopped dates with roasted nuts travel well and do not melt the way chocolate does.
How do you make khajoor paste to replace sugar?
Date paste is the single most useful thing you can do with khajoor. It takes ten minutes and keeps for a fortnight.
- Deseed 15 to 20 soft dates.
- Soak them in half a cup of warm water or milk for 20 minutes, until they turn spongy.
- Blend to a smooth paste, adding the soaking liquid one spoon at a time until it moves like thick honey.
- Store in a clean glass jar in the fridge and use within two weeks.
As a rough guide, about three-quarters of a cup of date paste stands in for one cup of sugar in halwa, ladoo, smoothies and energy bars. Reduce the other liquid in the recipe slightly to make up for it. One thing to expect: date paste browns the dish and brings a caramel note with it, so it suits halwa and ladoo beautifully but is not the right choice for pale sweets like rasgulla or a plain white kheer.
What can you cook with khajoor?
| Dish | How khajoor is used | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Dry fruit ladoo | Pulsed with nuts to bind the mixture | No sugar syrup and no extra ghee needed |
| Khajoor milkshake | Four or five dates blended with cold milk | Soak first so the blender does not leave bits |
| Khajoor imli chutney | Boiled with tamarind in place of most of the jaggery | The classic chaat chutney, less sweet and more rounded |
| Halwa and kheer | Paste stirred in near the end of cooking | Add off the heat so it does not catch at the base |
| Energy bars and chikki | Paste works as the binder | Press firmly and chill before cutting |
Dates pair naturally with the other things already in your dry fruit jar. Walnuts give ladoo its bite, and anjeer alongside khajoor makes the mixture chewier and less cloying.
How should you store khajoor at home?
- On the shelf: an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard keeps dates good for two to three months.
- In the fridge: six months or more, and they stay soft rather than drying out — the better option through an Indian summer.
- In the freezer: up to a year. Thaw at room temperature for an hour before eating.
- That white film: a pale bloom on the surface is natural sugar crystallising out. It is harmless. A sour or musty smell, or fuzzy growth, means the batch should be thrown away.
- Keep them away from spices: dates pick up strong smells easily, so do not park the box next to your masala dabba.
FAQ
How many khajoor can I eat in a day?
Two to three dates a day is a normal serving for most healthy adults, usually in the morning or before a workout. Dates are naturally high in sugars, so anyone managing blood sugar should ask their doctor what suits them.
Should khajoor be soaked before eating?
Soft Medjool dates do not need soaking — you can eat them as they are. Soaking helps if the dates have gone firm in storage, if you are feeding them to a small child, or if you plan to blend them into a shake or paste.
Is khajoor the same as chuwara?
No. Khajoor is the soft, moist date you eat as is. Chuwara is the same fruit dried hard until it turns pale or dark brown, and it is almost always soaked or simmered in milk before use. They are not interchangeable in a recipe.
If you want to start with the paste, use soft dates that blend clean — our Medjool khajoor is handpicked, with no artificial colours, no fillers and no preservatives added.