Fruit

Dates nutrition, weighed and measured.

On USDA figures, 1 pitted date works out at 66 calories and carries 0.4 g of protein. USDA files this under “Dates, medjool”, and that is the record used here. Set the serving below and the panel works it out, with the full nutrient table following your choice.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

USDA FoodData Central record 168191 supply every value here. The calculation happens in this page.

How many calories are in dates?

At 277 calories per 100 g, 1 pitted date comes to 66. The weights shown for each portion come straight from the USDA record.

Protein in dates, measured

There are 0.4 g of protein in 1 pitted date, or 1 percent of the 50 g the FDA uses as a daily reference. Protein is close to absent in dates. Its calories come from carbohydrate instead.

By calories rather than by weight the split is 2 percent protein, 0 percent fat and 97 percent carbohydrate, so in practice it is mostly a carbohydrate rather than anything else.

Kitchen notes on dates

These stone fruits are sold dried or fresh, though even fresh fruit looks wrinkled. Medjool dates are large, soft, and taste like caramel. Deglet Noor dates are firmer and easier to chop. Look for plump fruit with glossy skin. Avoid any with sugar crystallising on the skin or those smelling of fermentation.

Dates melt into paste when simmered in liquid, which sweetens sauces and stews. High heat caramelises their sugars quickly, risking bitter burning. The most common kitchen mistake is forgetting to check for tough pits inside, or failing to peel thick, papery skins off older fruit before blending them into smooth purées.

In North African cookery, dates balance savoury tagines containing lamb or poultry. Middle Eastern cooks stuff them with goat cheese or almonds. They pair well with dark chocolate, sea salt, walnuts, and strong blue cheeses. You can also chop them into morning porridge or bake them into traditional puddings.

Dates: the full nutrient profile

Nothing in dates reaches a large share of a Daily Value per serving. The full record is tabulated below and follows the panel.

Dates packs 6.7 g of fibre into 100 g, covering 24 percent of what the label rules call a day’s worth.

66 g of the 75 g of carbohydrate in 100 g is sugar. Eaten whole, it comes packaged with water and fibre, which slows the whole thing down.

Dates against a daily budget

1 pitted date uses 3 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and returns 1 percent of the protein reference. Your own budget is probably not 2,000; the TDEE calculator works it out, and the macro calculator splits it into protein, carbs and fat.

Recipes that start with dates

Written by the Calorie Counter Team. The nutrition under each one is not an estimate: every ingredient is matched to its USDA FoodData Central record and the totals are summed from those, then divided by the servings.

Snack · British

Date Flapjacks

Chewy baked oat bars bound with pureed dates, butter and honey.

40 min · serves 8

274kcal

4gprotein

12gfat

41gcarbs

Ingredients

• pitted dates 200 g
• unsalted butter 100 g
• honey 50 g
• rolled oats 200 g
• water 100 g
• table salt 1 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C and grease a 20cm square baking tin.
2. Boil the dates in the water for 5 minutes until soft, then mash them into a thick paste.
3. Melt the butter and honey together in a saucepan over low heat.
4. Stir the oats, salt, date paste and melted butter mixture together in a bowl.
5. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
6. Slice into eight bars while warm, then leave to cool completely in the tin.

6 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Breakfast · British

Date and Oats Porridge

A breakfast porridge sweetened with chopped Medjool dates.

15 min · serves 2

254kcal

7.9gprotein

5.7gfat

46gcarbs

Ingredients

• Rolled oats 50 g
• Whole milk 250 g
• Medjool dates, pitted 60 g
• Ground cinnamon 1 g
• Table salt 1 g

Method

1. Chop the pitted dates into 5mm pieces.
2. Combine the oats, milk, cinnamon, salt, and chopped dates in a saucepan.
3. Heat the saucepan over medium heat until the liquid simmers.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Pour the porridge into two bowls.

Built from 5 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Snack · American

Date and Walnut Bites

A firm snack made by blending dried dates and walnuts.

10 min · serves 5

222kcal

4.4gprotein

14gfat

27gcarbs

Ingredients

• Deglet Noor dates, pitted 150 g
• Walnuts 100 g
• Cocoa powder 15 g
• Water 15 g
• Table salt 1 g

Method

1. Chop the walnuts in a food processor until they are in 2mm pieces.
2. Add the pitted dates, cocoa powder, salt, and water to the food processor.
3. Blend the mixture for 2 minutes until it forms a cohesive paste.
4. Divide the paste into 10 equal portions.
5. Roll each portion into a ball.

5 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

A plate built around dates

To see how dates adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

Dates beside its neighbours

Same weight for every row, 100 g, so differences are not portion effects. The form column shows whether a row is raw, cooked or as sold.

Dates: common questions

How many calories does 1 pitted date have?

66 calories, according to USDA FoodData Central: the record is “Dates, medjool”, FDC 168191. That works out at 277 per 100 g.

How much protein does dates have?

1 pitted date has 0.4 g of protein. By weight that is 1.8 g per 100 g, and the serving covers 1 percent of the Daily Value.

Can you eat dates when trying to lose weight?

That depends on the rest of the day, not on dates. For planning: 1 pitted date is 66 calories and 0.4 g of protein, 3 percent protein by energy, useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

How many carbs are in dates?

Expect 18 g of carbs from 1 pitted date, including 1.6 g of fibre and 16 g of sugar.

How do you soften hard, dry dates?

Soak them in hot water until they soften and plump. Drain the liquid before using the fruit in your recipe. This restores their moisture, making them much easier to blend, purée, or chop.

Do dates need to be stored in the fridge?

Keep them in sealed containers to prevent drying. While they survive in the cupboard, cold storage preserves their moisture and flavour for much longer. If they dry out, soak them before use.

Sources

• Dates, medjool — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168191
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9