If you like Medjool dates, you’ll love this easy, no-bake dessert recipe. Soaking and cooking the dates with sugar, salt, lime juice, and zest enhances their inherent caramel flavor. The smooth, slightly dense date mixture is layered with lightly sweetened heavy whipping cream and garnished with salted pistachios and rose petals. The result is a dessert that’s both luxurious and refreshingly light. If you’re a fan of easy, chilled, make-ahead desserts like this one, you’ll love my lemon posset, vanilla custard sauce, and quick kulfi recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy recipe - It doesn’t get easier than this easy date dessert recipe. A few simple ingredients that you likely have at home and 15 minutes of active cooking time are all you need for this effortless recipe. Guilt-free dessert - This date dessert recipe has far less processed sugar than the average dessert, which is always a win! Make-ahead dessert - Who doesn’t love a make-ahead dessert? Make this up to two days ahead of any event and assemble it a day before or on the day of your special occasion. Perfect for a dessert table - This is a beautiful addition to a dessert table at a summer barbecue, graduation, or wedding.
Ingredient notes
Medjool dates - With their caramel taste, soft texture, and accessibility, these are the best dates for this recipe. Granulated sugar - Adding granulated sugar to the dates as they cook enhances the caramel taste, improves the texture, and acts as a preservative. This prolongs the fridge life of this date dessert recipe. Lime - I’m not too fond of desserts that are too sweet. A little lime juice and zest help neutralize this dessert, so it’s not too sweet. The juice also contains pectin, which helps thicken the mixture and preserve it. Salt - I always add a pinch of salt to my desserts to create a balanced flavor. Heavy whipping cream - Heavy whipping cream is the perfect way to balance the sweetness and dense texture of the dates. Powdered sugar - This adds just a touch of sweetness and structure to the cream. Pistachios - I always use salted pistachios for my desserts, like my pumpkin halwa, mango kulfi, and sheer khurma. Rose petals - A traditional garnish for all Pakistani desserts, like gulab jamun, rose petals are optional but add a beautiful finish to this dessert.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
Try different nuts - Almonds, walnuts, and pecans all pair well with dates. Swap any one of these out for the pistachios. Add a flavoring - Cardamom, orange blossom, and even rose water can be added to the date mixture for added aroma and flavor. Swap out the rose petals - Not a fan of rose petals? Add chocolate or coconut flakes along with the nuts as a garnish instead. Don’t add sugar to the cream - If you want your dessert to be less sweet, whip the cream with a tablespoon of plain cornstarch and omit the powdered sugar.
Step-by-step instructions
Cook the dates until the mixture thickens, then cool to room temperature. Chill the mixture in the fridge for a few hours before assembling the dessert.
Expert Tips
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
