This super easy vegan miso date caramel makes a wonderful frosting for icing muffins and cakes. It’s also nice as a spread for toast or pancakes, or as a fruit dip! Gluten free and sweetened purely by dates.
Anyone that’s tried a medjool date will know they have a wonderfully caramel-like flavour and texture. Though they’re more pricey than other varieties of dates, gosh they’re worth it when you want that effect – they’re the softest, most plump ones you can get.
With the popularity of vegan recipes at the moment, medjool dates are certainly getting their time in the spotlight, I think! And I’m jumping in with this very simple recipe for vegan miso date “caramel”. I wanted something easy to use for a cake frosting, and had an abundance of medjool dates left over from a catering job. A quick soak, blend in the Vitamix and voila! The addition of the slightly salty miso and the creamy cashew butter helps to balance the dates, so you don’t end up with a sickly sweet result.
Just to be clear, you do need a specific type of miso paste for this recipe – sweet white miso. This is a pale, golden coloured miso paste that has a gently sweet flavour on its own, as opposed to that full-on savoury taste you otherwise expect with miso. I’ve been able to find this at the supermarket, but if you can’t, try a specialist Asian grocer or a health food store.
This vegan miso date caramel is really, really yummy. If I could, I’d eat a spoonful of this every day; on my favourite maca pancakes, and maybe substituted as the filling in these chocolate cups! But just one little note; dates are a high FODMAP food and they are something I struggle with in larger quantities. (Here’s a link to my older blog post on low FODMAP diet basics). So, I save this caramel for special desserts or just have a little teaspoon spread over toast to keep my tummy happy. If you don’t have any FODMAP issues with dates though – go for it! Hope you love this simple recipe.
Vegan Miso Date Caramel
Ingredients
- 250 grams medjool dates - about 15 dates
- 1/2 cup cashew butter - smooth
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3-5 tbsp white miso paste
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates and place them in a large heat proof bowl. Cover with boiling-hot water and let them sit for 15 minutes so they are super soft.
- Drain the dates, reserving the soaking liquid.
- Place the dates, cashew butter, vanilla, salt and 3 tablespoons of miso paste into a blender or food processor jug. Add in about 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid from the dates. Combine until smooth.
- Taste test the caramel. If you like, add extra white miso paste, and also add extra soaking liquid (from the dates) if you want to make the caramel thinner. Blend again until smooth.
- Repeat the process until satisfied with the taste and consistency. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week (it might keep a little longer than that).
Notes
I made this on the weekend to pair with a ginger and carrot cake (a match made in heaven, it turns out !), and it was incredibly delicious, and so easy.
I used soaked cashews in place of the cashew butter, and regular packaged dates instead of medjool (I just let them soak for several hours).
I was perhaps a little too generous with the miso, and initially found the caramel too salty. But the saltiness died down massively after sitting in the fridge for a few hours.
This is a marvellous recipe, and I’ll definitely be making it again soon.
Had this bookmarked for ages and finally made it. Perfect with fresh strawberries. The miso adds a rich earthiness that balances the sweetness of the dates. Delicious and easy to make.