Pitted dates look interchangeable on a shelf. They are not. The gap between a good pack and a poor one comes down to a few things you can actually check — and price is not the most useful of them. Here is how to choose.
1. Moisture is the real quality signal
The first thing to judge is how soft the fruit is. A good date gives when pressed, folds rather than splits, and tastes of caramel rather than flat sweetness. A dry one is firm at the edges, cracks apart, and needs soaking before it is much use for blending or baking.
Dryness is not always a fault — some dates are deliberately dried harder because it makes them cheaper to ship and slower to spoil. But it is a trade, and it is the trade that most supermarket packs have made. If you are eating them by the handful, moisture is what you are paying for.
2. Read the ingredient list — it should be one line
Pitted dates should contain dates. That is the whole list. Things that turn up in some packs and are worth knowing about:
- Oil or glazing agents — usually added to stop dates sticking together. It makes them shiny and slick.
- Added sugar or syrup — rare, but it appears in some value packs.
- Preservatives or sulphites — more common in dried fruit generally than in dates specifically, but check anyway.
- Humectants — used to fake softness in fruit that has dried out.
None of these are dangerous. They are just a sign that the fruit needed help.
3. Deglet Noor or Medjool?
These are the two varieties you will find most often in Australia, and they are genuinely different products.
- Medjool — large, dark, soft and rich, almost fudgy. The best of them are excellent eaten on their own. They are also the most expensive dates on the shelf, usually by a wide margin, and their intensity can dominate a bake.
- Deglet Noor — smaller, lighter, with a clean honey-caramel flavour. Easier to eat several of, better behaved when chopped through a loaf or granola, and considerably better value per kilo.
If you want one variety in the cupboard for snacking, chopping and blending, Deglet Noor is the more versatile buy. If you want a few dates to serve as dessert with coffee, buy Medjool. We compare them in detail in our Deglet Noor vs Medjool guide.
4. Origin tells you more than the brand does
Most dates sold in Australia are imported, and the label will usually tell you where from — Tunisia, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United States or, for some, “packed in Australia from imported ingredients”, which tells you very little about the fruit itself.
Origin matters less as a badge than as a clue about how far the fruit travelled and how long ago. A brand that can tell you which country, which region and which season the fruit came from is a brand that knows its supply chain. One that cannot, usually buys on price.
5. Check the pitting
No pitting process is perfect — an occasional stone or fragment can remain in any pitted fruit, which is why every reputable pack carries a warning. What you are looking for is neatness: dates that are intact rather than torn open, and few loose fragments in the bottom of the bag.
6. Where to buy, and what you are trading
- Supermarkets — the cheapest option by a distance, and fine for baking where texture matters less. Expect drier fruit and limited origin information.
- Health food shops and grocers — better range, often better fruit, priced in the middle.
- Direct from the producer — the shortest path from harvest to pantry, which usually means softer fruit and full traceability. Worth it if you eat dates regularly rather than once a year at Christmas.
7. Storing them properly
Keep the pack sealed, cool and out of sunlight, and refrigerate after opening — especially through an Australian summer, which will dry out an open pack faster than anything else. Dates freeze well too: seal them airtight and thaw what you need.
White patches on the surface are usually sugar bloom, the fruit’s own sugars rising to the outside. It is normal. Fuzzy growth, unusual discolouration or a fermented smell is not — throw those out.
The short version
Buy for moisture, check that the ingredient list says dates and nothing else, pick Deglet Noor for everyday use and Medjool for a treat, and favour a seller who can tell you where the fruit came from.
Our own soft pitted Deglet Noor dates are grown in our groves in Tunisia and packed in Australia, with nothing added — no oils, syrups or preservatives. If you would rather sweeten with dates than eat them, we also mill them into date sugar and blend them into date paste.