Most people look at the sugar figure on a packet of dates and stop reading. It's an understandable reaction and a slightly misleading one.
Here are the actual numbers, and — more usefully — what they mean.
Dates: Complete Nutrition per 100g
| Nutrient | Per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 277 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 75 g |
| — of which sugars | ~63 g |
| Dietary fibre | 6.7 g |
| Protein | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g |
| Potassium | 696 mg |
| Calcium | 64 mg |
| Magnesium | 54 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg |
| Copper | 0.36 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.249 mg |
Dates also contribute folate, manganese and a range of polyphenols and flavonoids — analyses of Arabian date varieties have identified up to 18 distinct phenolic compounds.
Per Date, Not Per 100g
Nobody eats 100g of dates by weighing it out, and dates vary enormously in size. This is the table that's actually useful:
| Large Medjool (~24g) | Small date (~8g) | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | ~66 kcal | ~22 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | ~18 g | ~6 g |
| Sugar | ~15 g | ~5 g |
| Fibre | ~1.6 g | ~0.5 g |
| Potassium | ~167 mg | ~56 mg |
One Medjool is roughly three small dates. This is why counting pieces misleads people — and why our guide to how many dates to eat a day recommends counting by weight.
The Sugar Number, In Context
63g of sugar per 100g is a real figure. Dates are a concentrated fruit — drying removes water, which concentrates everything else.
Three things make that number behave differently than it reads:
1. Fibre. At 6.7g per 100g, dates carry meaningful dietary fibre, which forms a gel in the intestine and slows glucose absorption. Table sugar has none.
2. A moderate glycemic index. Because of that fibre, dates sit at a GI of roughly 50 — the low-to-moderate band, not the high one their sugar content alone would suggest.
3. Portion reality. Nobody eats 100g in one sitting. Three small dates is around 15g of sugar — comparable to a small glass of orange juice, with fibre and minerals attached.
That said: dates are high in sugar, and if you're managing blood glucose this matters. Our guide on dates and diabetes covers what the research shows, including why your individual response matters more than any published average.
The Potassium Story
This is the most underrated number in the table.
696mg of potassium per 100g is roughly double what you'd get from the same weight of banana — the food everyone associates with potassium.
Potassium supports fluid balance, normal muscle function and healthy blood pressure, and most people don't get enough of it. In a hot climate where you lose minerals through sweat, that's a genuine practical advantage in a food you can carry in a bag.
What Dates Don't Have
Worth stating plainly:
- Virtually no fat — 0.2g per 100g
- No cholesterol
- Very little protein — 1.8g per 100g, so not a protein source
- No added sugar in plain dates — all of it is naturally occurring
That last point matters when comparing to processed snacks. The sugar in dates arrived with fibre, potassium and polyphenols attached. The sugar in a biscuit did not.
How Dates Compare to Other Snacks
Per 100g, against common alternatives:
- Dates: 277 kcal, 6.7g fibre, 696mg potassium, no added sugar
- Milk chocolate: roughly 535 kcal, minimal fibre, added sugar
- Sweet biscuits: roughly 480 kcal, minimal fibre, added sugar
Dates are not low-calorie. They're calorie-dense but nutrient-dense, which is a different thing from empty calories. As a replacement for confectionery they're a clear improvement. As an addition on top of it, they're just more calories.
Does Nutrition Vary Between Varieties?
Less than people expect.
Across Ajwa, Safawi, Mariami, Medjool, Mabroom, Tunisia and Aloei, the macronutrient profile is broadly similar — roughly 270–280 calories, 6–7g fibre and a good potassium contribution per 100g.
The meaningful differences between varieties are size, texture, sweetness, origin and price — not nutrition. Our guide to date varieties compares all eight.
Two small caveats:
- Medjool is slightly higher in potassium than some varieties, and much larger, so per-piece figures differ a lot.
- Rotab is fresh rather than dried, so more of its weight is water — meaning fewer calories and less sugar per 100g than an equivalent weight of dried dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories in one date? Around 66 for a large Medjool, around 22 for a small date. Size matters more than variety.
Are dates high in sugar? Yes — roughly 63g per 100g, all naturally occurring. The fibre changes how that sugar behaves, but it's still a sugary food.
Do dates have more potassium than bananas? Per 100g, yes — roughly double. Per typical serving the gap narrows, since a banana weighs more than three dates.
Are dates a good source of iron? They contribute iron (0.9mg per 100g) but aren't a rich source. Pair with vitamin C to improve absorption of plant-based iron.
Are dates good for weight loss? They're calorie-dense, so not a low-calorie food. As a replacement for sweets they help; as an addition they don't.
Do dates contain protein? Very little — 1.8g per 100g. Treat them as a carbohydrate and micronutrient source, not a protein one.
Is the sugar in dates the same as table sugar? Chemically similar, but it arrives packaged with fibre, minerals and polyphenols, and is absorbed more slowly as a result.
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This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Nutritional values are typical figures and vary by variety, growing conditions and ripeness. If you are managing diabetes or another health condition, speak to your doctor or dietitian.