Date Syrup

One US cup of date syrup weighs 320 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.31 cups.

Also called silan, date molasses, date honey, date nectar, medjool date syrup, organic date syrup, pure date syrup.

TL;DR: Date syrup (also called silan, date molasses, or date honey) converges tightly at 320 g/cup (20g per tablespoon), density 1.35 g/mL, across all major producer labels (Date Lady, D'vash, Just Date, and multiple Middle Eastern silan brands). King Arthur's chart does not list date syrup, leaving conversions unstandardized for the fastest-growing alternative sweetener category.

Date syrup is a thick amber-to-dark-brown sweetener made from steamed or enzymatically-processed dates (traditionally Medjool or Deglet Nour), concentrated to about 70% sugars. Unlike sugar-cane-based syrups, date syrup contains 2-3% dietary fiber per serving — a unique property among liquid sweeteners — and delivers trace minerals (potassium, magnesium, iron) that pure sugar syrups lack. In the Middle East, silan (its Levantine name) has been a traditional sweetener for millennia, drizzled over labneh, whisked into tahini for salad dressing, spread on flatbreads (kubaneh, malawach), and used in savory-sweet meat marinades. In modern Western baking, it's used as a honey substitute in vegan and paleo recipes, as a molasses substitute in gingerbread and spiced desserts, and increasingly as a coffee sweetener or granola binder.

Density is a solved single figure. D'vash Date Syrup nutrition label lists 1 tablespoon = 20g, giving 320 g/cup at density 1.35 g/mL. Date Lady, the dominant US brand, lists the same 20g per tablespoon. Silan brands (Galilees Delicacy, Kinneret Farm, Soom, Cedar Phoenicia, and multiple Israeli producers) all converge on 20g per tablespoon. Density 1.35 g/mL is slightly lower than honey and agave (both 1.42 g/mL) because date syrup contains more water (~20%) and lower sugar concentration (~70% vs 76-78%). Physical density places it between corn syrup (1.32 g/mL) and honey (1.42 g/mL), consistent with its position as a moderate-density syrup.

Silan versus date syrup versus date molasses versus date honey — same product, different names. These terms are interchangeable. Silan is the Hebrew and Middle Eastern name; date syrup is the standard English name; date molasses is used in some cookbooks (though it's not related to sugar-cane molasses); date honey is a marketing term used to signal the honey-substitute positioning to vegan consumers. All refer to the same product: concentrated liquid extract of dates. Traditional silan (Israeli and Levantine style) is made by boiling and pressing whole dates until only the syrup remains; modern commercial date syrup often uses enzymatic conversion for higher yield and lighter color. Density and composition are essentially identical across production methods.

Not the same as date paste or date sugar. Date paste is thicker (pureed whole dates with less water removed) and typically weighs 260-300 g/cup — a distinct product used differently in baking. Date sugar is dried and ground dates, granular and non-flowing, closer in behavior to brown sugar than to a syrup. Recipes calling for date syrup specifically require the pourable liquid form; substituting date paste or date sugar produces different textures and requires water and liquid adjustment.

Substitution rules: for honey, substitute 1:1 by weight or volume — date syrup is slightly less sweet than honey (about 85-90% as sweet) and has a distinctive fruity-caramel-prune flavor, best in recipes where the flavor complements rather than competes. For maple syrup, substitute 1:1 by volume (maple syrup is at 315 g/cup, density 1.33 g/mL, essentially the same density); flavor difference is significant. For molasses, substitute 1:1 by weight in gingerbread and spiced recipes — both contribute dark color and rich flavor, though molasses has more mineral bitterness and date syrup more fruity sweetness. For granulated sugar, use 3/4 the weight of date syrup and reduce other liquids by 3 tablespoons per 1 cup.

Nutritional distinctions: date syrup is high in potassium (about 3% DV per tablespoon), calcium, magnesium, and iron — meaningful mineral content that pure sugar syrups lack. It's also naturally high in antioxidants. These properties are used prominently in marketing, though as with any sweetener the amounts consumed in typical use provide only modest daily intake of these nutrients.

Practical baker recommendation: for any recipe calling for date syrup, silan, or date molasses, weigh at 20g per tablespoon (320 g/cup) with high confidence across all brands. Substitute 1:1 by weight or volume for honey with a fruity flavor shift; substitute 1:1 for molasses in spiced recipes; substitute at 3/4 weight for granulated sugar with liquid reduction. Store at room temperature; date syrup does not crystallize and has approximately 12 month shelf life once opened.