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Dates are a flowering plant that are often dried and are great for snacking or for use in a number of different recipes. Dates have a pit in the center, so you’ll want to remove it before you start chopping. Chop dates by hand with a sharp paring knife or a pair of scissors. Chop dates quickly into tiny pieces with a food processor. Dates are a sticky fruit, so you want to take a couple precautions to keep the blades from gumming up.

Things You Should Know

  • For best results, pit the date first before you cut it by cutting a slit in it and prying the pit out with the tip of a thin knife or chopstick.
  • A serrated or paring knife is probably your best bet if you’re going to chop the date by hand.
  • So long as you take the pit out, you can pulse dates in a food processor .
  • If you don’t have a processor, you can put the pit-free dates in a blender with a dash of water to break them down into tiny pieces.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Chopping by Hand

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Set the date on a cutting board or hold the date in the palm of your hand. Make a cut down the long side of the date. Your knife may hit the pit in the center as you cut.
    • If you set the date on a cutting board, hold the sides when you cut it. If you hold the date in your hand, be especially careful that you don’t cut yourself.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    The consistency of date skin does not make it easy to chop it with a standard chopping knife. Don't use a chopping-style knife, and use a slicing motion instead of a chopping motion.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Open the date and remove the pit . Set the knife aside. Stick the tips of your thumbs into the cut you made with the knife. Gently pull the sides apart so you reveal the inside of the date and the pit. [1]
    • Toss the pit in the trash or place all of the pits in a pile to dispose of later on.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Set the date down on the cutting board. Use a paring knife to cut the date lengthwise into strips. Make them as narrow as you wish based on how small you want the final chunks to be. ¼ in (6.34 mm) to â…› in (3.2 mm) is a good width. [2]
    • To work against the stickiness of the fruit, it also works to cut the dates with a pair of scissors instead of a knife.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Since dates have such sticky juice, your knife might get gummy. If this happens as you cut, rinse the knife in hot water to get the juice off, or coat it in some flour to keep the stickiness under control.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Make a series of crosscuts on the strips of date that you just cut. Make the cuts close enough together that the pieces end up being as small as you want them to be.
    • If the pieces still aren’t small enough, cut them all into smaller pieces so they are the size you want them to be.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Dicing Dates in a Food Processor

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Since dates get so sticky when you chop them, it’s helpful to add a drying agent to the food processor. Oatmeal works well because it doesn’t add much flavor and it washes off fairly easily. Toss a handful into the food processor bowl. [3]
    • If you don’t mind the dates ending up in a single sticky ball, it’s not necessary to process the oatmeal first.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Slice dates lengthwise and remove the pits. Then cut the dates in half two times so you have chunks that are roughly a quarter of the original date. Food processing works best if you start with chunks rather than whole fruit.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    Even if your food processor has specific settings, it works best to use the pulse button. This allows you to check the dates every few seconds to make sure they don’t get chopped too much.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Finely Chop Dates
    If you don’t want the oatmeal powder to be included in your dates recipe, rinse it off of the chopped dates. Most of the time it’ll all rinse off. The dates should separate from a glob into pieces. You may need to stir them to break them apart fully. [4]
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      Things You'll Need

      • Dates
      • Serrated knife (optional)
      • Paring knife
      • Food processor
      • Oatmeal (optional)
      • Water or flour (optional)

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        Apr 27, 2022

        "Did the food processor method with a Vitamix and it worked wonderfully. Without the oats I'm sure it would ..." more
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