# Dates are the new it-girl ingredient

> One of the oldest fruits on earth just became the snack aisle's fastest-growing category.
- Title: Dates are the new it-girl ingredient · Bon Appétit | Shortify
- Summary: One of the oldest fruits on earth just became the snack aisle's fastest-growing category. Dates won because they are sweet, high in fiber, and unprocessed…
- Keywords: food trends, dates, snacks, grocery, nutrition, food, lifestyle, it-girl, ingredient, Bon Appétit
- Source: Bon Appétit — https://bonappetit.com/story/dates-trend
- Author: Francesca Krempa
- Published: 2026-09-15T12:47:59.109+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: food trends, dates, snacks, grocery, nutrition, food, lifestyle
## The internet needs a new ingredient
Tinned fish had its seacuterie moment. Then cottage cheese got whipped, baked and churned into ice cream. By 2026 it was pickle everything, right down to lip balm.
## Now it's the date's turn
Bon Appetit spotted it during Pantry Awards judging, when date products flooded the submissions pile: sour date snacks, date-sweetened cake mixes, candies, syrups, even a date soda.

> The primordial fruit is being reimagined for modern times, and people love it.
## Up 24 percent and climbing
Dates have been building on social media and at trade shows for years. Through June 2026, the category grew 24.1 percent in conventional grocery, per SPINS point-of-sale data.

> Consumers are starting to see dates as more than just a traditional dried fruit.
## Healthy and indulgent, no trade
Chalky protein bars and chemical-tasting sodas lost the room. Shoppers want a snack that is good for them and still tastes like dessert, and dates land in both columns at once.

> Consumers also don't necessarily want to choose between better-for-you and indulgent anymore. They want both.
## The stevia pendulum swung back
Grace Finerman of Date Smarter! says five years ago everyone reached for stevia. Now people don't want zero sugar, they want sweetness that isn't processed.

> The pendulum has kind of switched to people now wanting not cane sugar, but something sweet that's not processed.
## Fiber-maxxing meets GLP-1s
Dates carry 6.7 to 8 grams of fiber per 100 grams and stay low-glycemic despite the sticky sweetness, which is a strong pitch in a moment obsessed with both.
## Athletes found them first
Realsy stuffs dates with nut butter and sells to endurance runners, college athletes and gym regulars. Carbs, sugar and fiber plus protein and fat make a clean energy hit.

> The perfect source of clean energy athletes are looking for.
## A binder, a sweetener, a bet
Sticky dates glue together viral peanut butter bark; dehydrated and ground into powder they replace refined sugar in mixes and caramels. Brands expect to see dates on labels across the whole store.

> We always say dates are 'the original palm tree candy.'
## Key takeaway

Dates won because they are sweet, high in fiber, and unprocessed, which is exactly what snackers want right now.