Date Seed Coffee: What It Is, Caffeine, Benefits and How to Make It

Across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, dates are part of every coffee break. Their seeds, usually thrown away, can also be roasted and brewed into a coffee-like drink. In Arabic it is called qahwat nawat al-tamr, and it is becoming popular with people who want the ritual of coffee without the caffeine. Here is what date seed coffee is, what is actually in it, what the research says about its benefits and downsides, and how to make it.

What Is Date Seed Coffee?

Date seed coffee is made from the hard seeds inside the date fruit. The seeds are washed, dried, roasted until dark brown and ground into a powder, then boiled or brewed the same way as coffee. Seeds make up around 10 to 15% of the weight of a date, and they are a by-product of the date industry.^[1]

The idea is not new. Powdered date seeds have long been used in some rural communities as a coffee substitute, and coffee-like products made from date seeds are sold in markets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.^[1] Despite the name, it is not real coffee: there are no coffee beans in it at all.

Does Date Seed Coffee Have Caffeine?

No. Date seeds do not contain caffeine. A 2024 study from Damascus University tested coffee substitutes made from roasted date seeds, barley and chicory, and found that all of the prepared mixtures were free of caffeine.^[3] Another study on roasted date seed powder also describes it as a non-caffeinated alternative to coffee.^[4]

That makes it a good choice in the evening, for people who are sensitive to caffeine, or for anyone who wants a warm cup after their daily coffee limit. One thing to check: some shop-bought blends mix date seeds with real coffee, so read the ingredient list if you want a fully caffeine-free cup. For comparison, see our caffeine chart.

	Date seed coffee	Regular coffee
Made from	Roasted, ground date seeds	Roasted coffee beans
Caffeine	None	Yes
Taste	Roasted, nutty, mild	Roasted, bitter, more acidic
Best time	Any time, including the evening	Morning and early afternoon

What Does It Taste Like?

Roasting gives date seeds a toasted, nutty flavour with a hint of cocoa and grain. The taste is milder and less bitter than coffee, and the darker the roast, the closer it gets to a coffee-like cup. In the Damascus University tasting panel, roasted date seed drinks scored about the same for taste as roasted barley drinks, and roasted date seeds alone scored among the best for smell.^[3] Many people drink it the Gulf way, with cardamom, or with milk as a latte.

What Is in Date Seeds?

Date seeds are very different from the sweet fruit around them. According to published analyses summarised in a 2019 review, they contain:^[1]

• A lot of dietary fibre: between about 58 and 69 g per 100 g in several studies, most of it insoluble.
• Oil: roughly 13 to 18%.
• Protein: about 5 to 6%.
• Phenolic compounds: plant antioxidants, reported at roughly 1,050 to 5,720 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 g, depending on the variety.

Keep in mind that these figures describe the whole seed powder. When you brew date seed coffee and leave the grounds behind, your cup contains only part of these compounds.

Benefits of Date Seed Coffee: What the Research Says

• Caffeine-free: the clearest benefit. You get a warm, roasted cup without the jitters or a late-night caffeine hit.^[3]
• A source of plant antioxidants: roasted date seed drinks showed phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in laboratory tests.^[3] In a Turkish study, a coffee alternative made from date and olive seeds showed about 2.4 times the antioxidant activity of Turkish coffee, with lower acidity.^[5]
• Less waste: it turns a by-product of the date harvest into a drink.^[2]

Reviews of date seed research also report antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects, but these come mostly from laboratory and animal studies on seed extracts, not from people drinking date seed coffee.^[2] So it is fair to enjoy it as a pleasant, caffeine-free drink, but it is not a medicine and should not replace any treatment.

Possible Downsides

• Limited human research: most evidence comes from lab tests, so health claims you see online often go further than the science.
• Fibre and the stomach: the seed powder is very high in fibre. If you eat the grounds or drink large amounts, start slowly.
• Check the label: some blends add real coffee (so they contain caffeine) or sugar.
• Medical conditions: if you are pregnant, take regular medication or manage a condition such as diabetes, ask your doctor before drinking it often.

How to Make Date Seed Coffee at Home

This is a common home method. Date seeds are very hard, so you need a strong grinder, or you can buy ready-ground seeds.

1. Wash the seeds well, remove any fruit left on them and let them dry completely.
2. Roast them in a hot oven (about 200 °C) for roughly 30 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until they are dark brown and smell toasted.
3. Let them cool, then grind them to a fine powder.
4. Boil 1 to 2 tablespoons of powder in about 250 ml of water for 5 to 10 minutes. Add a little cardamom if you like.
5. Let the grounds settle, then pour into a cup. Drink it plain or add hot milk.

The Instant Way: Lucarise Date Latte

No time to roast and grind? Lucarise Classic Date Latte is a creamy, foamy, caffeine-free latte made with date seed extract, non-dairy creamer, foamer and skimmed milk powder. The 14 g latte mix has no added sugar, and every sachet comes with its own 1 g stevia sachet, so you decide how sweet your cup is: add all of it, half of it or none.

1. Empty the latte sachet into a cup.
2. Add about 150 ml of hot water or hot milk.
3. Add the stevia sachet to taste, then stir until smooth.

It contains skimmed milk powder, so it is not dairy-free or vegan, and the milk powder brings a little natural milk sugar (lactose). It is made in the Sohar Free Zone, Oman, in boxes of 10 sachets.

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References

1. Mrabet A, Hammadi H, Rodríguez-Gutiérrez G, Jiménez-Araujo A, Sindic M (2019). Date Palm Fruits as a Potential Source of Functional Dietary Fiber: A Review. Food Science and Technology Research 25(1): 1–10. jstage.jst.go.jp
2. Alkhoori MA, Kong AS-Y, Aljaafari MN, et al. (2022). Biochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seeds: A Review. Biomolecules 12(11): 1626. doi.org
3. Salmon EY, Tahle MA, Mohammad M (2024). Preparation of caffeine-free coffee and studying its sensory characteristics and antioxidants. Damascus University Journal of Agricultural Sciences 40(1). journal.damascusuniversity.edu.sy
4. Hassan ES. Study on Non Caffeinated Coffee Powder from Roasted Date Seed as a Functional Beverage. fcanvu.conferences.ekb.eg
5. Barista Magazine. New in Coffee Alternatives: How Dates & Olives Could Transform Turkish Coffee. baristamagazine.com