Calories in dates
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Calories in one date
One Medjool date (24 g, pitted) has about 66 kcal, and 100 g of Medjool has 277 kcal, according to USDA FoodData Central. It is the only variety on this page for which we found a full calorie count in a reliable source.
For Sukkari, Ajwa, Sagai and Wanana, what the studies measured is the natural sugar per 100 g and the weight of one fruit. So we give their calories from sugar alone, at 4 kcal per gram: the sugar in one fruit times 4. That is not the full calorie count. For comparison, in Medjool, the variety with a full count: one date holds about 16.0 g of sugar, or about 64 kcal from sugar alone, and its full count is about 66 kcal.
- Sukkari: about 8.2 g of sugar in one fruit, or about 33 kcal from sugar alone.
- Medjool: about 66 kcal in all in one date (24 g, pitted), according to the USDA.
- Ajwa: about 7.0 g of sugar in one fruit, or about 28 kcal from sugar alone.
- Sagai: 6.6 to 9.1 g of sugar in one fruit, or 27 to 36 kcal from sugar alone, because the weight of one fruit differed between two studies.
- Wanana: 74.02 g of sugar per 100 g, or about 296 kcal per 100 g from sugar alone. We found no weight for one fruit in a reliable source, so we do not work out the calories in one.
- Khalas: We found no figure for its sugar or its calories in a reliable source.
The figures come from different studies, on different samples and by different methods, so compare them with care: even for Medjool, the Qassim University study measured 70.88 g of sugar per 100 g, and USDA 66.5 g. All of them are approximate and vary from fruit to fruit.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central, Medjool dates (FDC 168191), Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025, A study of Madinah date varieties, 2022
Sugar, calories and glycaemic index in one table
| Variety | Region | Natural sugars per 100 g | One fruit's weight | Sugar in one fruit | Glycaemic index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukkari | Qassim | 64.4 g | 12.67 g | ≈ 8.2 g≈ 33 kcal from sugar alone | 43.4 |
| Medjool | Qassim and elsewhere; it originally comes from Morocco | 66.5 g | 24 gpitted | ≈ 16.0 g66 kcal in all | 55.3 |
| Ajwa | Madinah | 71.29 g | 9.75 gwith the pit | ≈ 7.0 g≈ 28 kcal from sugar alone | 55.9 |
| Sagai | Al-Arid around Riyadh, and found in Qassim too | 68.79 g | 9.64–13.22 g | ≈ 6.6–9.1 g≈ 27–36 kcal from sugar alone | 44.6 |
| Wanana | Qassim | 74.02 g | — | — | 50.9 |
| Khalas | Al-Ahsa | — | 8 g | — | — |
- Natural sugars and glycaemic index: the Qassim University study, which tested the varieties at the tamr stage. Medjool's sugar, the weight of one date and its calories: USDA; its glycaemic index: the Qassim University study.
- Weight of one fruit: the Unaizah study for Sukkari and Khalas at the tamr stage and for Sagai (13.22 g), and the Madinah study for Ajwa and for Sagai (9.64 g). The Madinah weights include the pit (Ajwa's pit weighed 0.99 g); the Unaizah study does not say. So the sugar in one fruit is an approximate figure worked out on the fruit's weight as measured, and its calories at 4 kcal per gram.
- Sukkari Mufattal and Sukkari Galaxy are Sukkari, and the studies did not measure them on their own; the figures in the Sukkari row are for Sukkari as measured.
- «—» means we found no figure in a reliable source: no weight for one Wanana fruit, and no sugar or glycaemic index for Khalas, which was not among the varieties of the Qassim University study.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, USDA FoodData Central, Medjool dates (FDC 168191), A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025, A study of Madinah date varieties, 2022, Ajel, citing the National Center for Palms and Dates
Sukkari dates calories
Sukkari holds 64.4 g of natural sugars per 100 g in the Qassim University study, or about 258 kcal per 100 g from sugar alone. In a study of a farm in Unaizah one Sukkari date weighed 12.67 g at the tamr stage, so it holds about 8.2 g of sugar, or about 33 kcal from sugar alone. Its glycaemic index in the Qassim University study was 43.4.
We found no full calorie count for Sukkari in a reliable source. Sukkari Mufattal and Sukkari Galaxy are Sukkari, and the studies did not measure them on their own.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025
Medjool dates calories
100 g of Medjool has 277 kcal, and one Medjool date weighs 24 g pitted, so it has about 66 kcal, according to USDA FoodData Central. Its glycaemic index in the Qassim University study was 55.3.
| Medjool | Per 100 g | In one date (24 g, pitted) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 277 kcal | 66 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 75 g | 18 g |
| Sugars | 66.5 g | 16 g |
| Fibre | 6.7 g | 1.6 g |
| Protein | 1.81 g | 0.4 g |
The weight of a date varies from one to the next, so the calories in yours go with its weight. Our Medjool is in the Medjool section.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central, Medjool dates (FDC 168191), Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016
Ajwa dates calories
Ajwa holds 71.29 g of natural sugars per 100 g in the Qassim University study, or about 285 kcal per 100 g from sugar alone. In a study of Madinah date varieties one Ajwa date weighed 9.75 g with its pit, of which the pit was 0.99 g; on its whole weight it holds about 7.0 g of sugar, or about 28 kcal from sugar alone. Its glycaemic index in the Qassim University study was 55.9.
Our Madinah Ajwa is in the Madinah Ajwa section.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of Madinah date varieties, 2022
Sagai dates calories
Sagai holds 68.79 g of natural sugars per 100 g in the Qassim University study, or about 275 kcal per 100 g from sugar alone. The weight of one fruit differed between two studies: 9.64 g with the pit in the Madinah study, and 13.22 g at the tamr stage in the Unaizah study; so one fruit holds 6.6 to 9.1 g of sugar, or 27 to 36 kcal from sugar alone. Its glycaemic index in the Qassim University study was 44.6.
Our Sagai is in the Sagai section.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of Madinah date varieties, 2022, A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025
Khalas dates calories
We found no figure for the sugar or the calories of Khalas in a reliable source, and it was not among the seventeen varieties of the Qassim University study, so we give it no number. What has been measured is the weight of one fruit: in a study of a farm in Unaizah, 8 g at the tamr stage and 8.5 g at the rutab stage.
We do not sell Khalas.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025
Calories in rutab (fresh dates)
We found no figure for the sugar or the calories of rutab in a reliable source. The figures for Sukkari, Ajwa, Sagai and Wanana on this page are for tamr, because the Qassim University study tested the varieties at the tamr stage.
What has been measured is the weight of one fruit at both stages, in a study of a farm in Unaizah: a Sukkari date weighed 13.88 g as rutab and 12.67 g as tamr, a Sagai date 14.22 g as rutab and 13.22 g as tamr, and a Khalas date 8.5 g as rutab and 8 g as tamr.
Our Sukkari rutab is in Sukkari specialities.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025
Which dates are best for a diet?
We do not recommend any one variety for a diet, and we do not say that one suits it better than another. This is what the numbers show:
- Natural sugars per 100 g range from 64.4 g in Sukkari to 74.02 g in Wanana, among the varieties on this page that the Qassim University study measured.
- What one fruit holds follows its weight: a Medjool date (24 g, pitted) holds about 16.0 g of sugar and 66 kcal, and a Sukkari date (12.67 g) about 8.2 g of sugar.
- So the amount is what decides how much sugar and how many calories you eat: three Sukkari dates hold about 24.5 g of sugar, or about 98 kcal from sugar alone, and three Medjool dates about 199 kcal. The Qassim University study took one serving as three average-sized dates.
If you follow a diet plan, ask a dietitian how much suits you.
Sources: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016, USDA FoodData Central, Medjool dates (FDC 168191), A study of a farm in Unaizah, Foods 2025
Which dates are best for people with diabetes?
We do not recommend any variety for people with diabetes, and we do not say that one suits them better than another. What we have is what the Qassim University study measured: the glycaemic index of each variety, that is, how far blood sugar rose after eating an amount of it holding 50 g of sugar, compared with the rise after drinking 50 g of glucose, with glucose as 100.
Its measurements: Sukkari 43.4, Sagai 44.6, Wanana 50.9, Medjool 55.3 and Ajwa 55.9.
The study found no statistically significant difference in the index between its seventeen varieties. It was carried out on healthy volunteers, with no people with diabetes among them. And the sugar you eat follows the weight of each date and how many you eat, as in the table above.
If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about dates: whether to eat them, and how many.
Source: Qassim University study of 17 varieties, Annals of Saudi Medicine 2016
Which of these varieties do we sell?
Of the varieties in the table, we sell:
- Sukkari Mufattal, Sukkari Galaxy and Sukkari specialities: the Sukkari row.
- Madinah Ajwa: the Ajwa row
- Medjool: the Medjool row
- Sagai: the Sagai row
- Wanana: the Wanana row
We do not sell Khalas. The figures on this page come from the sources named, not from an analysis of our own dates.
Please note
This page reports what the sources named measured of the sugar and calories in dates; it is not medical or dietary advice. The figures are approximate and vary from fruit to fruit and from farm to farm. If you have diabetes or another health condition, or follow a special diet, ask your doctor or a dietitian before changing what you eat.
Questions people ask
How many calories are in one date?
One Medjool date (24 g, pitted) has about 66 kcal, according to the USDA. For the Saudi varieties we found no full calorie count in a reliable source, so we give their calories from sugar alone, at 4 kcal per gram: about 33 kcal in a Sukkari date, about 28 in an Ajwa date, and 27 to 36 in a Sagai date. That is not the full calorie count.
How many calories are in 100 g of dates?
100 g of Medjool has 277 kcal, according to the USDA. For 100 g of the Saudi varieties, from sugar alone at 4 kcal per gram, using the sugar the Qassim University study measured: Sukkari about 258 kcal, Sagai about 275, Ajwa about 285 and Wanana about 296. That is not the full calorie count.
How many calories are in Sukkari dates?
Sukkari holds 64.4 g of natural sugars per 100 g in the Qassim University study. One Sukkari date weighed 12.67 g in a study of a farm in Unaizah, so it holds about 8.2 g of sugar, or about 33 kcal from sugar alone, at 4 kcal per gram. We found no full calorie count for Sukkari in a reliable source.
How many calories are in Medjool dates?
100 g of Medjool has 277 kcal, and one Medjool date of 24 g, pitted, has about 66 kcal, according to USDA FoodData Central.
How many calories are in Sagai dates?
Sagai holds 68.79 g of natural sugars per 100 g in the Qassim University study. One fruit weighed between 9.64 and 13.22 g in two studies, so it holds 6.6 to 9.1 g of sugar, or 27 to 36 kcal from sugar alone, at 4 kcal per gram. We found no full calorie count for it in a reliable source.
How many calories are in Khalas dates?
We found no figure for the sugar or the calories of Khalas in a reliable source, and it was not among the seventeen varieties of the Qassim University study. What has been measured is the weight of one fruit: 8 g at the tamr stage in a study of a farm in Unaizah.
How many calories are in rutab (fresh dates)?
We found no figure for the sugar or the calories of rutab in a reliable source. The figures for Sukkari, Ajwa, Sagai and Wanana on this page are for tamr, because the Qassim University study tested the varieties at the tamr stage.
Which dates are best for a diet?
We do not recommend any one variety for a diet. The numbers show: natural sugars per 100 g range from 64.4 g in Sukkari to 74.02 g in Wanana, and what one fruit holds follows its weight: a Medjool date (24 g) holds about 16.0 g of sugar, a Sukkari date (12.67 g) about 8.2 g. So the amount is what decides how much you eat. If you follow a diet plan, ask a dietitian.
Which dates are best for people with diabetes?
We do not recommend any variety for people with diabetes, and we do not say that one suits them better. The Qassim University study measured the glycaemic index on healthy volunteers, none of them with diabetes: Sukkari 43.4, Sagai 44.6, Wanana 50.9, Medjool 55.3 and Ajwa 55.9, and found no statistically significant difference between the varieties. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about dates: whether to eat them, and how many.
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