Date Seed Coffee (Khajoor ki Guthli): How to Make It, Honestly
Date seed coffee is roasted, ground khajoor ki guthli brewed like coffee. It has no caffeine, tastes toasty and nutty with a coffee-like bitterness, and it’s a fair swap for a late-evening cup. It won’t steady your sugar or dissolve kidney stones, and the seeds are hard enough to wreck a cheap grinder. Here’s how to make it properly, what it really tastes like and who should go easy.
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Most of us throw away the seeds after eating khajoor. If you eat a few dates a day, as many families do in Ramzan, that’s a jar of seeds a month. Our full dates (khajoor) guide covers the fruit. This one is about the stone.
What is date seed coffee, and does it have caffeine?
It’s a roasted drink, not real coffee. Coffee comes from the seed of the coffee plant. Date seed “coffee” is the seed of the date palm, roasted until dark and ground.
- Caffeine: none. Date seeds don’t contain it.
- Calories: a cup brewed from 2 teaspoons of powder has very few on its own. Milk and sugar add the rest.
- What’s in the seed: mostly fibre, with some oil and plant polyphenols. Most of the fibre stays behind in the grounds.
It has been drunk around the Gulf and North Africa for a long time and is now sold in Pakistan and India too, often at a premium.
How to make date seed coffee at home
The work is in cleaning and roasting. Do a big batch at once.
- Collect: save seeds from about 250 to 300 dates (roughly 250 g of seeds). Keep them in a bowl in the fridge until you have enough.
- Clean: soak in warm water for 1 hour, then scrub off every scrap of flesh. Leftover sugar burns and tastes acrid.
- Dry: spread on a tray and dry in the sun for 1 to 2 days, or in the oven at 100 °C for 1 hour.
- Roast: roast in the oven at 200 °C for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. You want a deep chocolate brown, not black. A heavy iron pan on low heat works too; allow 30 to 40 minutes and stir constantly.
- Cool: let them cool completely. They’ll smell like roasted barley and cocoa.
- Crack, then grind: wrap in a thick cloth and hit them with a rolling pin or a sil batta to break them. Then grind the pieces in short bursts in a heavy-duty grinder until fine.
- Store: in an airtight jar, away from light. Best within 2 to 3 months.
Your grinder: date seeds are extremely hard, even after roasting. They can chip blades, overheat motors and crack a cheap blade grinder or coffee mill. Break them first, grind small amounts, and give the motor rests. Many people buy ready-ground powder for this reason. Burnt seeds: black, charred seeds taste harsh; discard them. Health: if you have kidney disease, diabetes, or you take regular medicine, ask your doctor before making any new drink a daily habit. A strong gut reaction (cramps, loose motions) means cut back. Pregnant or breastfeeding women can treat it as an occasional drink but should skip “remedy” routines.
How to brew it (and the right amount per cup)
Think of it as a roasted grain drink. Ground date seed doesn’t dissolve, so you brew and strain, like coffee or tea.
- Stovetop: 2 teaspoons of powder (about 5 g) in 200 ml of water. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, rest 2 minutes, then strain through a fine strainer or cloth.
- French press: 2 heaped teaspoons in 250 ml of just-boiled water, steep 6 to 8 minutes, press.
- With milk: simmer the powder in half water, half milk, the way you’d make doodh patti. Add a cardamom pod.
Sensible amount: 1 to 2 cups a day as a drink. That’s a food habit, not a dose. It has almost no caffeine to worry about, so it suits evenings, Ramzan sehri, or anyone cutting back. Our coffee vs chai caffeine guide explains why caffeine late in the day spoils sleep.
Date seed latte
Simmer 2 teaspoons of date seed powder with 100 ml of water for 5 minutes. Add 150 ml of milk and 1 crushed cardamom pod, bring just to the boil and strain. Sweeten with 1 soft date blended in, or half a teaspoon of gur. It’s thick, malty and good on a cold night.
What does date seed coffee taste like?
Honestly? Not quite coffee. It’s toasty and earthy, closer to roasted barley drink or chicory with a cocoa note. There’s a gentle bitterness at the end.
It’s thinner than espresso and doesn’t have coffee’s bright acidity. Coffee lovers usually say “nice, but it’s not coffee”. People who’ve given up caffeine often like it more than they expected.
What people say about date seed coffee
The online claims run long. A cup a day, the claims say, lowers blood sugar, breaks kidney stones, protects the liver, grows hair, clears skin and burns fat. Some packs are sold with “sugar control” on the label.
In Arab and North African homes, roasted date seeds were a coffee stretcher in lean years and a drink in their own right. Some Unani and folk practice used burnt or powdered date seed in tooth powders and as an astringent, and some traditions used it for kidney complaints. It was valued mainly as a way to use every part of the palm.
Our honest take on the claims
- Caffeine-free hot drink: Worth it. True, tasty enough and nearly free.
- Blood sugar: Skip as a reason. Lab and animal work on date seed extracts exists, but a brewed cup is not that, and there’s no good evidence in people. Never swap it for diabetes medicine.
- Kidney stones: Skip. No drink dissolves stones. Plenty of water is what matters most; see our guide to gurde ki pathri.
- Weight, hair, skin, liver: Skip. No support beyond the general point that a sugar-free drink beats a sugary one.
The fair everyday use: a warm, caffeine-free cup that turns kitchen waste into something useful.
Myths about khajoor ki guthli
Myth: Date seed coffee is a healthier coffee with the same lift
No caffeine means no lift. It’s healthier only in the sense that it won’t keep you awake.
Myth: The more you drink, the more it cleans your kidneys
Kidneys aren’t cleaned by a drink. Too many cups of any brew mostly means more trips to the toilet.
Myth: Eating the ground powder is better than brewing it
Spooning the gritty powder straight into your mouth is unpleasant and rough on the gut. Brew and strain.
Did you know?
A date palm called Methuselah was grown in 2005 from a seed about 2,000 years old, found at Masada.
Date seeds are tough enough to survive for centuries. That same toughness is why your grinder struggles.
Date seed coffee: what people ask
How do you make date seed coffee at home?
Clean the seeds of all flesh, dry them, roast at 200 °C for 45 to 60 minutes until deep brown, cool, crack and grind. Brew 2 teaspoons in 200 ml of water for 5 to 7 minutes and strain. It’s a slow job, so make a batch.
What are the benefits of date seed coffee?
The real benefit is a warm, caffeine-free drink that tastes roasted and slightly bitter, so it can replace a late cup of coffee. It also uses something you’d throw away. Claims about sugar, stones and weight aren’t backed by good evidence in people.
Does date seed coffee have caffeine?
No. Date seeds don’t contain caffeine, so the drink won’t keep you awake or give you a jolt. That makes it a reasonable choice in the evening or for people told to cut caffeine.
What are the side effects of date seed coffee?
Most people have none at 1 or 2 cups. Some get bloating or loose stools, especially from poorly strained grit. Burnt seeds taste harsh. If you have kidney disease or take regular medicine, ask your doctor before drinking it daily.
Is date seed coffee good for diabetes?
There’s no reliable evidence that it lowers sugar in people. Unsweetened, it’s a sugar-free drink, which is fine. Don’t use it in place of medicine, and remember that milk, sugar or honey added to the cup do count.
Can I drink date seed coffee during pregnancy?
An occasional cup as a drink is unlikely to be a problem, and it has no caffeine. There’s no safety research, though, so skip using it as a daily remedy and ask your doctor or midwife if you plan to drink it regularly.
Can I make date seed coffee with milk?
Yes. Simmer the powder in a little water for 5 minutes first, then add milk and bring it just to the boil before straining. Cardamom or cinnamon goes well with its roasted flavour.
Does date seed coffee help with weight loss?
Not by itself. It’s low in calories when unsweetened, so swapping it for a sweet, creamy coffee saves calories. The seed has no fat-burning power, and any pack claiming so is overselling.
Date seed coffee price in Pakistan: is it worth buying?
Ready-ground packs cost far more than coffee by weight, considering the seed is waste. Buying saves your grinder and a lot of time. Making it yourself costs almost nothing if you have a strong grinder. Prices change, so compare per 100 g.
Will date seeds damage my grinder?
They can. Even roasted, they’re very hard. Crack them in a cloth with a rolling pin first, grind small amounts in short bursts, and let the motor rest. Avoid using a cheap coffee mill or a blender jar you care about.
How long does date seed powder last?
Kept airtight and dry, roasted date seed powder stays good for 2 to 3 months before the aroma fades. Throw it out if it smells musty or shows any clumps of mould.
More ways to use kitchen leftovers live in Desi Remedies.