Dubai is the date capital of the world. More than 200 varieties pass through its markets every year, from sacred Ajwa flown in from Medina to golden Sukkary grown in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qassim region. You can spend AED 15 on a kilogram of everyday dates from a souq stall or AED 400 on a single gilded gift box from a luxury boutique and both choices can be entirely correct depending on what you need.
This guide cuts through the noise. Whether you’re a first time visitor grabbing a souvenir, a resident stocking up for Ramadan, or a serious buyer hunting the finest variety in the UAE, you’ll find the honest breakdown here. Pricing is updated for 2026, every variety gets an authenticity guide, and there’s no fluff padding out the word count.
2-Minute Cheat Sheet Best Dates in Dubai
Best overall: Khalas, the UAE’s own national treasure, soft, caramel-rich, and endlessly versatile. Best for gifting: Ajwa or Medjool in premium packaging both carry instant cultural prestige. Sweetest variety: Sukkary lives up to its Arabic name, which literally means “sugary.” Best value: Khidri meaty, satisfying, and available in bulk at wallet friendly prices. Most unique texture: Segai crisp at the top, soft at the base, unlike any other date you’ll try. Best for first-timers: Medjool large, forgiving, and internationally recognised so you know exactly what you’re getting. Where to buy cheap: Waterfront Market or the Deira Dates Souk for genuine bulk market pricing. Where to buy premium: Bateel or Galeries Lafayette Food Hall for gift grade selections and stuffed varieties. Peak season: August–September for fresh rutaba (semi ripe); year round for dried tamarinds.
2026 Pricing Table Best Dates in Dubai
All prices are approximate AED per kilogram and reflect Dubai market conditions in early 2026. Prices vary by grade, freshness, origin, and whether dates are plain, stuffed, or gift packaged. Boutique pricing applies to gift-box format; market pricing applies to loose bulk purchase.
| Variety | Souq / Market (AED/kg) | Supermarket (AED/kg) | Premium / Boutique (AED/kg) |
| Ajwa | 45 – 60 | 55 – 80 | 100 – 150 |
| Medjool | 35 – 50 | 45 – 70 | 90 – 140 |
| Sukkary | 30 – 45 | 40 – 60 | 80 – 120 |
| Khidri | 20 – 30 | 25 – 40 | 60 – 90 |
| Segai | 30 – 45 | 40 – 65 | 85 – 130 |
| Khalas | 25 – 40 | 35 – 55 | 75 – 110 |
| Mabroom | 30 – 45 | 40 – 60 | 80 – 120 |
| Safawi | 20 – 35 | 30 – 50 | 65 – 100 |
| Barhi (fresh/rutab) | 15 – 25 | 25 – 40 | 60 – 90 |
| Kholas | 20 – 35 | 30 – 45 | 65 – 100 |
Pro tip: Stuffed or chocolate dipped dates in gift packaging cost 2–3× the loose price per kg. You are paying for the presentation, not the date itself. Keep this in mind when comparing stall prices to boutique boxes.
Deep Dive The Top 5 Date Varieties in Dubai
Ajwa Dates The Holy Date
In Dubai, Ajwa dates are especially popular during the holy month of Ramadan and are considered both a spiritual and health conscious choice rich in antioxidants, fiber, and minerals. Emirati and expatriate Muslim families purchase them for iftar meals, corporate gifts, and spiritual observance, creating a sustained annual demand that peaks sharply in the weeks before Ramadan begins.
2026 Price in Dubai
Expect to pay AED 45–60/kg at Deira Souk or the Waterfront Market for standard grade, AED 55–80/kg at major supermarkets, and AED 100+/kg for premium Ajwa at boutique level reported that Ajwa is among the most expensive varieties with prices reaching AED 60/kg even at market level. Ramadan 2026 (beginning around February 17) will push all date prices toward the upper end of these bands, so buying in January or post Ramadan gives the best value.
Medjool Dates The King of Dates
In Dubai, Medjool is the variety most commonly chosen by premium date boutiques for stuffed and chocolate dipped collections. Known as the “king of dates,” Medjools are large, juicy, and incredibly sweet. Their large size and luscious taste make them a standout choice for Ramadan gatherings and year round gifting.
2026 Price in Dubai
Market stalls sell Medjool at AED 35–50/kg for standard grade. Supermarkets range from AED 45–70/kg, while boutique gift boxes sit at AED 90–140/kg. Jumbo Medjool commands up to a 40% premium over standard sizes. Keep this in mind when comparing per kg prices across vendors, as the grade difference is significant.
Sukkary Dates The Golden Sweet
In Dubai, Sukkary dates are gaining popularity among visitors who seek a distinctively sweet and memorable experience. Their appeal lies not just in taste but also in presentation; they often appear plump, glossy, and uniform, making them perfect for gift packaging.
2026 Price in Dubai
At souq stalls, expect AED 30–45/kg. Supermarkets price Sukkary at AED 40–60/kg, while premium and certified organic gift grade versions reach AED 80–120/kg. The Sukkary market tightens during Ramadan, so securing stock before the month begins saves money.
Khidri Dates The Everyday Champion
In Dubai’s food service sector, Khidri dates are often used in energy bars, smoothies, and filled with nuts and tahini. They’re frequently sold in bulk to cafes, nutrition brands, and fitness focused retailers because their chewier, firmer flesh holds up better when blended or used as an ingredient than the more fragile soft varieties. Their dark colour and mildly sweet raisin-like flavour with caramel undertones also pair exceptionally well with strong Arabic coffee.
2026 Price in Dubai
Khidri is one of the most accessible premium dates available. Khidri falls into the affordable and widely available category, with regular varieties starting at around AED 20/kg. Supermarkets charge AED 25–40/kg, and even boutique packaged Khidri stays approachable at AED 60–90/kg. Bulk buying 3–5 kg bags at market stalls offers compelling value.
Segai Dates The Two Tone Curiosity
Bateel, founded in Dubai in 1991, features Segai as one of its signature varieties alongside Medjool and Khidri, a brand endorsement that has significantly elevated the date’s profile beyond Gulf markets and into international retail. The flavour profile rewards curiosity: the crisp golden top delivers a subtle, less sweet, slightly nutty note, while the soft brown base delivers the concentrated honeyed richness expected from a fully ripe date. Eating a Segai is effectively two textural and flavour experiences compressed into one fruit.
2026 Price in Dubai
Segai falls in the mid to premium bracket. Expect AED 30–45/kg at market stalls, AED 40–65/kg at supermarkets, and AED 85–130/kg at premium boutiques. Because Segai’s two tone texture is a perishable quality the crisp section slowly softens over storage time. Fresh harvest season batches command a premium over older stock, and savvy buyers ask vendors how recently the batch arrived.
Wanan Dates The Accidental Hybrid
Wanan dates are dark brown, very juicy, sweet, and soft making them perfect for baking recipes or for filling with nuts and candied fruits. Their most distinctive visual characteristic is a peculiar one: when held against the light, Wanan dates show small dark dots on their skin, similar to vanilla seeds, a characteristic of skin pigmentation that cannot currently be explained by agricultural science. In Dubai’s markets, Wanan is often overlooked by first time buyers chasing the famous names, but seasoned date shoppers specifically seek it out for its unusually juicy flesh.
2026 Price in Dubai
Because of its hybrid novelty status and lower international profile, Wanan is one of the better value buys available. Expect AED 20–35/kg at market stalls, AED 30–45/kg at supermarkets, and AED 65–100/kg in premium presentations at boutiques. For the quality per dirham ratio, Wanan is arguably the most underrated variety in Dubai’s date market.
Barhi Dates The Butterscotch Ball
What makes Barhi uniquely special is its three distinct ripening stages, each edible and each offering completely different textures and flavours. In the khalal stage, the date is semi ripe with a crisp, slightly tangy texture ideal for salads. The rutab stage brings a creamy consistency perfect for sweetening pastes and syrups. The tamr stage is full maturity, when a rich caramel butterscotch flavour peaks. In Dubai, fresh Barhi at the rutab stage small, golden, yielding, tasting uncannily like butterscotch candy is a seasonal highlight that draws queues at Waterfront Market stalls every August.
2026 Price in Dubai
Fresh rutab Barhi commands the highest premium during peak season: AED 25–45/kg at market level for seasonal fresh stock, and AED 40–65/kg at supermarkets. Fresh Barhi dates have a shelf life of only six to ten days outside refrigeration, which explains both the pricing premium and the urgency of buying them when they appear. Dried tamr stage Barhi is significantly cheaper at AED 15–25/kg year round.
Zahidi Dates The Butter Date
In Dubai, Zahidi occupies a specific and important culinary niche. Its flavour profile is drier, nuttier, and less sweet than the premium Saudi varieties, which makes it less glamorous for direct eating but enormously useful in cooking. Zahidi is sometimes called the “butter date” for its light, pale flavour; its subtle sweetness lends itself to both sweet and savory applications, complementing chocolate, cinnamon, cardamom, cream, orange, and even poultry dishes.
2026 Price in Dubai
Zahidi is one of Dubai’s most affordable date varieties, reflecting its high yield and semi dry practicality. Expect AED 15–25/kg at market stalls, AED 22–35/kg at supermarkets. Boutique and gift packaged Zahidi is rarely sold at premium level as it lacks the cultural cachet of Saudi varieties, making it one of the few dates where market price and boutique price remain close to parity.
Sayer Dates The Export Workhorse
What sets Sayer apart commercially is its extraordinary practicality: thanks to its moderate moisture content, Sayer dates have a shelf life of up to two years, and they can be rehydrated by adding a small amount of water and briefly placing them in sunlight. This durability has made Sayer the backbone of the global date processing industry used extensively in biscuits, sweets, date syrup, date paste, and even vinegar production. In Dubai, Sayer is the quiet engine behind much of the packaged date product on supermarket shelves, even when the packaging doesn’t highlight the variety by name.
2026 Price in Dubai
Sayer is competitively priced at AED 18–28/kg at market level and AED 25–38/kg at supermarkets, reflecting its high availability and industrial volume. It rarely appears in premium boutique format as a standalone product. For buyers looking to purchase dates for cooking, blending, or making date paste in bulk, Sayer offers the best combination of sweetness, shelf stability, and price.
Lulu Dates The UAE’s Plum Like Gem
What makes Lulu particularly relevant for Dubai is its dual identity: it is simultaneously an Iranian import and a variety cultivated locally in the UAE, giving it a rare status as a date with genuine regional roots in the country you’re visiting. In Emirati food culture, Lulu dates are associated with a slightly more everyday register present in homes and small cafes rather than on boutique display stands which means buyers who discover them at market level are accessing something authentically local rather than a prestige product curated for tourist consumption.
2026 Price in Dubai
Expect AED 20–32/kg at souq and market level, AED 28–42/kg at supermarkets. Lulu’s modest international profile keeps prices grounded and represents strong value for a UAE cultivated variety.
Dates for Diabetics: What the Science Actually Says
The single biggest misconception about dates is that diabetics cannot eat them. Science tells a far more nuanced story. Dates are naturally sweet, yes but they are also high in fibre, antioxidants, potassium, and polyphenols that actively support glucose metabolism and slow sugar absorption. The critical number is the Glycaemic Index (GI), which measures how fast a food raises blood sugar on a scale from 0–100, where pure glucose sits at 100.
GI & GL Reference Table for Key Dubai Varieties
| Variety | GI (approx.) | GL per 3-date serving | Diabetic Friendly? |
| Ajwa | ~35 | Low (8.5) | Excellent lowest GL |
| Sukkary | 43 | Low | Yes one of the best |
| Segai | 45 | Low–Medium | Yes good choice |
| Khidri | ~53 | Medium | Yes, moderate portions |
| Medjool | ~55 | Medium (~15) | Use caution larger size |
Two to three servings of dates per day are considered beneficial for patients with diabetes, and Ajwa and Sukkary have shown antidiabetic properties in randomised controlled studies. The practical rule: pair any date with a source of protein or healthy fat, a few almonds or walnuts to slow glucose absorption, and avoid eating them on an empty stomach. A snack of two dates carries a medium glycaemic load, so portion size matters, and pairing with protein supports slower carbohydrate digestion. Always consult your healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes.
Tourist Special Export Rules, Luggage Limits & the Vacuum Packing Secret
How Many Dates Can You Actually Take Home?
This is asked on every Dubai travel forum and almost always answered incorrectly. The official 2026 position is clear: Dubai Customs allows departing passengers to carry up to 100 kg of dates as personal baggage, a remarkably generous limit that reflects how embedded dates are in UAE culture and trade. In practice, the limit most tourists hit is their airline’s checked baggage weight allowance, not the customs ceiling.
Your destination country’s inbound rules are a separate matter entirely. Commercially packaged, sealed dried dates are accepted without restriction in the UK, EU nations, Canada, and the United States. Australia has strict biosecurity rules and may screen fresh or semi ripe rutab dates more carefully. The safest approach everywhere is to keep dates in original commercial packaging with the producer’s label intact, confirming origin and processing standards.
Ramadan 2026 & The Liwa Festival: Two Unmissable Date Events
Ramadan 2026 The Date Market’s Super Bowl
For date buyers, Ramadan is the most important week on Dubai’s market calendar. Demand for every premium variety surges sharply and prices follow Ajwa, Medjool, and Sukkary see the steepest increases in the two weeks before fasting begins. Souq vendors stock deeper inventory but run out of top grade products quickly. The upside for visitors is atmosphere: the Deira Dates Souk and Waterfront Market transform during Ramadan into sensory experiences unlike anything else the city offers all year.
Once the call to Maghrib prayer is heard, Muslims are advised to break their fast with a date and glass of water, as Prophet Mohammed did, before performing prayer and then sitting down for a full meal, a ritual that creates sustained daily demand for quality dates throughout the entire month.
Ramadan buying tip: Purchase dates before February 17 for the best combination of selection and price. Post-Ramadan (late March onward) brings discounted inventory as vendors clear stock ahead of the next harvest cycle.
Final Words
Dubai is not merely a place to buy dates. It is the best place in the world to understand their history, their cultural weight, their extraordinary diversity, and the difference between a date purchased as an afterthought in an airport shop and one chosen with knowledge from a vendor who can tell you which farm it came from and what grade it represents. Buy in bulk, vacuum seal everything, store in a cool dark place, and always ask where the dates originated. The answer will tell you everything.
Massive FAQ:
What is the most expensive date in Dubai and is it worth it?
Ajwa reaches AED 100–150/kg at boutique level. Worth it if you want cultural and nutritional significance: a small, dark, earthy date with over 1,400 years of religious history. If you simply want the best tasting date, Sukkary or Medjool at a third of the price will satisfy more palates.
Are Dubai airport dates overpriced?
Yes, significantly. Duty free and airport gift shop dates can be two to three times the souq price for identical products. Buy in the city, vacuum seal your purchase, and carry it in checked luggage.
Can I bring dates back to the UK, USA, or Australia?
Commercially packaged dried dates are accepted in all three countries without issues. Fresh rutab dates may attract agricultural screening in Australia especially. Keep dates in original sealed packaging with a producer’s label showing country of origin.
How do I know if Ajwa dates are fake?
Real Ajwa is always small to medium, never large. Skin is deep black-brown, matte, and slightly wrinkled. Large, shiny, or plump “Ajwa” is not authentic. Ask for a label confirming “Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah” as the origin.
Which dates are best for date paste or energy balls?
Medjool for premium use is moist, sticky, and binds effortlessly. Khidri for budget friendly bulk batches is slightly drier but far cheaper and widely available by the kilogram.