30+ Date Sweetened Desserts - Life Around The Table

These date-sweetened desserts use healthy ingredients to make nutrient-dense after-dinner treats and sweet delights with no refined sugar added. Find ways to include delicious and nourishing sweetened treats in your special diets or into your everyday easy recipes! My favourite is either the Vegan Snickers Bar or the Date-Sweetened Apple Cake!

Chocolate chip cookie with chocolate drizzle over it spilling onto a staged countertop with others.

I love using dates in recipes. They are natural and easy ways to get essential nutrients and great sources of energy, and my kids love them! I started using dates and have been using them in some of my recipes, like my Tahini-Stuffed Chocolate-Covered Dates, Date and Walnut Scones, and Fudge.

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All About Dates
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes to Try

All About Dates

Dates are a fruit (yes!) native to Middle Eastern countries but also grown in North America. They are a powerhouse of nutrition, and their specialty is that they provide a natural sweetness to any recipe. Depending on their hydration level, they can be either soft and chewy or dry and hard, which makes the variety and health of the date important!

Frequently Asked Questions

Please review these questions. If you have any others, please add them in the comments, and I will respond as soon as I can!

What are date-sweetened desserts?

Desserts that use dates, either in whole or paste form, as a natural sweetener instead of refined sugars.

Why use dates as a sweetener?

Dates are a superfood. They are a natural sugar source packed with nutrients, vitamins, and fibre, offering a healthier alternative to refined sugars while adding a unique flavour.

Are date-sweetened desserts suitable for diabetics?

While dates are a natural sweetener, they still contain sugars. Diabetics should consult with their healthcare provider and monitor blood sugar levels when consuming sweetened products, even if they're date-sweetened.

Can I use any type of dates for these recipes?

While most recipes might specify a particular type (like Medjool), you can typically use various dates. However, some dates might be drier or sweeter than others so that slight recipe adjustments might be needed.

How do I make date paste for recipes?

Date Paste is made by blending soaked dates with water until it reaches a smooth consistency. It acts as a natural sweetener.

Are date-sweetened desserts vegan or gluten-free?

While dates are naturally vegan and gluten-free, the other ingredients in the dessert determine its classification. Always check individual recipes for the specifics.

Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Peppermint Fudge is made with 5 healthy ingredients like coconut milk and Medjool dates for natural sweetness.

Date Sweetened Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Peanut Butter Pretzel Date Bark

No-bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Crunch Date Bark is made with four ingredients, combining Medjool dates with rich chocolate & peanut butter.

Recipe: Life Around the Table

Peanut Butter Pretzel Date Bark

Date Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies (Refined Sugar Free)

Date-sweetened cookies are refined sugar-free, sweetened with only dates. They’re soft and chewy, so delicious and quick to make!

Date Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Covered Dates

Tahini Stuffed Chocolate Covered Dates are going to be your new favorite treat! When you bite into one you’ll think you’re eating a chocolate bar. Tahini stuffed dates are truly delicious.

Tahini Stuffed Chocolate Covered Dates

Healthy Chocolate Pudding

This dairy-free chocolate pudding is sweetened with only dates and can be enjoyed as a healthy breakfast, dessert or chocolatey snack!

Date Sweetened Chocolate Pudding

a bowl of date paste topped with flaky salt on a countertop with a few medjool dates beside the bowl.

How to Make 3-Ingredient Medjool Date Paste

A delicious substitute for pastry fillings, maple syrup, powdered sugar, jams and spreads, date paste is easy to make and full of nutrition.

Caramel Date Paste

Coffee milkshake in a retro glass with two paper straws in it.

Creamy Coffee Milkshake

The Coffee Date Shake is a sweet, creamy and luxurious shake without the unhealthy attributes of a regular milkshake. Amazingly tasty. Remarkably healthy. Hard to resist.

Coffee Date Milkshake

Vegan Snickers Bars

Healthy homemade snickers bars. This easy recipe is vegan, gluten- free and no-bake. Chewy nougat with salted peanut caramel, roasted peanuts and chocolate.

Date Snickers Bars

Three stacked date brownies with parchment paper between each and a bite taken out of the top one.

Date Sweetened Brownies

These fudgy vegan date sweetened brownies are nutrient dense and totally decadent, not to mention incredibly simple to make! These date sweetened vegan brownies are perfect to bring to parties, or to enjoy on a self care night-in.

Date Sweetened Brownies

Cherry energy bites stacked on a paper lined, ornate wooden plate.

Cherry Almond Date Bliss Balls

These nutrient dense cherry almond bliss balls raw vegan, paleo, oil-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and plant based!

Cherry Almond Date Bliss Balls

Four stacked matcha popsicles with chocolate drizzle on a white, staged table.

Healthy Mint Chocolate Chip Popsicles

These mint chocolate chip popsicles are the perfect simple and healthy summer treat! This popsicle recipe only takes a couple of steps and uses whole foods plant based ingredients.

Healthy Mint Chocolate Chip Popsicles

Group of black bean brownies on a white table with one stacked on top.

Date Sweetened Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Black Bean Brownies Recipe that is flourless, fudgy and delicious. No one will ever guess these brownies are made with black beans!

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Peanut Butter Date Cookies

These Peanut Butter Date Cookies are made with NO flour and are naturally sweetened with dates! They are rich, chewy, and gluten-free.

Peanut Butter Date Cookies

Chocolate truffles scattered on a table cloth around an ornate, wooden spoon.

10-Minute Chocolate Truffles (Date-Sweetened)

If you’ve ever craved truffles and you’ve wanted them FAST, this recipe is for you. These are quick and easy to make requiring 7 ingredients.

Chocolate Truffles

Three pieces of Carrot Cake loaf stacked on a staged table top with a bite out of the top one.

Fruit-Sweetened Carrot Cake Loaf

This fruit-sweetened carrot cake loaf is incredibly moist and naturally sweetened with dates and applesauce. Have it for breakfast, snack or dessert!

Recipe: Nourished By Caroline

Carrot Cake Loaf

Women pulling a slice of Apple Cake up with a pie server from a round, white marble plate on a staged farmhouse table.

Date Sweetened Apple Cake

Moist, fruit sweetened and delicate in flavour, this apple cake is wonderful to enjoy on its own or on a cold day along with a warm cup of coffee or tea.

Recipe: Murielle Banackissa

Apple Cake

Creamy Date No-Tella

This creamy date no-TELLA recipe is perfect for spreading on toast, topping your pancakes, adding to smoothies or making treats.

Recipe: Elsa's Wholesome Life

Creamy Date "No-Tella"

Four date nut bars on a cutting board with nuts embedded in chocolate on top.

No Bake Date Nut Bars

These No Bake Chocolate Date Bars are quick and easy to make using simple ingredients. I love making these ahead of time and eating them when I need a snack or am craving something sweet.

Recipe: It's All Good Vegan

No Bake Date Nut Bars

Chocolate pudding with cream on top in vintage, miniature glass milk jars.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

The delightful texture, the rich and natural sweetness of dates, and the decadence of cocoa powder allow you to indulge in this chocolate chia pudding with absolutely no guilt.

Recipe: May I Have That Recipe

Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chia Pudding

Healthy Banana Date Chocolate Bites

It’s almost sweet summer time and that means i am turning on my oven as little as possible! Treats like Healthy Banana Date Chocolate Bites always come in handy and make the best kind of dessert.

Recipe: Upbeet & Kaleing It

Healthy Banana Date Chocolate Bites

Five chocolate fudge bars stacked in a marble cutting board with walnut toppings.

Date Sweetened Chocolate Fudge

The holiday season always has me craving fudge… but the easy kind that doesn’t take major skills or forever to make! This Chocolate Freezer Fudge is sweetened only with fruit: dates!

Recipe: Just Jessie B

Freezer Date Fudge

Four tahini cookies stacked on top of each other with others around on a wire cooling rack.

Tahini Date Cookies

These popular vegan cookies are quick and easy to make with just 3 simple ingredients! The recipe is gluten-free, vegan, oil-free and has no added sugar but they’re so yummy you’d never guess it.

Recipe: Running On Real Food

3-Ingredient Tahini Date Cookies

Banana bread on a cutting board, half sliced with two pieces laying beside to show icing centers.

Nutritious Banana Bread Loaf with Dates

This granulated and liquid sugar-free banana bread recipe is sweetened with dates, banana and vanilla. It’s nutritious and easy to prepare!

Recipe: Nourish & Tempt

Date Sweetened Banana Bread

Skillet cookie in cast iron skillet with some missing and spoon with crumbs on it laying in the pan.

Delicious Vegan Skillet Cookie

Softly baked vegan skillet cookie with chocolate chips that’s ready to enjoy in 30 minutes! Healthy, protein-packed & sugar-free.

Recipe: Nutriciously

Date Sweetened Skillet Cookie

A person holding made cookie dough in a glass and beginning to take a scoop to eat.

Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough

The best chickpea cookie dough that’s fully vegan, healthy, high-protein & easy to make! Ready to enjoy in 10 minutes as a snack or treat.

Recipe: Nutriciously

Date Sweetened Edible Cookie Dough

Three stacked walnut bars with walnut crumble on top and parchment paper between each one on a staged tabletop.

Oatmeal Walnut Date Bars

Gluten free date bars are the perfect energizing, on-the-go snack. Healthy date bars are full of nutritious ingredients and no added sugar.

Recipe: Sunkissed Kitchen

No Sugar Added Date Bars

Two plated date pudding cake slices with whipping cream on top of the full cake off to the side.

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Topping

Too good to be true, this sticky date pudding with caramel topping is sugar free and gluten free, but still tastes indulgent.

Recipe: Sunkissed Kitchen

Sugar Free Sticky Date Pudding

Two scoops of ice cream in a double waffle cone standing up in a spiral, wire cone holder with another behind it.

Homemade Date Sweetened Ice Cream

Naturally sweeten your favorite frozen treat with homemade date sweetened ice cream! You’ll never guess this ice cream is also dairy free, egg free, and gluten free too!

Recipe: Raising Generation Nourished

Date Sweetened Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Tahini Cups

Sweet and creamy, vegan salted date tahini cups that are easy to make with just 3 ingredients.

Recipe: Running On Real Food

Tahini Cups

Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate in a lined wooden bowl.

Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls

This healthy peanut butter buckeye balls recipe takes the classic chocolate peanut butter buckeyes and adds a healthy twist!

Recipe: A Couple Cooks

Date Sweetened Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls

Overhead view of oatmeal cups, in muffin liners, on a marble countertop.

Date Sweetened Cinnamon Sugar Baked Oatmeal Cups

These Cinnamon Sugar Baked Oatmeal Cups are naturally sweetened with only dates, making them a healthy and delicious breakfast option!

Recipe: She Likes Food

Cinnamon Sugar Baked Oatmeal Cups

Date cheesecake with chopped dates and strawberries on top.

Medjool Date Baked Cheesecake

A rich, dairy-free baked cheesecake with a gluten-free ‘graham cracker’ crust and creamy coconut yogurt filling. Tangy, decadent, and vegan!

Recipe: Feasting On Fruit

Vegan Date Cheesecake

So, if you're looking for a delicious and nourishing treat, try one of these date-sweetened desserts! Using dates as the sweetener doesn’t compromise flavor or texture. You can even try one for breakfast, like my Date Banana Oatmeal, which will set you up for a great day!

If you try any recipes here, please let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

Until next time,

Christy