25 Irresistibly Delicious Recipes To Make With Dates

We’re pretty smitten with dates, the rich, almost creamy dried fruit of date palm trees that originated in the Middle East. Let’s get the health benefits out of the way: They are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and lots of weird but important micronutrients, like manganese and copper. But let’s not focus on that, because it would imply that we eat dates just because they’re health food. The best dates — those Medjools you find in the produce section of a supermarket — can rival a square of dark chocolate for their complexity and ability to satisfy a sweet tooth, with notes of caramel. They up your charcuterie game because they pair so beautifully with any salty cheeses or cured meats. And, they're easily turned into date syrup, a natural sweetener for coffee or baking. But even more common dates, sold in bags near the raisins, make an excellent snack, and blend gorgeously in smoothies and desserts, eliminating the need for additional sugar. Look at them as an opportunity to stay home and wash your hair — and have a hot date on the very same night.

The perfect place to start? These easy homemade candies take the classic chocolate-and-peanut butter pairing to a new level, both in taste and texture. The dates make ideal vehicles for the two, their own flavor receding while lending a nice gooiness at the same time.

This classic Persian banana and date shake can be found virtually anywhere in Iran. Every majoon shop has its own twist on how to prepare it, but the naturally sweetened base is usually dates, bananas and milk. Sometimes desiccated coconut, nuts or even a scoop of ice cream are added, and it's usually topped with even more nuts and coconut. Iranians often order it to-go, as it’s a tasty, natural alternative to energy drinks.

When Samantha Seneviratne bakes banana bread, you know it will be anything but same-old. The dates are left quite large, so that you get big hits of their gooiness; but some lime zest in the batter keeps things from going too cloying, brightening everything up.

Here’s your new go-to slaw, elegant enough for a fancy dinner but also a team player at the barbecue. This combination of vegetable plus almond crunch with sweet-and-salty from the bits of date and Manchego from Katie Lee Biegel will win over a crowd, yes, including those people who think they don’t like Brussels sprouts.

This homemade syrup, popular in the Middle East, can be used any time you need a sweetener, keeping in mind that it will add a lot more character than simple syrup. Add a dash to the blender to balance your smoothie; drizzle over pancakes, waffles or oatmeal; or add a shot to your Old Fashioned for a little je ne sais quois. This recipe calls for Deglet Noors instead of Medjools. Don’t worry—that variety is exactly the kind used in major brands’ packages of dates, so you will find them easily.

When your hunger revs after a run, a yoga session or even for breakfast, these energy bites will provide the ideal meal. Each ingredient plays a nutritional, textural and flavor role, with nut butter and oats for protein and fiber, dates and coconut for sweetness, flax seeds for some omega-3s and cocoa nibs for a chocolatey crunch. They keep beautifully in the refrigerator so you can always pop a few to avoid getting hangry.

If you want a showstopper main for a dinner party, this is it. Stuffing a pork loin with sweet Italian sausage and chopped olives, dates and shallots lends it "explosive" flavor (read the comments) but also prevents the dryness that can come from overcooking this lean cut. Pair with mashed or roasted potatoes and a salad of bitter greens for a memorable meal.

Date breads and pastries like these rolls are popular throughout the Middle East and are a perfect treat for the month of Ramadan. The dough and filling for them vary from region to region, as do the shape of the rolls. Recipe developer Shadi Hasanzadenemati’s version, known as naan-e khormayi (bread with dates) in Persian, uses a fluffy yeast dough filled with a mixture of dates, walnuts, coconut and cinnamon. The dates make the rolls just sweet enough – and delicious with a cup of coffee or tea. The dough uses yogurt, which helps keep it soft and easy to work with, and it’s perfect for twisting into the attractive spiral shape used in this recipe.

Everyone needs just a solid side dish in their repertoire, preferably one that utilizes pantry ingredients and doesn’t even require a lot of chopping. This one tastes fresh and bright and will complement any grilled meat or fish but also a saucier main.

We all know that nothing disappears apple slices in a crowd of kids like a little bowl of caramel sauce. Here’s one that’s devoid of added sugar and completely vegan, also helpful if there is a dairy allergy in the crowd. Whip it up in seconds from just dates, vanilla and a plant-based milk (heck, if there’s vanilla flavoring in the milk, you can even leave out the extract...two ingredients and done!).

Dates are cooked in a syrup flavored with brandy and lemon until very soft and sticky-sweet. A custardy vanilla bread pudding is the perfect partner for this date lover's comfort food.

If you’ve made potato gnocchi before, you have the chops for this version of the dumplings that uses goat cheese instead, and the accompanying sauce is simple (and incredible, merging bacon, dates and fresh herbs, oh my).

This dessert takes the flavors and textures or Britain’s beloved sticky toffee pudding and transforms them into an irresistible sheet cake. It’s an easy-to-make, easy-to-serve dessert that will wow a crowd. We start with a rich date-infused batter like the original does, but instead of baking it individually we use a standard rimmed baking sheet. A homemade toffee sauce is generously drizzled over top, so it soaks in for a perfect moist and sweet cake. Serve the cake warm with even more toffee sauce and a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream for the full Anglo-American experience.

The appeal is in the name—a "crunch salad" gives so much crunch in every bite. Here, peanuts become extra toasty by roasting with chili powder, and a creamy tahini dressing brings an additional layer of nuttiness to chopped broccoli and cabbage. Dates round out everything with little moments of sweetness.

Ron Ben-Israel can innovate with the best of them, but his rugelach hew to tradition. Cream cheese in the dough gives them a crumbliness and a tang, the perfect foil to the jammy spiced date filling.

Texture-lovers will relish in the combinations in this pudding-like dessert popular in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, whose thickening comes from the starch of toasted vermicelli noodles. The pistachios, dates, raisins, almonds and cashews here are chopped to a uniform size, so that their flavors blend into a lovely cardamom-scented mouthful that both melts away and also gives you something delicious to chew on.

Sometimes spelled gheysavah or ghisava, this sweet and savory breakfast of eggs cooked with dates, walnuts and a hint of cinnamon comes from the Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran. Similar date-and-egg dishes are popular in other neighboring countries, all hailed as a filling, energizing start to the day. This version can be made interchangably with dates or dried apricots for a similar sweet contrast to the eggs. Serve it simply as is, or add a side of a warm flatbread such as barbari or lavash.

This no-fail dinner idea from Aarti Sequeira will earn a place in your regular rotation. The compote, a sort of jammy caramelized onion sauce, can be made ahead; the steaks can be seasoned the night before and pulled out to grill when you’re ready to eat. That it will grill up to perfection in under 10 minutes will make you feel like an absolute genius in the kitchen.

Dates add a little something extra to oatmeal cookies—namely, an almost butterscotchy bit of chew and an extra dose of moistness that keeps them soft. These are the perfect pick-me-up at around 2pm with a cup of coffee, or tuck them in a lunchbox for a welcome school-day surprise.

Any visit to the west coast is incomplete without a date shake, which stems from the history of dates in the region. The American government began importing the trees from the Middle East to test them as a crop in Palm Springs in the early 19th century, estimating that its hot, dry climate would be hospitable to the plant. Indeed, the trees flourished, and the area produces most of the country’s dates today. Though the date shake originated with a local orchardist’s product of date crystals, small, dehydrated chunks of the fruit, you can achieve a supremely yum shake in minutes with ordinary dates.

This recipe lays out tactics for a complete, quick dinner—just pair with a green salad. The pan sauce optimizes the deep umami left behind in the skillet by the chicken, lending the meat a more savory quality with its balance of sweet and acid; the egg noodles soak it all up.

Dates and their natural partner—nuts—come together in this classic Persian dessert that tops walnut-stuffed dates with a buttery warm mixture akin to an icing, that gains its sweetness and texture from the pistachios, coconut and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Not only are these dates ridiculously easy to prepare, making them perfect for a novice cook, they could not be more impressive or crowd-pleasing to serve or gift. Feel free to experiment with different flavors of halvah or types of chocolate too!

This simple quick bread includes tons of juicy Medjool dates, making it an option for breaking the daily sunrise-to-sunset fast during the holy month of Ramadan, a tradition that Muslims observe in Tanzania and across the world. The tradition is rooted in the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who is said to have called for observers to break their fasts with dates. This bread can, of course, be enjoyed by any and all, year-round. It’s wonderful on its own with hot cups of coffee like Buna (Eritrean Coffee) or tea like Shaah Cadays (Somali Spiced Tea with Milk) or topped with a soft cheese like goat cheese, ricotta, or cream cheese.