Healthy Date Recipes

This quick version of a traditional recipe can be made in about 30 minutes using a beloved kitchen hack: shredded rotisserie chicken! The shredded meat simmers briefly in a flavor-packed base that is rich with garlic and spices, sweetened with dates, and tangy from olives and preserved lemons. The addition of lentils and garbanzo beans makes this a hearty one-pot supper, though you can serve it with rice, couscous, or pita bread. Excerpted from THE FULL PLATE. Copyright (C) 2020 by Ayesha Curry. Photographs by Eva Kolenko. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

This easy snack recipe doubles down on the toasty flavor of the ancient grain amaranth by combining it with peanut butter and flaxseeds. Pitted dates hold it all together while adding extra fiber. Eat these as a snack, grab for a quick breakfast or serve as a healthier dessert.

A blend of dates, sunflower seed butter, salt and vanilla make these bites surprisingly reminiscent of salted caramel--both in taste and texture. Unlike our ultra-easy mix-and-match basic energy ball recipe, you'll need a blender to make a paste for the base of these balls, but the extra effort is oh-so-worth it for the sweet and satisfying result.

These energy balls marry the flavors of nutty hazelnuts with rich chocolate. They're chewy with a slight crunch and have just enough sweetness to curb a midday or post-dinner sweet tooth.

Show your love this Valentine's Day with this beautiful Valentine's Day party board. It's full of sweet and savory treats from nuts to prosciutto-wrapped dates. And, of course, it includes the classic combo of chocolate and strawberries. Just grab your favorite platter and fill it with these easy, beautiful bites. Your loved ones will thank you!

Next time you have a Girl Scout Cookie craving, try these healthier no-bake cookies instead. Their bright and lemony flavor is balanced by sweetness from Medjool dates, and they're held together with millet and almond meal. Keeping the dough chilled and dusting your hands with confectioners' sugar will keep them from sticking to your hands while you shape them.

These festive no-cook energy balls have all the flavors you love in peppermint-chocolate bark but in healthy snack form. Whip up a batch for an office or after-school treat, or take them along to a holiday cookie swap. The recipe is easily doubled or even tripled. Be sure to store the bites at room temperature rather than the refrigerator--the moisture from the fridge will melt the candy cane coating.

Cranberry sauce has a role beyond tradition at the T-day meal. The tart berry adds excitement to mild turkey, but it also provides balance by cutting through the richness in other dishes. For this easy relish recipe--which comes together in minutes--the earthy sweetness of dates and cinnamon, plus a touch of citrus, complement the zing of the berries to create a familiar holiday flavor profile.

These no-cook energy bites keep well in the fridge or freezer and are easy to grab on the go for a healthy snack.

Dates are naturally sweet so no extra sugar is needed in this quick-bread recipe. Toasted almonds add a nice crunch and the optional coarse sugar topping--while it isn't needed for sweetness--certainly adds to the presentation.

Chopped dates, honey and cinnamon provide natural sweetness to these overnight oats, and pine nuts balance each bite.

With just five ingredients, these simple, no-bake energy bars are tastier than any bars you can buy! Dates, cashews, almonds and coconut whir up in the food processor for an easy homemade version of a Larabar. Pack one up for a healthy snack for work, or send some off with your kids for an energizing snack before soccer practice.

A touch of sweetness from the dates and raisins paired with crunch and nuttiness from the pistachios make these bites perfect for an on-the-go snack or as an accompaniment on a cheese board.

These delectable single-serving tarts are gluten-free and sweetened with dates instead of refined added sugars. Top with a little unsweetened whipped cream to take this special--yet healthy--dessert to the next level.

Most cranberry sauce recipes add tons of sugar to mask the tart taste of the cranberries. In this simple cranberry sauce, we lighten things up by skipping the sugar and opting for a healthier combination of dates and apple cider which adds just enough sweetness without overpowering the cranberry flavor.

Sweetened with dates, these whole-grain bars provide energy and protein, thanks to nut butter. With just 5 ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, you can make these delicious, chewy brownies with no added sugar. Whip up a batch as a healthy dessert or for grab-and-go energy bars for a healthy snack.

A tagine is a Moroccan stew that is named after the earthenware dish it is cooked in. We use a slow cooker for this tasty version, which features lamb, sweet potatoes, dates and olives.

Stir up a quick cake featuring dates, pecans, and apples for a sweet treat.

Dates provide all the sweetness you need for these no-bake energy bars. Each square serves up a hearty dose of protein--thanks to peanut butter and peanuts--as well as fiber from rolled oats. Kids will love the chewy bites with crunchy nuts.

Inpired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this packable lunch is just like a personal-size cheese plate to take on-the-go. The healthy and easy snack-style meal is perfect to take for lunch at work or for a light picnic date night.