Healthy Date Recipes

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.

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.

Medjool dates are softer than their semi-dry Deglet Noor cousins and therefore, much easier to stuff with almonds. This healthy snack recipe can also be turned into an addictive appetizer by adding a little blue cheese to the stuffing.

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.

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.

These easy, tasty applesauce-date muffins are rich in fiber, low in saturated fat and perfectly portable, making them great for breakfast or snack time.

The two-bite pecan tarts satisfy the sweet tooth with far less guilt than pecan pie.

This almond milk is so creamy and flavorful, you'll want to drink it on its own. Store-bought almond milk is convenient, but homemade almond milk is relatively easy to make and less expensive too. Plus, making your own almond milk at home allows you to control sweeteners and other additives. Apart from the dates, which are inherently sweet, this recipe is unsweetened--add a little honey, maple or agave syrup for sweetness, if desired.

The mix-ins in these homemade granola bars are inspired by ingredients commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking--dates, hazelnuts, pistachios, tahini and cardamom. But feel free to vary the dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or spices to your preference. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.

In this healthy pumpkin bread pudding recipe, whole-wheat bread, Vitamin A-rich pumpkin and toasted pecans come together for a praiseworthy dessert. To make individual bread puddings instead of one large pan, divide the batter among 12 small oiled individual baking dishes (about 8 ounces each). Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with pecans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more.

In this healthy oatmeal recipe, sweet dried dates, pine nuts, cinnamon and honey give your breakfast Middle Eastern flavor. Short on time in the morning? Try our overnight oatmeal variation.

Dates, oats and dark brown sugar turn into a decadent breakfast treat in this creamy porridge.

Financial advisor Linda Croley was inspired by childhood memories of a family treat when she created these peanut butter-date cookies. “I get a great feeling when I bite into these cookies and think of my family who are around me today, and those whose memories I'll always cherish,” says Croley. Once you try them, you may never make an ordinary peanut butter cookie again.

Sweet dates and salty prosciutto combine in a tasty bite.

Whole-wheat flour and dates provide fiber and nutrients to create these healthy snack bars, which would also be great for breakfast or dessert.

A lemony date filling makes oatmeal cookies more special.

This honey-sweetened, nut- and date-studded pumpkin bread gets bright taste from orange zest and juice.

"I was inspired by the news that chocolate can be good for you," wrote reader Jennifer Sanders of Cambridge, Ontario. "Why not eat it for breakfast?" She shared her recipe for this heart-warming chocolaty hot cereal. If you are looking for a way to get your kids to start their day with a bowl of oatmeal, this is it. The microwave is convenient, but you can also cook the oatmeal on the stovetop following package directions. Top the cereal with milk or soymilk and sweeten with brown sugar or no-calorie sweetener, if desired.

Trisha Kruse, an administrative assistant, created quick, easy, no-bake date-nut balls to fill that special niche in your holiday repertoire.

Like many Greek and Middle Eastern sweets, this date-walnut cake is infused with a honey syrup. Semolina flour makes it moist and dense.

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.

Dates add a sweet counterpoint to these spicy gingerbread cookies.

Tart rhubarb simmered in cider vinegar with chopped dates, brown sugar and cinnamon makes an excellent chutney to accompany tender game hens. The chutney would be delightful with pork as well. It freezes well, so if you like, you can make extra to enjoy throughout the year.

These cookies are made sweet and flavorful by the addition of a generous amount of chopped dates.