Stuffed Dates: Easy 2-Ingredient Dessert

Sometimes you just need a little something sweet that doesn’t require a lot of effort. Whether you’re making a snack for yourself or for a crowd, these easy Stuffed Dates are the perfect healthy dessert or snack.

Though I like something sweet every now and then, I don’t have a huge sweet tooth. However, my husband definitely does.

The great thing about this stuffed date recipe–other than how simple it is with only two ingredients–is that it’s perfectly sweet and is able to satisfy both of us. Another terrific and simple dessert to try is these Air Fryer Banana Boats.

You’ll love this 2-ingredient dessert because it’s…

• The easiest dessert ever with the fewest ingredients
• Perfectly sweet
• Gluten-free
• Perfect as an appetizer for Thanksgiving and holidays
• Wholesome
• Super simple
• Requires no cooking
• Great for taking along on hikes and road trips
• Guilt-free
• Delicious!

Stuffed dates recipe

These stuffed dates can’t really even be called a recipe but are more like a concept.

Not that long ago, my sister gave me a large bag of dates that she had purchased but decided she didn’t want. She knew that I use them often when cooking and thought I could make good use of them. Lucky me!

At first, I planned to use them in some baking recipes, but one evening I was looking for something sweet to eat after dinner that didn’t have to be cooked. It needed to be something quick that didn’t require me to mess up the kitchen again. And, that’s when I decided to just keep it very simple and stuff a few dates.

With recipes for stuffed dates all over the internet that include ingredients like bacon and goat cheese (I’m not kidding), I was looking around for an easy snack that was actually healthy.

That’s when I saw a bag of walnuts in the cabinet and realized that half of a walnut would fit in my dates perfectly. And, boom, we had DateNuts!

How to stuff a date

Simply slice a date, without cutting it all the way through–sort of like making a jacket out of it. Since my dates had pits still in them, they needed to be removed.

Though the picture above shows the date sliced completely in half, for this recipe, only slit them enough to remove the pit.

The raw cracked walnuts I had on hand were already halved, so they were the perfect fit for my dates.

Simply stuff a walnut half into the pitted date and press the sides to form around the walnut. Make as many as you like and serve immediately.

Stuffed dates make a perfect healthy appetizer or snack for family and guests. This is probably the easiest plant-based dessert you’ll ever serve other than fruit.

DateNuts are also fantastic for those that love the great outdoors and need easy energy-packed snacks to take along while hiking, biking, camping, or anything else.

What are dates anyway?

A staple in Middle Eastern countries, dates are a fruit grown on date palm trees. They come in a number of different varieties but the two most common are Medjool and Deglet Noor.

Depending on the variety, dates range in size and color, and almost all dates sold in Western countries are dried.

Medjool dates are very large and are the most common type used in cooking and baking. They are chewy, moist, and sweet and have wrinkled skin that indicates they are dried. These are the ones I used for this recipe.

Nutritionally, dates are high in fiber, iron, potassium, and B vitamins. They have 2 grams of protein in a little over 3 ounces.

Though they are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index, meaning they don’t cause large spikes in blood glucose levels like refined sugar does.

Many people avoiding sugar use date paste in baking to get that sweet taste without processed sugar.

What exactly is date paste?

Date paste is the healthiest, all-natural way to sweeten baked goods.  It is an excellent natural sugar substitute and best of all it is entirely homemade, so you know exactly what is in it.

This natural sweetener can be made with two simple ingredients–dates and water. In my experience, nice big soft dates don’t require soaking and blend quite easily in my blender.

However, if you are using less fresh dates that are more dried out, soaking may be necessary. Simply soak pitted dates in enough warm water to cover them for approximately 30 minutes or more. This will help soften them up.

Then, pour dates and soaking water into a blender until smooth.

DATE PASTE =1 cup tightly packed dates + 2/3 cup water

This paste can be used as a natural, healthy sweetener in many dishes like my Oaty Apple Crumble. It’s so delicious and without any guilt!

Other great easy snacks

• 5-Minute Chocolate Hummus
• Healthy Popcorn with 20 Topping Ideas
• Simple Chili Dip

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

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DateNuts

Yield: 1 serving

Prep Time: 5 seconds

Total Time: 5 seconds

Sometimes you just need something a little sweet that doesn’t require a lot of effort. Whether you’re making a snack for yourself or for a crowd, these easy stuffed dates are the perfect healthy dessert or snack.

Print

Ingredients

• 3 Medjool dates or other variety
• 3 raw walnut halves

Instructions

1. Slice into a date, without cutting it all the way through–sort of like making a jacket out of it.

2. If the date has a pit, remove it.

3. Stuff a walnut half into the date and serve.

Notes

Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Amazon Brand - Happy Belly California Walnuts, Halves and Pieces, 40 Ounce
• 
  Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Medjool Dates, 2 Lbs - Soft Chewy Texture | Sweet Caramel Flavor | Farm Fresh

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 serving Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 100Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 70gSugar: 15g

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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