When it comes to making delicious, sweet treats, most of us turn to refined sugar. But it turns out that adding dates to your favorite indulgences is a great way to sweeten them up and boost their nutritional value at the same time. Not only do dates have a naturally rich, caramelly flavor, but they’re also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as potassium, manganese, and copper. It is therefore no surprise that TikTok has caught on to the potential of dates. In 2023, a recipe for chocolate date bark went viral on the app, and since then, it has been flooded with tasty recipes that make use of the fruit (chocolate, peanut butter, and dates are a particularly popular combination).
Below, we’ve listed some of our favorite ways to cook with dates. From banoffee caramel pots to cookie bars to popsicles, there are no limits to this fruit’s potential. And many of them make use of TikTok’s golden trio because, let’s be honest, chocolate, peanut butter, and dates is a dynamite flavor trio. Our mouths are watering already.
Table of Contents
How to cook with dates: 20 vegan sweet treats to try
Stock up on dates and whip up these 20 tasty recipes.
1 Easy Vegan Banoffee Date Caramel Pots
Taken from the So Vegan in 5 cookbook, this tasty vegan twist on a British classic is perfect for sharing (or savoring solo). Featuring Medjool dates, oat cookies, bananas, and dark chocolate, it’s elegant, creamy, and easy to make.
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Mixed & Measured
2 Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars With Pretzels and Coconut
Chewy, sweet, salty, and customizable, these no-bake bars feature dates, peanut butter, pretzels, and coconut. They’re a delicious dessert, but they also make for a satisfying afternoon snack, too.
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3 Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars
If you love (or used to love) Bounty or Mars Bars, you will adore this luscious blend of date caramel, coconut crust, and vegan chocolate, which comes from The Fantastic Vegan Cookies cookbook.
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Eat the Rainbow
4 Cheery Vegan Lemon Curd Coconut Tarts
These bright heart-shaped tarts from the Eat the Rainbow: Vegan Recipes Made with Love cookbook feature a date and buckwheat crust and are filled with deliciously tangy lemon curd. They’re refreshing, zesty, and the perfect dessert for the spring and summer months.
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Natalie Norman
5 Thick and Creamy Vegan Chocolate Mousse With Chocolate Pecan Crumble
Healthy, raw, and indulgent, this vegan dessert is ideal for a romantic evening with your special person. Rich in raw cacao nibs and avocado, it’s a quick, sensual delight for two.
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Vegan Heritage Press
6 Creamy Vegan Cashew Horchata
From The Abundance Diet cookbook, this creamy recipe offers a vegan twist on a Mexican classic that’s the perfect mix of rich, creamy, and refreshing. Made with just cashews, dates, water, and cinnamon, it’s quick and easy to pull together, too.
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Food 52
7 Vegan Chai-Spiced Bread Pudding
If you wake up with a craving for something sweet, this hearty, sweet, and nutritious dessert—which is made with deliciously caramelly Medjool dates and warming spices—could double as a satisfying breakfast.
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Chris Shoebridge
8 Vegan Sticky Toffee Cake
This recipe comes courtesy of Veganuary, so you know it’s going to be delectable. Made with luscious toffee sauce and spices, it’s a true cruelty-free delight. It’s ideal for cozy winter evenings, but honestly, there is no wrong time to enjoy sticky toffee cake.
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Blissful Basil
9 Healthy Vegan Strawberry Mango Chia Pudding
Ideal for busy mornings, this seven-ingredient healthy, fruity chia pudding offers the perfect combination of convenience, nutrition, and (arguably the most important part) great taste.
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Ashley Madden
10 Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes With Almond Butter Caramel
Elevate brunch with these tasty buttermilk pancakes from The Plant-Based Cookbook, which are made with dates (of course), as well as wholesome buckwheat, brown rice flour, banana, and chia seeds. Drizzle with almond butter caramel for a dreamy, gluten-free delight.
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Rouxbe
11 Decadent Vegan Chocolate Ganache Torte
Pair this intensely chocolaty delight—which is made with plant-based ingredients like date paste, agave nectar, and vanilla beans—with berries or compote, and sprinkle with cacao powder for an extra touch of luxury.
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Blissful Basil
12 Vegan Red Velvet Beet Shake
This indulgent yet healthful shake comes from Blissful Basil. Made with six ingredients (including coconut cream, fresh beet juice, and Medjool dates), it makes for a vibrant, creamy, smooth breakfast, dessert, or mid-afternoon treat.
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Hannah Kaminsky
13 Vegan Chai Breakfast Pudding
If you’re after something warming and cozy, you can’t go wrong with this tasty chai breakfast pudding. Chopped dates, cinnamon, agave, and ginger combine to make a hearty, flavor-packed dessert or breakfast choice.
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14 Vegan and Gluten-Free Caramelly Banoffee Pie
With layers of oat crust, creamy filling, date caramel, banana slices, coconut cream, and chocolate, this tasty vegan Banoffee pie is a show-stopping dessert. Plus, it’s gluten-free and comes together without an oven.
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Sarah Bond
15 Vegan Dulce Date Leche Popsicles
To make these super refreshing popsicles from the For the Love of Popsicles cookbook, all you need to do is blend dates, coconut milk, vanilla, and salt, and then freeze. It’s easy and delicious.
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Vegan Chocolate Treats
16 Vegan Copycat Twix Chocolate Caramel Bars
A Twix chocolate bar is a favorite for many people, but unfortunately, the popular caramel bar is made with dairy. However, with a mix of ingredients like Medjool dates, cashew butter, and maple syrup, you can make your own delicious vegan version of the iconic chocolate from home.
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The Experiment
17 Vegan Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
A nutty almond-date crust cradles a creamy cashew-blueberry filling in these delectable mini cheesecakes. It’s a delightful, vegan indulgence from the Easy. Whole. Vegan cookbook.
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Lizzie Mayson
18 Vegan Cookie Butter Caramel Millionaire Shortbread Bars
A buttery shortbread base, luscious cookie butter date caramel, and dark chocolate are the super trio in these delicious vegan bars from the Speedy Bosh! cookbook. Warning: Once you start eating them, it’s seriously hard to stop.
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Dreena Burton
19 Vegan Ganache-Topped Nanaimo Bars
What could be better than chocolate-coconut bars featuring a crumb base made with oats and dates, a creamy custard filling, and luscious chocolate ganache? This delightful homemade treat comes from Dreena’s Kind Kitchen.
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Vegan Chocolate Treats
20 Vegan Matcha Chocolate Coconut Balls
These tasty, bite-sized balls are made with a simple blend of dates, cashews, coconut, cacao, and matcha. The energy-boosting recipe courtesy of the Vegan Chocolate Treats cookbook is also customizable with berries, nuts, or chocolate chips.
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For more plant-based desserts, read:
Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include shopping links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
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