Dates: Nutritious Recipes Inspired by a Timeless Fruit

Dates are the fruits of date palm trees that grow abundantly in hot regions and across the Arab world. They are considered a complete natural food of high nutritional value, rich in natural sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), fiber, and essential minerals such as potassium and magnesium—providing the body with quick energy.

Dates are a staple in Arab cuisine and come in many varieties, including Ajwa, Khalas, Sukkari, and Medjool. They may be soft, semi-dry, or dry, ranging in color from deep brown to golden hues. With their rich flavors, dates remain a symbol of Arab hospitality and oasis culture.

Prepared by: Lina Al-Hourani
Photography: Ghaith Tanjour

Healthy Date Muhallebi

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk

• 1 cup pitted dates

• 5 tbsp cornstarch

• Optional flavorings (as available):

  • ½ tsp cardamom

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • 1 tsp orange blossom water

  • 1 tsp rose water

• Garnish (optional): nuts, crushed biscuits, coconut, chopped dates

Method:

1. Pour 2 cups of hot milk over the pitted dates. Add cardamom and cinnamon, stir, and leave for 20 minutes.

2. Blend until smooth with no date chunks remaining.

3. Transfer to a pot, add the remaining 2 cups of milk and cornstarch, and whisk while cold to avoid lumps.

4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and boiling.

5. Add orange blossom water and rose water. Sweeten with honey or date syrup if desired.

6. Pour into serving dishes, garnish as desired, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Baked Dates with Orange

Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dates

• 3 tbsp goat cheese

• 3 tbsp cream cheese

• ½ cup walnuts

• 2 tbsp orange juice

• Zest of ½ orange

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp rosemary

• Pinch of salt

• Honey

Method:

1. Remove the pits from the dates.

2. Coarsely chop walnuts, mix with goat cheese and cream cheese, and stuff the dates.

3. Combine walnuts, orange zest and juice, rosemary, cinnamon, and salt; spoon over the dates.

4. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 10 minutes.

5. Drizzle with honey and serve warm or cooled.

Dried Fig and Date Salad

Serves: 5
Preparation Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups lettuce and arugula

• ½ cup raisins

• 1 cup chopped dates

• 1 cup chopped dried figs

• 1 cup feta cheese

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts

• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

For candied pecans:

• ½ cup honey

• 1 cup pecans

Dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup mustard

• 2 tbsp honey

• ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat honey in a pan, add pecans, stir for 2 minutes, sprinkle sea salt, and set aside.

2. Mix dressing ingredients.

3. Arrange greens in a bowl, add dressing, dates, figs, feta, pomegranate, raisins, and pecans. Serve with extra dressing.

Pistachio Date Cannoli

Serves: 12
Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Filling:

• ¼ cup peanut butter

• 6–7 tbsp Greek yogurt

• 1½ tbsp maple syrup

• 12 Medjool dates

• 6 tbsp melted chocolate

Method:

1. Mix peanut butter, yogurt, and maple syrup until smooth.

2. Flatten pitted dates between parchment paper.

3. Spread 2–3 tsp filling over each date and roll like cannoli.

4. Dip ends in ground pistachios, drizzle with chocolate, and freeze for 10 minutes.

Sticky Toffee Date Pudding

(A classic British dessert popular on social media platforms like TikTok.)

Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Cake Layer:

• 15 dates, soaked in ½ cup boiling water

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup milk

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2½ cups flour

• Pinch salt

• Vanilla

Sauce:

• 2 cups boiling water

• ½ cup brown sugar

• Pecans or walnuts

Method:

1. Mix soaked dates with sugar, oil, milk, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour.

2. Pour into a buttered baking dish sprinkled with pecans and dates.

3. Pour sauce ingredients over batter.

4. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45–50 minutes. Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Date Basbousa

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 egg

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder

• ½ cup oil

• 160 g cream

• 2 tbsp milk powder

• ½ cup blended dates with ½ cup hot water

• 1 cup semolina

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients with blended soaked dates.

2. Pour into greased cupcake molds.

3. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes bottom heat, then 5 minutes top heat.

4. Top with caramel and garnish with pistachios.

Dates with Milk and Almonds

Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10–12 soft pitted dates

• 6–8 peeled almonds

• ¼ cup hot milk

• ¾ cup cold milk

Method:

1. Soak almonds and dates in hot milk for 30 minutes.

2. Blend until smooth.

3. Add cold milk and blend again before serving.

Date-Filled Biscuits

Serves: 7
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pack tea biscuits

• 1 cup date paste

• 1 tsp butter or oil

• Pinch cinnamon (optional)

• Melted chocolate

• Finely ground pistachios

Method:

1. Knead date paste with butter and cinnamon until soft.

2. Spread over a biscuit, top with another biscuit, and press gently.

3. Dip sides in melted chocolate, then in ground pistachios.

4. Arrange on a serving plate and enjoy.