100 Days of Real Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
×
Home » Recipes

Recipes Using Medjool Dates


Want to Save this Recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

This post has been brought to you by Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates. They are part of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance, which helps consumers discover the health benefits of Mediterranean foods. Tomorrow kicks off Mediterranean Diet Month so be sure to check out the details.

Maybe I used to be living under a rock, but before our switch to “real food” I had never before purchased or cooked with dates. And I am just being honest here, but it’s possible I didn’t even know what dates were.

Believe it or not Medjool dates are one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world, which means they are also a whole food, of course. :) And even here in North Carolina you can easily find fresh Natural Delights Medjool dates at several local grocery stores including Harris Teeter, some Lowe’s locations and soon Earth Fare as well.

The great thing about Medjool dates is that they are so sweet so they can basically act as a sweetener in recipes. And when you are avoiding refined sugar you start to get creative when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth.

A few weeks after starting our “100 Days of Real Food” pledge a reader actually suggested a “chocolate torte/truffle” recipe to me (pictured) using Medjool dates, and looking back I honestly don’t think I would have survived our pledge without them!

Chocolate Truffles Sweetened with Dates from 100 Days of Real Food

So today, I’d like to share three more recipes using Medjool dates in case you are new to this versatile sweet fruit as well. I do want to caution you though that even though the date seeds look like little pecans they are hard as a rock (pictured), so whatever you do be extra careful to remove the seeds first!

Date Recipes from 100 Days of Real Food

Medjool Date Seeds

Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates

Bacon makes everything taste better ... especially these Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates. They make a simple and flavorful appetizer for any occasion. This recipe is from the Medjool Date website and it does not disappoint.
9 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 6 minutes mins
Total Time: 16 minutes mins
Course: Snacks & Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Medjool dates
  • 1 lb bacon (sliced)
  • 6 oz nuts (minced (we used cashews, optional))

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to broil.
  • Split one side of Medjool date lengthwise and remove pit.
  • Stuff with one teaspoon minced nuts. (Optional)
  • Wrap entire bacon strip around date and secure with toothpick. To prevent toothpicks from burning soak them in water for a few minutes first.
  • Place under oven broiler.
  • Turn once to ensure even cooking and drain well (about 3 minutes per side worked well in our oven). Serve warm / immediately.

Notes

*To make this Peanut/Tree Nut Free omit the optional nuts.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1040 Calories from Fat 603
% Daily Value*
Fat 67g103%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Cholesterol 75mg25%
Sodium 757mg33%
Potassium 1268mg36%
Carbohydrates 97g32%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 75g83%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 210IU4%
Calcium 108mg11%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

 

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Medjool Date Pitas

A fun snack for the kids adapted from the Medjool Date website.
9 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins
Course: Lunch, Snacks & Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 2 whole-wheat pitas (we got ours from Trader Joe’s)
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 8 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
  • 2 bananas (peeled and sliced)

Instructions
 

  • Cut each pita bread in half, crosswise, to form four pita pockets.
  • Gently open each pita pocket and spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to each of the interior sides.
  • Top the peanut butter with the chopped dates, which have been evenly divided.
  • Add the banana slices to each pita sandwich and then gently press the sides together to reform pita pockets.
  • Eat immediately or grill on a panini grill for something extra special!

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Peanut Butter, Banana, and Medjool Date Pitas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 428 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 300mg13%
Potassium 809mg23%
Carbohydrates 76g25%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 42g47%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 110IU2%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 49mg5%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

Banana, Medjool Date, Vanilla Smoothie

A sweet dessert-like drink.
9 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 5 minutes mins
Course: Smoothies & Drinks, Snacks & Appetizers, Treats
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 2 glasses
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 2 bananas (ripe)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (whole-milk recommended)
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 3 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cubes ice
  • handful spinach (or other greens like kale or swiss chard (optional))

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree together until smooth. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Banana, Medjool Date, Vanilla Smoothie
Amount Per Serving
Calories 310 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 77mg3%
Potassium 917mg26%
Carbohydrates 62g21%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 46g51%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 315IU6%
Vitamin C 10.9mg13%
Calcium 223mg22%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out

More Recipes

  • Garlic butter steak bites.
    Garlic Butter Steak Bites
  • Chicken sausage sheet pan.
    Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan
  • Sausage stir fry.
    Sausage Stir Fry
  • Sausage broccoli pasta.
    Sausage Broccoli Pasta
3.6K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Janeth says

    January 24, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    I love the smoothie recipe you can change the banana for any other fruit and it will be delicious

    Reply
  2. Lindsay says

    December 30, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    My family and I just made the smoothie, delicious!!!! I used almond milk and added a large handful of organic baby spinach... My kids loved it! Even the husband loved it! This is the first smoothie I have made with spinach that you couldn't taste the spinach. I like spinach, I don't like tasting it in smoothies though. The medjool dates are so amazing for sweetness. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!

    Reply
  3. Mirry says

    April 07, 2015 at 1:05 pm

    5 stars
    I love bacon wrapped dates. I stuff them with feta or blue cheese, brush with balsamic vinegar and pop them in the oven.... yum yum

    Reply
  4. David says

    September 30, 2014 at 12:18 am

    5 stars
    Your vegan friends might not delight but the bacon wrapped dates are the pot luck item that will disappear first. Decadent and delicious.

    Reply
  5. Deb G. says

    September 03, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    I love dates in my overnight oatmeal. So amazing!

    Reply
  6. Susan M. says

    May 02, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    I found your site because I have a dear friend who came here from Iran and she brings me gifts of dates from Montreal and I was looking for ideas to cook with them. We love yogurt smoothies, and I'm excited about using 3 or 4 dates to sweeten them instead of sugar. I break up my very ripe bananas into small chunks and freeze them for smoothies. Using frozen fruit eliminates needing to use ice cubes to cool off the smoothies. Thanks for your recipe ideas!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!


Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

Learn More

Popular

  • Chicken sausage pasta.
    Chicken Sausage Pasta
  • Steak with veggies.
    Steak with Veggies
  • Sausage and potatoes.
    Sausage and Potatoes
  • Spaghetti squash with meat sauce.
    Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Seasonal

  • Spaghetti squash boats.
    Spaghetti Squash Boats
  • How to cook spaghetti squash.
    How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
  • Air fryer popcorn chicken.
    Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
  • Healthy blueberry pancakes.
    Healthy Blueberry Pancakes

Footer

↑ back to top

Browse

  • Cookbooks
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipes
  • Favorite Products
  • Free Downloads

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Blog

  • About
  • Comment Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner With Us
  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 100 Days of Real Food