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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Have you heard about the nutritional benefits of dates but aren’t quite sure how to incorporate them into your recipes? This easy recipe is a great place to start! This quick bread is a delicious, rich treat, full of autumn spices and perfect for a chilly fall day. Give it a try!
If autumn spices and dates aren’t your thing, why not try making some hearty Oatmeal Bread or simple Beer Bread instead? There are so many quick bread recipes available that you’re sure to find one you love! If you love dates but don’t want to make a loaf, check out Bacon Wrapped Dates for a savoury option or delicious Date Squares for dessert.
Reader Review
This was delicious and so easy to make. I’ve tried several countless recipes for date nut bread over the years, and hands down, this one produced the best, most moist and delicious one yet!
Thanks for a terrific recipe!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is a very simple recipe with a short prep time, so it would be a great one to work on with young children.
- Total Time: This bread will take about 1.5 hours to prep and bake, plus 10 minutes cooling off on your counter and making your kitchen smell amazing.
- Variations: This quick bread comes with boundless opportunities for variation! You could try different sorts of nuts, change up the spice level to suit your own tastes, maybe even add a little something extra like chocolate chips or raisins.
- Tools Needed: This recipe is so simple that you probably won’t need much more than some bowls, a mixing spoon, a whisk, and a 9″x5″ loaf pan.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this recipe are probably already in your kitchen. Things like all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, spices. Here are a few of the ingredients that stand out:
Baking Soda: Baking soda plays a very important role in this particular recipe, since it helps to soften the dates.
Vanilla: While any vanilla will work here, this would be a great recipe to try out a vanilla bean paste or Mexican Vanilla if you happen to have some around.
Chopped, Pitted Dates: There are a variety of dates available in grocery stores, but Medjool dates are the most popular type for baking purposes. Deglet Noor dates are also commonly used in baking and provide a chewier texture.
Chopped Nuts: Pecans or walnuts, depending on your own personal taste.
How To Make Date Nut Bread
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The complete list of ingredients and complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Get your dates soaking in boiling water and baking soda.
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease loaf pan and set aside.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a different bowl.
- Alternate adding the dry mixture and the date mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Stir in the nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Karlynn’s Tip for Making Perfect Date Nut Bread
- Fresh Nuts: Make sure that the nuts you’re using are fresh! No one likes to bite into delicious bread and get a mouthful of rancid walnuts.
- Don’t Side Step the Soda: Pay close attention to the baking soda step. Without it, the consistency and taste of the dates won’t be quite right.
- Crumbs: Check that your bread is baked by inserting a toothpick and seeing if there are crumbs (it’s done) or wet batter (needs more time).
Storage Instructions
Wrap this bread up and keep it at room temperature for up to three days. If it hasn’t been devoured by then, you can store it in your fridge or freezer.
Fridge: This bread should keep in a sealed container in your fridge for a week, though it will probably start to dry out at that point.
Freezer: Quick breads tend to keep well in the freezer as long as they’re wrapped well. You can even try slicing your loaf in advance, separating the slices with wax paper or parchment paper, before freezing them. That way, you can take out individual slices as you want them, either letting them defrost for a little while at room temperature or microwaving them for 30 seconds (or more, depending on how thick the slices are and how warm you want your bread).
Other Delicious Quick Bread Recipes
Quick breads are easy to make and most often use ingredients that you’ve already got around. Check out our selection of quick bread recipes and see if any of them catch your eye. There are so many options!
- Pumpkin Cranberry Bread is another delicious option, especially if you enjoy the juicy pop of a sour cranberry.
- If you enjoy cinnamon, you might like to try this Cinnamon Swirl Bread.
- Try Strawberry Banana Bread or Chocolate Banana Bread for a change from typical banana bread.
- Or if zucchini is more your thing, why not try Lemon Zucchini Bread?
There you go! An easy and delicious quick bread recipe that’s a perfect combination of fall spices, fruit, and nuts. Try it out and let me know how it goes.
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Date Nut Bread
Ingredients
Date Mixture
- 2 1/2 cups chopped, pitted dates
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Dry Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Place the dates in a medium sized bowl. Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a large measuring cup then pour over the dates. Let soak for 15 minutes, then stir to combine.
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Grease a standard 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and salt, then set aside.
- In another large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until crumbly. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and mix alternately with the date mixture. Stir in the nuts.
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. This is even better the second day after you make it!
Notes
- YES it’s only 2 tablespoons of butter, thanks to the dates you barely need any oil or butter in this recipe!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Irene says
It’s in the oven!! I didn’t add all the water, seemed too much so we shall see! Looking forward to a slice with morning coffee! Thx!
Irene says
Delicious! Cut a piece while warm with butter! Yum! Next time I’ll add all the dates and water plus extra flour as needed.
Ron says
I was concerned because it made a very wet batter, however, the loaf turned out fine and tastes great. In the northeastern US, we used to find a round date nut loaf in the supermarkets called Neumans, but haven’t been able to find it recently. This recipe comes very close to the flavor and texture. The next time I’ll try substituting brown sugar for the white, and omit the cloves which are too overwhelming.
ENNIE says
Made this as written. Disappointingly, the spices completely overpowered the flavor of the dates. However, it did bake up quite beautifully, and with a wonderfully dense but moist, lovely texture. Next time, I will omit the spices so that the dates can be the star of the show. Thank you for this recipe. ❤️
Melanie says
Can you use an all spice instead of individual spices and how much would you use?
What a nerfherder says
You could have just moved along. If you don’t like the website BUH BYE. Nobody said you had to stay. If you want recipes and content without a couple ads then go BUY a cookbook. You could even buy the TWO cookbooks that Karlynn has out. No ads in there if that’s your biggest concern. I’m sorry you are such a miserable human. I wonder what kind of annoying email address you made up just to protest about her website. Grow up, move along. You should put up your own website and recipes. See how long you last doing it for free.
DeJ says
Am I suppose to also put the water that the dates were soaked in into the batter? The batter didn’t come out as a “batter”, but more a solid dough. I am not sure I did this correctly. Looks like such a great recipe, and I will retry after you can answer my question. Thank you.
Lori says
This was delicious and so easy to make. I’ve tried several countless recipes for date nut bread over the years , and hands down , this one produced the best, most moist and delicious one yet!
Thanks for a terrific recipe!
Lauren says
Sadly I lost my mother’s Date Nut bread recipe and I was looking for one to try. This was good but it was spicier from the cloves. Next time I make it I’ll leave those out or not use as many. I remember my mom also putting in a shot of cognac but I didn’t have any!
Renee says
What a miserable human you would have to be to leave a comment like this!
maryellen basham says
Is it supposed to be so thin? I put the date mixture in to include the water, its very soupy.
Carolyn says
My grandmother made a recipe similar to this. We would spread Philadelphia cream cheese on the cake slice as an added treat.
holly says
yes! my grandmother did the same with the cream cheese; so did my mother. i hadnt thought of this in years. made me smile when i read your comment!
Melanie says
My mom too
goody says
Date nut bread is one of my faves, but, the recipe we cannot find anymore had a date nut bread that was almost black in color, not sure of what was added, perhaps chocolate and coffee? It was the best, do you have any ideas?
KarenB says
Molasses
Gayle says
Yes, my grandfather used to make it, lost his recipe in a fire, and I remember that he used coffee and molasses. It was a very old recipe that had a date glaze/topping on it. Hopefully I can recreate it.
Anwe says
Hi goody,
I’ve seen recipes with a cup of coffee… I’m not sure if that would be enough to make it that dark. Maybe some molasses??