Date Nut Bread (No Eggs, No Dairy, No Refined Sugar)

This Date Nut Bread is a simple sweet bread with plenty of fiber, protein, minerals, and healthy fats, all with no eggs, no dairy, and no refined sugar.

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While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

Date Nut Bread

This Date Nut Bread is a simple sweet bread with plenty of fiber, protein, minerals, and healthy fats, all with no eggs, no dairy, and no refined sugar.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

cool: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 237.6 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 cup Medjool Dates - pitted, finely chopped, 5.5 oz/155g (note 1)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups Warm Almond Milk - (note 2)
• ▢ 2 cups All-Purpose Flour - (note 3)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ ½ cup Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - (note 4)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Chopped Walnuts - (note 5)
• ▢ ⅓ cup Chopped Pecans - (note 6)

Optional

• ▢ ½ cup Unrefined Cane Sugar - (note 7)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with oil. Set aside.
• Place the pitted dates in a glass bowl, cover with warm almond milk. Place a plate on top of the bowl to keep all the moisture in. Set it aside for 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing glass bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and sugar if used. Whisk to evenly combine.
• Pour the dates with the milk into a blender and blend on medium-high speed until a paste forms.
• Pour the date paste into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add oil, vanilla extract. and chopped nuts.
• Use a rubber spatula to stir to form a smooth batter.
• Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake the bread at 350°F (180°C) on the center rack for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let it cool down for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a cooling rack. Keep it at room temperature for a few hours before slicing.

Notes

Note 1: You can use other types of dates, but they are less moist, which means the crumb of the bread won’t be as soft. Make sure you weigh the pitted dates for precision. 

Note 2: Make sure you measure the milk after warming it up. You need the amount to be precise, not evaporated, as it’s used as a binder in the recipe.

Note 3: Or white whole wheat or white spelt flour. For a gluten-free version, use my gluten-free conversion guide. The recipe doesn’t work with almond flour or oat flour.

Note 4: Or other light-flavor oil. I don’t recommend swapping oil for applesauce, mashed banana or yogurt, this will turn the bread dense, and gummy

Notes 5 and 6: Or chopped almonds or seeds like pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds. 

Note 7: Add the sugar for a sweet bread; skip if you don’t like added sugar. Tasty options I like to add are soft brown sugar, date sugar, or coconut sugar.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15 °C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

Storage: Store the bread unsliced in the fridge in an airtight box to keep it moist and fresh. Keep it for up to 4 days. Freeze it in a sealed box for up to 1 month. Thaw it the day before at room temperature.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (from 12 slices) | Calories: 237.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.4g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 13.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.3g | Sodium: 206.2mg | Potassium: 135.7mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 8.5g | Vitamin A: 21.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 94.8mg | Iron: 1.4mg | Magnesium: 20.3mg | Phosphorus: 64.5mg | Zinc: 0.4mg

Ingredients and Substitutions

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. Here’s how to pick and swap them.

• Medjool Dates – These are the most important ingredient! They provide all the sweetness (if you’re not using sugar), a rich flavor, and essential moisture. They also help bind the bread.
• Warm Almond Milk – We use warm milk to soak and soften the dates, making them easy to blend into a smooth paste. Any plant-based milk, like soy or oat milk, will work.
• All-Purpose Flour – This gives the bread its structure and crumb. You can also use white whole wheat flour or white spelt flour for a slightly heartier texture.
• Baking Powder – This is the main leavening agent, helping the bread rise and become light.
• Baking Soda – This gives the bread an extra lift and helps it brown nicely.
• Cinnamon – This adds a warm spice flavor that complements the dates and nuts perfectly.
• Salt – Salt helps to balance the sweetness and brings out all the other flavors.
• Vanilla Extract – This adds depth of flavor to the bread.
• Mild-Flavor Olive Oil – This provides moisture and fat, which is key to a tender loaf. Any light-flavored oil, such as avocado oil or melted coconut oil, is a fine substitute.
• Chopped Walnuts and Chopped Pecans – These add healthy fats, protein, and a wonderful crunchy texture. You can use any combination of nuts, like almonds, or seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
• Unrefined Cane Sugar – This is optional, but I recommend it if you have a sweet tooth or if your dates aren’t very sweet. You can also use coconut sugar or soft brown sugar.

How to Make Date Nut Bread (in Pictures)

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for a perfect date nut bread!

• Best Dates – I find Medjool dates work best because they are the sweetest and richest, which makes the bread very moist. If you use other, drier dates, the bread might not turn out as soft or sweet.
• Sweetness Level – If you’re using a drier date variety or just have a sweet tooth, feel free to add the optional sugar to the dry ingredients. Any granulated sugar, like coconut sugar or brown sugar, works well.
• Nut Varieties – You can easily play with the types of nuts to change the flavor. Walnuts and pecans are classic, but almonds, pistachios, or cashews are also great choices.
• Add Chocolate – For a sweeter bread, you can add chocolate chips. I recommend stirring in up to 1/3 cup, but if you do, you should reduce the total amount of nuts by 1/3 cup so the batter isn’t too crowded.

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