15 Seriously Awesome Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Grain-Free Desserts Made with Dates and Nuts! – One Green Planet

Dates. We love them. Dates are the edible fruit from the date palm tree that have been a staple food of the Middle East for thousands of years.

There are several varieties, but the best known are probably deglet noor and Medjool. The former is small, very lightly sweet, honey-like taste, and it has a slightly dry texture. Medjool dates are another popular variety, known for their super-soft texture and caramel-like flavor. While they taste great as a quick snack to give you energy, texture and sweetness of Medjool dates makes them extremely versatile when it comes to desserts. You can make caramel, sweeten your smoothies, make energy bites, and if you’re gluten-free or grain-free or just interested in making healthy foods, you can combine them with nuts to make desserts.

Medjool dates and nuts are the used to make so many of our amazing desserts. Don’t believe us? Check out these 15 desserts that use dates and nuts instead of grains that will make your day.

1. Chocolate Truffle Tart

This rich and creamy Chocolate Truffle Tart starts with a chocolatey date crust and is topped with a smooth chocolate filling. Cocoa butter gives the filling its truffle center-like texture and after just one bite, you’ll be hooked. The double chocolate combination is sheer bliss and perfect for any chocolate-lover.

2. No-Bake Samoa Cookies

No-Bake Samoa Cookies are soft, chewy, and decadent when dipped and drizzled in amazing dark chocolate and centered with a date caramel filling. It’s everyone’s favorite chocolate and coconut cookie revamped with more wholesome ingredients!

3. Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake

This beautiful Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake looks impressive but is really very simple to make. As this cheesecake contains a lot of fresh fruit via the strawberries, it’s best eaten straight out of the refrigerator, otherwise, it may melt if left out. It’s perfect for any spring or summertime occasion when strawberries are at their best.

4. Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

This decadent Raw Banana Split Ice Cream Cake is fully awesome. It’s loaded with all the best things — vanilla bean, cacao, nuts, hemp seeds, young coconut meat, berries, dates, and of course, bananas! From birthday parties to backyard barbecues, this cake is sure to be a hit.

5. Matcha Cheesecake

This lovely Matcha Cheesecake is worthy if being the centerpiece at a party! The flavor of matcha is light, allowing you to experience all of the other flavors it has to offer. The crust is made from almonds and dates, so anyone grain-free or gluten-free can still enjoy an awesomely creative dessert.

6. Lemon and Fig Tarts

When figs appear at the Farmers Market, we do a happy dance. Figs are great for making batches of fig jam, fig bread, fig chutney, and more. Their natural sweetness lends perfectly to raw desserts like this Lemon and Fig Tart — no added or processed sugars, gluten, or grains necessary!

7. Chocolate Pistachio Almond Butter Cups

The perfect combination of sweet, salty, bitter, and nutty, these Chocolate Pistachio Almond Butter Cups are three layers of goodness. The pistachios and dates are the base to a gooey raspberry almond butter cream and a deliciously dark layer of chocolate. Sprinkling these with dehydrated fruit isn’t a necessary step, but it adds to the presentation – and the already amazing flavor.

8. Raw Raspberry Slice

These Raw Raspberry Slices are simply one of the best desserts yet! They are made up of three layers: the first layer is a chewy, gooey nutty base, the second layer is smooth and creamy and the top layer is rich and zesty.They are so easy to make and all you need to do is pop them in freezer until you are ready. You would never believe they are vegan, refined sugar-free, grain-free, and gluten-free!

9. Heavenly Raw Tiramisu

Heaven in a bite! Everyone loves tiramisu, and with this vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free Heavenly Raw Tiramisu, our favorite Italian dessert will love us right back! The creamy coffee and vanilla flavors mixed with the “buttery” ladyfinger layer made from dates and almond flour makes for one of the most decadent things you’ll ever put on a spoon.

10. Pink Lemonade Cheesecake

This Pink Lemonade Cheesecake is the ultimate dessert for spring and summer. It has notes of coconut and tart lemon and each individual slice is single-serving size, so it’s perfect for parties! They’re low in sugar and have a light, whipped texture, so even when the weather is warm, you can enjoy a slice of cheesecake and not feel weighed down.

11. Cocoa Date Fudge Bites

Thick and fudgy, these Cocoa Date Fudge Bites are an indulgent treat that will satisfy all of your chocolate cravings. Composed of cashews and sweetened with dates, these truffles are healthier than most. Best part is they can be dressed up in a number of ways. Feel free to add walnuts, frozen fruit shards, or cacao nibs to the outside for a tray of beautiful treats.

12. Churro Flavored Cheesecake Cups

Two of your favorite desserts in one cup, it doesn’t get much better than that. All you need to achieve that is to make these Churro Flavored Cheesecake Cups! The crust is made from nuts and dates and the cashew cheesecake filling is sweetened with date paste, molasses, and coconut palm sugar. Taste the sweet cinnamon flavors melting with the creamy cheesecake and you may not come up for air!

13. Creamy Peanut Butter and Cacao Tarts

These tiny, Creamy Peanut Butter and Cacao Tarts are amazing as they are, but when topped with crushed peanuts or dried fruit … they’re phenomenal. The crust, made with walnuts and chia seeds, offers a boost of healthy omega-3s, so don’t feel guilty if you eat more than one!

14.  Lemon Curd Ice Cream Cake With Taco Crunch

Some people hear the words “lemon curd” and immediately skip that recipe for fear that it’s complicated to make, but let us assure you, the simplicity of this Lemon Curd Ice Cream Cake will have those people face palming themselves. You soak some dates, you blend some bananas, and bing bang boom, it’s ready before you know it.

15. Raw Cherry Brownies

These Raw Cherry Brownies are a decadent chocolate cherry dessert. They are naturally sweetened with dates and dried cherries, which adds to the richness of this smooth chocolate brownie. Crunchy almonds and chewy cherries give it a texture that will leave you wanting more.

You can do so much with dates and nuts! Who knew?

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is known to Support various health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, improving heart health, enhancing mental well-being, achieving fitness goals, meeting nutritional needs, managing allergies, and promoting gut health, among others. Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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