What’s the best way to choke those dates down? These delicious date recipes will help you get your daily quota for a shorter, easier labor.
- Written by Genevieve Howland
- Updated on May 24, 2019
We know that we should be eating six dates a day from 36 weeks of pregnancy on. A number of studies link date consumption to shorter, less painful births, but let’s face it, those fiber-rich, dense dates are kinda cilantro… you either love ’em or hate ’em. So what’s the best way to choke ’em down? Check out these delicious date recipes to help you get your daily quota—without gagging.
Smoothie Date Recipes
Smoothies can be a great way to disguise the taste of food you might not like, or a flavor you’re sick of. They’re also the easiest way to track how many dates you’re actually consuming, since you make and drink the entire recipe yourself.
Labor Soothing Date Smoothie
This labor soothing smoothie recipe includes all six of the dates you should eat every day. And it doesn’t have any refined sugar, because unsweetened almond milk and the natural sweetness of the fruit does the trick.
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Oh-solovelylife's Recipe
Cashew-Date Smoothie
This smoothie is both vegan and paleo, and doesn’t contain any milk for the lactose-intolerant. Six dates (your daily quota!) and vanilla add some sweetness, while cinnamon and nutmeg add flavor.
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Downshiftology's Recipe
Peanut Butter Date Smoothie
Peanut butter’s creamy, protein-rich taste goes great in smoothies. Combined with the five dates (you'll only need to squeeze in one more for your daily quota)in this recipe, it’s a rich, healthy treat.
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Tablefortwoblog's Recipe
Date and Spinach Smoothie
Trying to get your greens, too? In addition to four dates (two shy of your daily quota), this smoothie has 2 cups of spinach for vitamin K and manganese, as well as a banana for potassium (goodbye leg cramps!).
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Pinchofyum's Recipe
Creamy Paleo Chocolate Milkshake
Who needs a smoothie when you can have a milkshake?! This creamy cocoa-infused shake contains four dates.
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Oatmealwithafork's Recipe
Vanilla Date Smoothie
Frozen bananas and dates combine to make a smooth, creamy shake that's just sweet enough. And vanilla protein powder adds extra staying power. Each smoothie has 3 to 4 dates.
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Simple-veganista's Recipe
Cinnamon Toast Dessert Smoothie
Who said smoothies are only for breakfast? This one is sweet enough for dessert, and will provide 4 dates per serving.
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Naturalfitfoodie's Recipe
Third Trimester Pregnancy Smoothie
You'll get a dose of 4 dates in this smoothie, but you'll also get a punch of nutrients from spinach, chia seeds, bananas, and strawberries.
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Mallorymaddox's Recipe
Breakfast Date Recipes
Might as well start your day off right and incorporate dates into breakfast. Because all of these recipes divide the dates into muffins or donut holes, it’s hard to tell exactly how many dates you’ll be eating in just one or two baked goods, but we’ve included some rough math for you.
Banana Bread Muffin
Banana has a strong flavor, which can mask the date’s flavor if it’s not your favorite. Plus, these muffin tops have chocolate chips—yum! Since these muffins have roughly 4 dates in them and the recipe makes nine muffin tops, you’ll get about a half a date per serving.
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Ohsheglows' Recipe
Lemon Poppyseed Donut Holes
Guilt-free donut holes? Sign me up! Coconut and almond flour add the lightness and fluffiness of cake, with dates and nuts for texture. This recipe is a little more complicated than others on this list, but you can always skip the glaze. And it calls for eight dates, so you’ll get a little over two dates per donut hole.
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Minimalistbaker's Recipe
Hawaiian Date Muffins
The popular combination of date and banana gets a twist with coconut sugar and dairy-free milk. The muffins also freeze easily, so make a big batch one weekend when you have some extra energy. There’s a little less than one date per muffin.
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Veganinthefreezer's Recipe
Whole Wheat Date Muffins
Maple syrup, mixed with dates, make these muffins sweet but healthy, while roasted almonds give them some crunch. There’s about half a date in each muffin.
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Gatheratable's Recipe
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Date Bar Recipes
Date bars are incredibly easy to whip together in a food processor, and they keep for several days. It’s a great on-the-go snack.
Dark Chocolate Walnut Date Bars
Chocolate is important to eat during pregnancy, science tells us so. And Martha Stewart came through for us with this yummy recipe for a dark chocolate walnut date bar. They’re also no-bake and gluten-free. Each bar contains about 1.5 dates.
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Marthastewart's Recipe
Date Granola Bars
You’re tired, it’s close to the end of pregnancy, and you don’t want to spend a lot of time whipping up date granola bars. These five-ingredient bars will do the trick, and there’s nearly one full date in each bar.
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Minimalistbaker's Recipe
Spicy Power Bars
Not everyone has a sweet tooth, and some mamas may prefer something a little spicier. Ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom spice up these bars. You don’t have to bake them, just refrigerate overnight. Cut the pan into 8 squares to ensure you get one date per serving.
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Elanaspantry's Recipe
Coconut Cream Bars
These dense bars contain a whopping 15 dates, which means you'll get nearly two dates per bar if you cut the batch into eight squares.
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Mywholefoodlife's Recipe
Date Brownies
Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it won’t count for dessert! Dates have been used as a natural sweetener for centuries, and you’ll find them in many dessert recipes.
Vegan Date Brownies
Unsweetened cocoa powder gives these brownies, which contain one cup of chopped dates, that rich, chocolatey brownie taste. And best of all? You don’t even have to bake these simple brownies. Each bar contains half a date.
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Eatingwell's Recipe
Fudgy Raw Brownies
Some people prefer their brownies to have a fudgier texture, like these vegan fudgy raw brownies. Coconut oil mixed with cacao gives these brownies their great texture. There are also two cups of dates, which works out to one date per brownie.
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Thisrawsomeveganlife's Recipe
Unbaked Brownies
Agave nectar or pure maple syrup replaces processed sugar in this no-bake brownie recipe. It calls for 2 ½ cups of dates, split between 16 bars, which means you’re getting a little more than one date per brownie.
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Chocolatecoveredkatie's Recipe
Raw Brownie Bites
Craving something sweet, but don’t want a whole brownie? Try a bite! Four ingredients make this a quick snack that also satisfies your chocolate craving. Each poppable serving contains about one date.
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Paleogrubs's Recipe
Date Balls
These poppable treats also come together quickly in a food processor. And they’re date-heavy, so you’ll get your fill more easily.
Date Energy Balls
A quick snack for mamas on the go, these date balls whip up in a jiffy. Dates and unsweetened coconut are the main ingredients and each ball has almost one date.
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Detoxinista's Recipe
Fruit and Date Balls
If you’re getting a little sick of coconut and nuts, try these balls. They contain dried fruit, sunflower and flax seeds, and dates to make a quick snack. Each ball has one date in it.
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Littlebroken's Recipe
Almond Date Energy Balls
These energy balls are rolled in unsweetened coconut for sweetness and contain a pinch of cinnamon for flavor. The recipe yields 12 balls and contains 10 dates, so you’ll get a little more than one date in each ball.
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Wonkywonderful's Recipe
Trail Mix Date Energy Bites
Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds add a lot of protein to these yummy energy bites. And with roughly twelve dates divided between sixteen balls, you'll get just shy of one date per ball.
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Cozypeachkitchen's Recipe
Desserts with Dates
Why stop at bars and brownies? There are plenty of cookies, pies, and other treats loaded with dates.
Coconut Blueberry Pie
The dates mix with almonds to make the crust on this scrumptious coconut blueberry pie. Coconut cream and blueberry filling tastes luxurious, but is actually quite healthy. And there are almost two dates per slice.
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Dontwastethecrumbs' Recipe
Chocolate Banana Tart
The dates are in the crust on this tart, too, and the dark chocolate and vanilla filling is sure to please. It also contains non-dairy milk, so you could use date milk to up your date consumption even more. As is, the recipe provides about 1.5 dates per serving.
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Bakerita's Recipe
Simple Peanut Butter Date Cookie
If you want something sweet and healthy and love peanut butter, these simple cookies will fulfill your cravings. Natural peanut butter binds together dates, vanilla, and an egg. Each cookie contains 1.5 dates.
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Theblissfulbalance's Recipe
Peanut Butter Cookies with Dates
This vegan recipe uses flax seeds in place of flour and apple cider vinegar and dates instead of sugar. You can also substitute another nut butter, though peanut butter gives it a classic taste. Two cookies provide one date.
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Detoxinista's Recipe
Date Savory Dishes
Though dates are sweet, their uses are much more versatile than you may think. When you’re trying to get your fill, including dates in savory meals can really help.
Moroccan Chicken Tagine With Dates and Honey Recipe
This chicken dish is admittedly a little complicated, but think of it as a celebratory meal pre-baby. You could also swap the chicken for lamb for a special treat. Each serving contains about 3 dates.
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Thespruceeats' Recipe
Sweet and Savory Stuffed Dates Recipe
When it comes to stuffed dates, the options are endless. Plus, it's an easy way to reach your daily quota. Each serving in this recipe contains 2 dates.
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Verywellfit's Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Dates Recipe
A classic favorite that makes a great appetizer. Who can say no to bacon?? Each serving contains 1 date, but you'll be surprised how easy it is to eat six of these!
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Tasteslovely's Recipe
Kale-and-Avocado Salad with Dates
Get your leafy greens with this fresh, nutrient-rich salad. Slivered dates perfectly complement those cruciferous veggies, making it easy to get your fill. Each serving contains about 1 date.
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Marthastewart's Recipe
Date Milk
Dates can also be added to almond or other milks for flavoring—or used in a milkshake. Try this update to my favorite almond milk recipe. This recipe makes about 4 cups of date milk, which means you’ll get about two dates per cup of milk. (BTW, I’m sure that you could do this with cashew or coconut milk, too.)
Date milk ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 8 dates
- 8 cups of filtered water, divided
- 1/2 TB sea salt
Date milk directions
- Soak almonds for 12 hours. Simply add nuts to a mason jar, add salt, cover with water, and let sit overnight. (Soaking enhances flavor and increases creaminess, but also disables the anti-nutrients in the raw nuts.)
- Once nuts have soaked, drain and rinse.
- Add nuts and dates to a blender or food processor with 4 cups of filtered water.
- Blend at the highest speed for two minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a pitcher or bowl using a cheesecloth or an inexpensive nut bag.
- Squeeze all the liquid out of the bag and into the bowl and enjoy!
Date pops
Just two popsicles a day does the trick with this easy and nourishing recipe. You can switch out coconut milk for any other milk of choice, however, coconut milk will taste the best.
Date pop ingredients
- 2 cups chopped dates
- 4 cups whole coconut milk
- 1 TB cacao powder or cinnamon (optional)
- Dash of sea salt (optional)
Date pop directions
- Blend 2 cups of chopped dates into 4 cups of coconut milk.
- Add 1 TB of cacao powder or cinnamon and a dash of sea salt if desired.
- Pour into these popsicle molds and freeze.
Two popsicles provide about six dates.
You’ve Got This!
I know that it’s not always easy to stick with a healthy diet when you’re pregnant and tired, but it’s worth it. If a natural labor and delivery is your goal, but you just can’t seem to choke down those dates, these date recipes should help.
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Genevieve Howland
About the Author
Genevieve Howland is a childbirth educator and breastfeeding advocate. She is the bestselling author of The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth and creator of the Mama Natural Birth Course. A mother of three, graduate of the University of Colorado, and YouTuber with over 130,000,000 views, she helps mothers and moms-to-be lead healthier and more natural lives.