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This perfectly sweet, soft, and moist Date Bread w/ chopped pecans is the perfect holiday sweet treat! It is incredibly delicious, but made without any butter, oil, dairy, refined sugar, or gluten!
Ever since I met my husband, Date Bread has been a part of our holiday tradition. My mother-in-law makes it every year and I always swoon over it. One piece quickly leads to another and another. I just can’t stop myself – it’s so good!!
This year, I decided I would try to make a vegan version. After so many trials I lost count, I have a winner! Trust me, it was worth all the failed attempts to get here. I think you guys are going to love this!
When I set out to make my vegan version of date bread, I wanted to make sure I captured the texture, as close to possible, to my mother-in-law’s bread.
Hers is dense, but not in a heavy way, just in a gooey delicious date way…it’s very soft and moist.
There is very little crust because she bakes hers in cans. I looked this up and it’s actually quite a popular thing. Who knew?
So, while my version does form a crust on top, it’s still quite soft. And I put in a hefty dose of chopped pecans just as she does.
I also found that a lot of date bread recipes soak their dates in coffee. My mother-in-law’s recipe didn’t call for that, so I didn’t do it either.
Through my numerous trials, however, I did find that just a hint of molasses really deepens the flavor of the dates, but without the caffeine kick and with an added boost of iron.
Did I mention that I went through many trials of this recipe?
The flour I found worked best for the texture I was aiming for is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour. This gluten free flour is made from a combination of brown rice, sweet white rice, whole grain sorghum, potato starch, tapioca flour, and a touch of xantham gum. Bob’s Red Mill says, “just enough xantham gum to create chewy cookies and springy muffins.”
That “springy” texture is just what I wanted and it worked out perfectly!
Not all gluten free flour mixes are the same, so I can not guarantee results with any other brand.
I love Bob’s Red Mill so much and use their products all the time. Check out these other recipes I created using these awesome products: Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies and Baked Oatmeal Muffins w/ Cranberries.
Obviously, this Vegan Date Bread is the perfect sweet treat for any holiday function. But, it also would make a great gift for neighbors, teachers, friends or family.
Tie it up with a pretty red bow and stick it in a paperboard bakery box. Delicious homemade gifts that say “I appreciate you” – done!
More vegan quick bread recipes
- Vegan Cranberry Banana Bread
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Butternut Squash Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Cornbread
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Vegan Date Bread (gluten free, oil free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates (chopped)
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- ¼ cup runny raw almond butter (I use this this one)
- 1 tbsp molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 6-cavity mini loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the dates and let them soak while you prepare the batter.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the aquafaba, almond butter, molasses, apple cider vinegar, and water from the dates.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
- Stir them dates into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cavity of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pan and continue to let cool on the wire rack.
Dan says
Hello,
Do you have baking instructions if we are just using one big loaf pan instead of the mini’s? Thank you!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Dan. I have personally never made a large loaf of this particular bread, but I would guess same temperature for about 50 to 60 minutes. Let me know if you try it. Enjoy!
Sher says
What can I substitute for raw almond butter? I have unsweetened roasted almond butter and applesauce. Which would be better?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Sher. I would go with the roasted almond butter. It will have a bit deeper flavor than raw, but will provide the fat content to keep the bread nice and moist. I find applesauce makes baked goods oddly chewy/spongy. Let me know how it turns out!
Julia Stearns @ Healthirony says
Absolutely love your creative idea with Vegan date bread! Can I post it on my blog? Thanks for sharing!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Thanks, Julia. You may post a link to my blog post, but please do not post the recipe in full.
Lana says
What can you use instead of aquafaba? Thanks!
Jenn S. says
Is there a reason you don’t want to use the aquafaba? I find it really is the best egg replacer – making baked goods fluffy and soft. That being said, you could try an equivalent amount of flax egg..or maybe another egg replacer. I can’t guarantee your results will be exactly the same though as I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know what you decide.
Lana says
Flax egg is perfect! Thank you!!! My stomach doesn’t do well with aquafaba and garbanzo in general.
Jenn S. says
Oh, I see. Let me know how it turns out with the flax egg!
Lana says
It turned out amazing!!! Super soft, flavorful and oh, so good! Thank you so much! I used raisins instead of nuts and we love it.
Chris Voci-Nam says
There were a few times that I did not have Aqua Faba and used the flax eggs and a bit more plant based milk and the results were excellent! Oh, and I also added some cinammon and swapped out pecans with walnuts and that was a great addition.
LOVE this bread!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Chris! So glad you liked it. Glad to hear flax eggs work too!
Melissa says
Just made this recipe as one large loaf, and it turned out great! Increased the cooking time to about an hour, and it rose beautifully.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Melissa! So glad you loved it! And great to know it worked as a full loaf! I’ve actually never done it that way because I love to give it as gifts and the smaller size is perfect for that. Thank you for your comment!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeekyw says
Vegan date bread is pure combination of taste, I like a balanced diet! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add cinnamon to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing Jenn!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Jill. Enjoy!
Melissa says
This date bread looks scrumptious! I could eat this for breakfast without feeling guilty! My son would love it, too. He’s a big fan of dates. I’ve been meaning to try this flour and I think it’s about time 🙂
Jenn S. says
I can tell you for certain that it is, indeed, delicious for breakfast! 🙂 Thanks, Melissa! I hope you guys love it.
Sarah says
I love quickbreads! This looks delicious!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Sarah!
Ginny McMeans says
Dates and Pecans sound like a great quick bread. I’m always trying to find a good gluten free bread and this one sounds perfect.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Ginny! Gluten free can be finicky for sure, but this worked out really well!
Mandy says
These little loaves are adorable and so perfect for a sweet holiday gift! I can’t believe I’ve never had date bread before, but I’m 100% sure I’d love it – especially with pecans – I love pecans in baked goods. I’m so intrigued by baking in cans??? What a crazy idea! But since I’m a huge fan of crust, I’m guessing your version is more up my alley 😉 I actually have some mini loaf pans begging to be used…I think I’ll have to try this for my family!
Jenn S. says
I’m surprised at how many people have never had date bread. It’s definitely a lovely holiday treat. Baking in cans is an old tradition that started when metals were hard to come by. People would clean and reuse cans instead of buying specialty baking pans. Obviously before we knew about the hazards of BPA! I hope you guys love this Date Bread!
Mary Ellen - VNutrition says
I never heard of baking in cans! That’s a really cool idea. This bread looks delicious and is perfect for the upcoming holidays!
Jenn S. says
I know, I had no idea it was such a big thing. Thanks, Mary Ellen!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Your date bread looks amazing! I recently bought this flour. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Jenn S. says
Oh great. I hope you love it, Amy! Thanks!
Emily Kyle says
I love this recipe, dates are the best! I love the way you tied it in a ribbon too, the perfect holiday gift from the heart!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Emily. I was feeling festive! And my mother-in-law always gifts it at the holidays, so it made total sense! 🙂