Gluten-Free Date Nut Bread
This Gluten-Free Date Nut Bread is moist and perfectly sweet. Serve this yummy bread at tea-time or as a satisfying dessert. This quick bread is also great for holiday parties or as an edible gift.
If you love quick-breads like banana bread or zucchini bread then you will love this date nut bread! Dates are sweet, sticky, and rich and taste more like candy than fruit.
Tasty walnuts and sticky dates get stirred into a sweet batter for an undeniably delicious gluten-free date bread.
Just be sure to make it when you have some friends over lest you eat the entire loaf. It’s just that good. It makes a wonderful Christmas gift, but I enjoy this recipe year-round.
Why You Need This Recipe
- You can’t even tell this moist, delicious loaf is gluten-free!
- Quick-breads are easy to freeze. You can slice it up and freeze it or freeze the whole loaf for later.
- Although I can’t resist a gluten-free date cake any time of year, it’s perfect for holiday gatherings.
Key Ingredients
Gluten-free baking flour – Not all gluten-free baking flours are created equal. Some taste much better than others, which is why I recommend Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. It has a delicious taste and texture.
You can use other brands, but it’s best to use a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum since it’s necessary for binding. It’s also best to use a gluten free flour that has the same ratio as all purpose flour.
Brown sugar – Brown sugar sweetens up the batter, but you can also use coconut sugar or even cane sugar.
Baking powder – Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, and sometimes cornstarch. The baking soda reacts with the acid (cream of tartar) and creates tiny air bubbles to cause the batter to rise.
Cinnamon – Who can resist ground cinnamon? Its warmth and flavor make any quick-bread delicious!
Dates – Dates are a sweet fruit with a caramel-like flavor that are dried. Their natural sweetness makes them perfect for baked goods and treats. I usually find them in the produce area of the grocery store with other dried fruit and snacks.
If you’re dates are very firm, soak them in hot water to soften them up before chopping.
Walnuts – If you don’t like walnuts, you can leave them out. Or you can use pecans instead.
Eggs – Large eggs are essential for binding. If you want to make this a vegan date nut bread, you can try chia eggs. I haven’t tested it with chia eggs yet so let us know in the comments if you do!
Applesauce – Applesauce adds moisture and natural sweetness.
Plant milk – I used unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any plant milk you prefer. Just be sure it’s unsweetened since the brown sugar will make the batter plenty sweet. If you aren’t on a dairy-free diet, you can also use regular milk.
Coconut oil – Coconut oil acts similarly to butter or canola oil in baked goods. It keeps the bread moist and tender. You can also use melted butter or melted vegan butter if wish.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Two
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients then add the chopped dates and walnuts. Stir with a spatula and set aside.
Step Three
In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Step Four
Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Add the melted coconut oil and stir until a batter forms. You can also use a food processor if you wish.
Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake for one hour in your preheated oven or until the bread turns golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack or wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
Enjoy warm! Refrigerate any date-nut bread leftovers for up to 7 days.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- The applesauce helps reduce the amount of oil needed in this recipe. If you don’t want to use applesauce, you can leave it out and increase the amount of oil to ½ cup.
- You can double or even triple this recipe if you want to make several loaves at one time.
- To freeze the bread, bake it and let it cool completely. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.
- Want to have this glute free old-fashioned date nut bread for breakfast? Warm it up or toast it and serve it with cream cheese (use a dairy-free version if necessary).
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Gluten-free quick-breads freeze well. Wait until it’s completely cool, wrap it in saran wrap, and place in a large zip-top bag or freezer-safe container. Alternatively, you can cut it into slices first then carefully place them into a freezer-safe bag. This works perfect if you plan to eat one slice at a time. Use within 3 months for the best taste and texture.
Yes! Pecans work great too!
I have not tested it, but it should be fine. Substitute almond flour in the same ratio as the gluten-free flour blend.
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Gluten-Free Date Nut Bread
This Gluten-Free Date Nut Bread is moist and perfectly sweet. Serve this dessert bread at tea-time or as a satisfying dessert. This bread is also great for holiday parties or as an edible gift.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free baking flour (I used Bob’s 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pitted and chopped Medjool dates (about 5 large dates)
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten (vegans can substitute with two chia eggs)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk or your favorite plant milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 1.5-quart loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Use a whisk to stir together. Then, add the chopped dates and walnuts and use a spatula to stir together. Set the bowl aside
- In a small bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla extract, applesauce, and almond milk. Whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add the melted coconut oil and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and place in the oven for one hour, or until the bread turns golden brown. Remove the bread carefully from the dish and place onto a cooling rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers and serve within 7 days.
Equipment
Bob’s gluten-free baking flour
Buy Now →Notes
- The applesauce helps reduce the amount of oil needed in this recipe. If you don’t want to use applesauce, you can leave it out and increase the amount of oil to ½ cup.
- You can double or even triple this recipe if you want to make several loaves at one time.
- To freeze the bread, bake it and let it cool completely. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Holiday
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: gluten free date cake, gluten free walnut loaf, gluten free date and walnut loaf
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Is there any other flour or flours you can use for this recipe? It does not need to be gluten free. I know Bob’s flour has white and brown rice in it & we don’t eat rice because of the arsenic. I used to buy his rolled oats but we found bugs in one batch. I called and they told me not unusual, because hard to keep them out of big industrial containers of oats. I am sure they do have a lot of good products & that was unusual. I love your recipes & this one sounds incredible. Thank you that they are so healthy.
Yes you can just use regular all-purpose flour!
One of my favorite bread recipes of all time!
★★★★★
I make this recipe almost everyday. Instead of bread I make muffins using this recipe and cook them for 22 minutes. They are delicious and very healthy. Love it.
I’m so glad you like this recipe, Meryl!!! XO.
I’ve already commented and rated this bread. But, wanted to mention that I usually make it with pear sauce because we have pear trees and I can it every year. But, I ran out and didn’t have applesauce. So, I just mushed up 1/2 cup of very ripe banana and it worked great! I make this bread, at least, once a week. Excellent every time!
★★★★★
Thanks, Amy! I think using a banana is a great substitution and I’m glad it worked out well for you!
This was very good! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, I’m thrilled you liked it! 🙂
This was delicious! I made a few adjustments: I soaked the dates in hot water for 10 minutes and then drained them before adding to the flour. I also did not have cassava, so I substituted with 2/3 part coconut flour and 1/3 part arrow root flour.
My non paleo husband ate half the loaf in the first sitting! SO good!
★★★★★
Those sound like great adjustments. So glad the bread turned out well, Stephanie! P.S. I could see my husband eating half a loaf too! 🙂
Oh this looks really good! I just need to do a market run and get all the ingredients to give it a try. Thank you!
★★★★★