Gluten-Free Vegan Date Squares
on Nov 24, 2017, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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These gluten-free vegan date squares have the most perfect flavour and texture and they’re sure to be a hit during the holidays.
Recipe Features
- simple ingredients – all you need is oats, dates, sugar and coconut oil
- gluten-free and vegan – suitable for those with dietary-restrictions
Ingredient Notes
- oats – rolled or old fashioned oats are best for this recipe
- dates – the dates will be soaked before use so any variety works
- sugar – any granulated sugar works, for a refined sugar-free recipe, use coconut sugar, for a sugar-free recipe, use monk fruit sweetener
- coconut oil – I do not recommend substituting the coconut oil for any other oil
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Soak the dates.
This step is important, do not skip it. Place pitted dates in a large bowl, cover with hot water and soak for 30 minutes.
Step 2. Make the oat flour.
Blend 1.75 cups of rolled oats into a very fine flour. Be sure to let it process a while to get a fine consistency.
Step 2. Blend the dates.
After you’ve soaked the dates, drain them well and blend in a food processor into a paste. It’s ok if they’re a little chunky.
You can also just squeeze and mash them up with your hands to save washing out the food processor (or if you don’t have a food processor).
Step 3. Mix the crust and topping.
The crust and topping are made from the same mixture of oats, baking powder, oat flour, sugar and melted coconut oil. Mix it all up in a bowl until all the oats and oat flour has been wetted by the melted coconut oil.
Step 4. Create the bars.
Prepare a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or coconut oil then firmly press roughly 2 cups of the oat mixture into the pan. Top with the date mixture and evenly spread that around.
Top the date layer with the rest of the oat mixture. Press the oat mixture down over the dates with a little pressure to help meld the 3 layers together.
Bake the bars for 40 minutes at 350 F then let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Tips and FAQs
- Make sure you let the squares cool in the pan for at least 2 hours. This step is important so they properly firm up and hold together. Don’t skip it.
- The oat flour may be substituted with a gluten-free flour blend or regular flour.
- For truly gluten-free bars, make sure you use gluten-free certified oats.
- Coconut oil cannot be omitted in this recipe though it should work with vegan butter, I just haven’t tested it.
How should I store these?
The baked squares can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months. If serving from frozen, thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
Related Recipes
Here are some more delicious vegan desserts you’ll love:
- Gluten-Free Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Rum Balls
- Vegan Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Vegan Cranberry Crumble Bars
Gluten-Free Vegan Date Squares
Ingredients
For the Date Layer
- 2.5 cups packed, 500 g, pitted dates
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt, optional
For the Crust and Topping
- 2.5 cups 250 g rolled oats
- 1.75 cups 175 g rolled oats blended into fine oat flour (or 175 g of oat flour)
- 1/2 cup 110 g sugar
- 2/3 cup melted, 144 g coconut oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the pitted dates in hot water for 20 minutes. After soaking, drain well.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place 1.75 cups of oats in a food processor or high-speed blender and blend them into a fine flour. If you’re using store-bought or previously prepared oat flour, use 175 g.
- Add the oat flour and the rest of the crust ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine into a crumbly mixture.
- Spray a 7-8 inch square baking pan with non-sticking cooking spray (or grease with a touch of coconut oil).
- Firmly press about 2 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Add the drained dates to a food processor with the salt and mix into a paste. It’s ok if it’s a little chunky. You can also just squeeze the dates into a paste using your hands, that way you don’t have to clean out the food processor!
- Evenly spread the dates mixture over the crust layer in the pan.
- Top the date layer with the rest of the oat mixture. Press the oat mixture down over the dates with a little pressure to help meld the 3 layers together.
- Bake for 40 minutes then let them cool for at least 2 hours in the pan. You can put them in the fridge to speed up the process. This is an important step. I know it’s hard to wait but if you slice them too early they’ll be crumbly. Once they cool they’ll be completely firm and hold together in squares.
- Once they’re cool, slice into 16 squares and serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
I really want to make this, but I’m confused about the oat portion of this recipe and want to make sure I’m doing this right. Am I blending 1.5 cups of oats into flour listed in the directions as well as the 1.75 cups of oats blended into flour listed in the ingredients and then mixing them with the rest of the oats that were not blended and the rest of the topping and crust ingredients?
Sorry about that. It’s 1.5 cups rolled oats blended into oat flour, not 1.75. I do need to test these again because I know some readers were having issues with them falling apart. If you want to wait, I can test them again this weekend and let you know!
Perfect! I’ll be happy to wait. I have a surplus of dates that are calling to be date squares 🙂
Taste is fine, but it crumbled apart😔
This recipe sadly did not work for me, I followed the recipe exactly but I had to add a bit of water and rice malt syrup to stick the crumble base together as it was all crumbly. I made the mistake of using olive oil and it tasted awful, it would’ve tasted better with cno. Such a waste of expensive organic ingredients.
Is there any way to make these without the coconut oil? I’m trying to do oil free baking. What would be a good substitute for the coconut oil?
Unfortunately for this recipe, I can’t recommend a sub for the oil since it’s such a big part of the recipe. I usually do everything oil-free to but this recipe was an exception. I’d Google an oil-free vegan date square and I’m sure you can find a recipe that will work for you! Good luck.
Hi! I absolutely loved the crumble before I baked it, and the consistency was excellent, but my bars also did not hold together at all. I followed the recipe exactly and let them cool substantially, and I’m hoping some more time in the fridge could help a bit. Any suggestions?
Hmm, I’m not sure! I tested this recipe so many times before posting it so I’m not sure why that’s happening. I’ll have to make them again and report back, maybe I missed something?! I’m sorry they aren’t holding together for you.
I wonder if people are using oat flour instead of making their own? Using 1.5 cups of oats would yield less than 1.5 cups of oat flour? I’m not sure, but I’m going to make them now 🙂
Let me know how they work out for you.
I used just under 1 cup of store bought oat flour and it works!! The bars held together nicely. Also, the recipe is delicious 🙂
Thank you.
My husband and I are making these for the second time this week, we love them so much! Thanks for a great dessert recipe! We love your blog Deryn!
So glad you liked them!! And thanks so much! 🙂