Vegan Almond Date Cookies
on Aug 19, 2013, Updated Feb 21, 2025
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These gluten-free and vegan almond date cookies have a soft, buttery texture and taste like buttery caramel. They’re made with just a few simple ingredients, are made without flour and have no added sugar.

About the Recipe
These sweet treats call for just a few simple ingredients that combine to make a beautifully soft and comforting cookie with hints of caramel and almond.
They’re rich, buttery, soft, warming and totally satisfying! Enjoy these delicious cookies anytime for a snack or dessert. Here’s what to love about them:
- Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free) and gluten-free.
- Easy to make with just a few simple, wholesome ingredients.
- Soft and chewy with a slightly crisp exterior and delicious caramel flavour.
- No added sugar! These are sweetened naturally with dates.
- No flour needed. These cookies are made with blended raw almonds and oats.
If you love simple plant-based cookies like these, these Gluten-Free Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies, Easy Vegan Tahini Sesame Cookies and 3-ingredient Tahini Date Cookies are all wonderful too.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need any any possible substitutions you can make. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements.
- Dates. You’ll need soft, fresh dates for this recipe. If you only have dry dates, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain before using.
- Almonds. Raw almonds are blended into a course meal to act as the “flour” in this recipe. The recipe has not been tested with almond flour. You should be able to use almond flour but may need to adjust the amount of coconut milk.
- Oats. Some of the rolled oats will be blended up as oat flour and some will remain whole to help add some texture to the cookies. You can use rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, large flake oats or quick oats.
- Coconut milk. You’ll need full-fat, canned coconut milk for this recipe. Make sure you shake the can well before opening so it’s smooth and fully combined. Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk.
- Coconut oil. Coconut oil adds wonderful, buttery texture to this cookies. I’ve tested them without oil and they’re not the same. You may be able to use butter or vegan butter to replace the oil if you prefer.
These cookies work well with additional flavours like cinnamon, ginger, all-spice or nutmeg.
I have not tested this recipe with almond flour vs. ground almonds. I suspect it would work but you may need additional coconut milk and/or coconut oil for extra moisture.
If you’re looking for almond flour recipes, try my chocolate chip almond flour cookies, sesame tahini cookies or blueberry crumble bars.
I do not recommend omitting the oil. It’s needed for moisture, binding and texture. I have lots of oil-free cookies if needed, try my 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies, vegan sweet potato cookies, vegan zucchini chocolate chip cookies or vegan breakfast cookies.
How to Make Almond Date Cookies
Step 1: Add the almonds to a food processor and blend into a grainy, coarse flour/meal. Add the oats and blend again until you have a mixture of almond and oat flour.
It does’t have to be super fine. It’s ok if there are some larger pieces left behind.

Step 2: Add the dates to the food processor and blend into a crumbly but sticky dough.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well to combine and then place the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm the dough.

Step 3: Shape the dough into 12 cookie shapes and bake for 15 minutes. Let them cool completely on the pan before handling.

How to Store
- Let cool completely before storing.
- Room Temperature: Sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Sealed container for up to 1 weeks.
- Freezer: Sealed container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
More Vegan Cookies
Here are a few more simple vegan cookie recipes to try:
- Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Tahini Date Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
- Pumpkin Oat Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies
More Recipes to Try!

Vegan Almond Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup packed, soft, pitted dates (115 g)
- 3/4 cup raw almonds, 125 g
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats, 150 g
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk, shake well if using a fresh can
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (30 mL)
Instructions
- Add the almonds to a food processor and blend into a grainy flour. Add the oats and continue mixing until you have a mixture of almond and oat flour. It doesn’t have to be super fine, if there are some larger pieces of almond left behind, that’s ok.
- Add the dates to the food processor and blend into a crumbly but sticky dough.
- Dump the food processor mixture into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt. Mix to combine.
- Add the coconut milk, vanilla and coconut oil. Mix to combine.
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes. This will help it firm up a bit as the coconut oil starts to solidify.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Press the dough into 12 cookie shapes and place on a baking tray. The cookies will not flatten or change shape as they bake, so press them into the shape you want before baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely before handling. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Originally published August 19, 2013.













It’s baking powder. I updated this recipe recently and missed that bit! Enjoy!
Really good recipe. To address brittleness, my sister said that she used chia seeds soaked in coconut milk as a binding agent which solved the issue.
Taste good but my dough was a little crumbly, making it difficult to form balls, and the cookies also are crumbly. Any suggestions?
Shoot, so sorry they didn’t work out for you! Did you measure everything exactly? Another reason would be the dates you used. I used very fresh, soft dates that help to hold the dough together. I will update that in the recipe. If your dates were very dry that could have had something to do with it.
I LOVE this recipe! It is simple, especially is you have a blender or small food processor to make it go even faster. I’ve become a proud vegan and these cookies have become my favorite go to baked good. I’ve made them 6 times in 5″6 months now. I love that there is no added sugar, just wholesome good quality ingredients. They are perfect for breakfast or as a snack or dessert. I can’t recommend these enough!
P.S. I didn’t have any vegan condensed milk so I just used my coconut milk straight from the fridge…didn’t make any difference ?
Thanks so much, Eileen! I’m so glad you like them. I was just looking at this recipe the other day, I need to make them again!! Thanks for the feedback.
Love the idea of using no sugar! Definitely going to give these a try!
These turned out delicious! I went and added a tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses and some Allspice and Ground ginger. I’ll be making these again. Thanks!!
Ooo, that sounds so yummy!! I forgot about these cookies – I need to make them again too!
can you use the non-canned coconut milk or does it have to be canned?
Hmm, I’m not sure how that would work. I would probably stick to canned coconut milk since it’s a much different consistency and has a higher fat content than milk from a carton.
Oh, me too! I can’t wait to spend this weekend at home. Then again, there is so much I want to do around Vancouver this weekend we’ll see how much I actually get done at home 🙂
Enjoy the cookies if you make them!
I think it’s the dates that give these an awesome caramel flavour! So good! Enjoy 🙂
These look fantastic! I love how there is no added sweetener. Bookmarked 🙂
Thanks Gabby!! Let me know how they turn out if you make them!