Vegan Tahini Date Cookies
on Nov 03, 2020, Updated Nov 05, 2025
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These vegan tahini date cookies are easy to make in 20 minutes with just 3 ingredients: oats, dates and tahini!
Featured 5-Star Review
These are crave worthy!!!! The tahini and the dates work so well together. Just yum! Thank you for such a unique cookie recipe.
Sherry
Why You’ll Love Tahini Date Cookies
There’s not much to these cookies but the combination of tahini, dates and oats is to-die-for. They’re soft, buttery and just so yummy. Here’s why you’ll love them:
- Quick and easy to make with just 3 simple ingredients.
- Minimal prep and 10 minutes to bake.
- Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and no added sugar.
- They taste like caramel (even better if you add chocolate chips!).
- They make the perfect healthier dessert or snack.
- You can leave them raw or bake them.
- You can customize with extras like chocolate chips, pecans or walnuts.
For a similar cookie made with maple syrup instead of dates, check out my 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies (No Banana) or try these Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies made with nut butter, oats and banana.
If you’re new to using tahini in sweet recipes, these Vegan Tahini Sesame Cookies, Vegan Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies and Tahini Hemp Seed Bars are all delicious too.
Ingredient Notes
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Oats: You can use rolled oats, large flake oats or quick oats. Even minute oats would work since we’re just blending them up anyways.
- Dates: Any variety works as long as they’re soft, moist and not dry. I like medjool dates, sayer dates or deglect noor. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well before using.
- Tahini: Use creamy, drippy tahini. Good tahini should be completely smooth, slightly sweet and not overly bitter. I like Arz Fine Foods or Soom tahini. You can also use almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter in this recipe as long as they’re not dry (texture should be nearly pourable).
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
- The dough makes a great base for chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, sesame seeds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, cranberries or chocolate chips. Add up to 1/2 cup of your choice of add-in.
- For flavour enhancement, you can add a pinch of salt and up to 1 tsp of vanilla extract and/or cinnamon.
- 1-2 tsp of espresso powder is yummy to make them coffee-flavoured!
- Other flavours that are nice in these cookies are orange, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg.
- For an extra treat, try melted some dairy-free chocolate and dipping the top or half of each cookie into the chocolate then firming on a pan in the fridge. So good!
How to Make Tahini Date Cookies
Before You Start: Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a large food processor and mix into a thick, crumbly dough. You should easily be able to press the dough together between your fingers.
If the dough is too crumbly to press together, which can happen if your dates and/or tahini is too dry, add 1-2 tbsp warm water and process again.
Step 2: Shape the dough into 12 cookies and place on a parchment or silicon mat-lined baking tray.
Quick Note: The cookies will not change shape at all during baking so be sure to shape them into the cookie shape you want before hand. You can make them thin or leave them on the thicker side, up to you!
The cookies have a soft, dense texture kind of like baked oatmeal. They get a bit brown and crisped on the outside but the inside will stay dense and soft. For a somewhat crisper outside, shape them on the thinner side.
Step 3: Bake for 10 minutes then let cool on the pan for 15 minutes and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
These cookies have a soft, dense texture and are not like a traditional cookie. They get a bit browned and crisp on the outside but the inside will be dense and soft.
No. You can substitute the tahini with any other nut or seed butter such as almond butter, peanut butter, or for another nut-free option, sunflower seed butter as long as it’s creamy and drippy.
Deryn’s Notes
- Dates: It’s important to use soft, moist, sweet and squishy dates like medjool or sayer dates. If your dates are overly dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.
- For best results, use an inexpensive kitchen scale to measure the ingredients. This is not totally necessary but I always recommend following my exact measurements if you can! Plus it makes baking super easy because you can just add the ingredients straight into the bowl to the specified weight.
Storage Instructions
- Let cool completely before storing.
- Room Temperature: In an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: In an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: In an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
If you try these Tahini Date Cookies or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Vegan Tahini Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup oats, 150 g
- 1/2 cup drippy tahini, 140 g
- 1 1/2 cup lightly packed, soft and moist pitted dates, 260 g
- optional: 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- If your dates are dry, soak them in boiled water for 10-15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until it forms a thick dough you can easily press together between your fingers. If you want to add any extras like chocolate chips, pecans or walnuts, add up to 1/2 cup and pulse a few times to mix them in.1 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup drippy tahini, 1 1/2 cup lightly packed, soft and moist pitted dates, optional: 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Shape the cookie dough into 12 cookies and place on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. The cookies will not change shape during baking so be sure to shape them into cookies beforehand.
- Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on the pan for 15 minutes before handling.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on October 25, 2017.
Could another flour gluten free flour replace the oats? I’m not in the US and we don’t have GF oats.
Hmm, I’m not sure about that. Quinoa flakes would be the best option if not, buckwheat flour would be the closest to oats, and you could possibly try almond flour. I can’t say exactly how much to use as ground flours are quite a bit different than oats but as long as you have a thick, doughy consistency before baking you should be fine. Do you have celiac? Oats are naturally gluten-free so regular oats are fine for most of us, but if not GF-certified they may have cross-contamination which would be an issues for those with severe gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Let me know if you try them!
I have made these several times and they are always a hit! Last time I ate 8 out of 12 so today I might try to hide them from myself🤣 Thanks for the super easy, delicious recipe.
Haha, I usually have to hide them too…so tasty! Glad you enjoy them.
Have just made these. The original recipe wasn’t coming together for me so I added a couple of tablespoons of almond butter to help my mixture bind. After they were baked I coated half the biscuit in dark chocolate and my goodness this recipe might be a go to for me in the future. Thanks Derryn. Hope your staying safe during these unprecedented times. Much love from Perth, Western Australia. xx
Oh wow, that sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the feedback.
Love these yummy cookies. I’ll soak my dates next time but managed to get them shaped. They are my new favorite. I’m making the coconut lime recipe tomorrow.
Do you have any flourless pancake recipes? Thanks and keep the great recipes coming!
Hi Kari – I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies and I hope you like the coconut lime balls! I don’t have any flourless pancakes but I do have a number of chickpea flour pancake recipes, which I suppose would be considered flourless! I also have a quinoa flour and buckwheat flour pancake recipe if you’re looking for gluten-free options. You can find all of them under Breakfast –> Pancakes! Have fun!
Could we replace the tahini with almond butter? Nice recipe, like the texture. Although while processing it I didn’t find it looked like dough but a crumbly mixture. I had to add some maple syrup to bind better.
thank you!
Yes, you can use almond butter. Enjoy!
Thank you Deryn! Love these!!! They are so quick and easy to make, so simple yet so tasty! Really enjoyed them with my black coffee today! Adding this recipe to my favourites.
These ingredients are staples in my house too, all ingredients that I love, so I was thrilled to find this recipe and to be able to make it immediately without having to shop for an ingredient! They smelled wonderful while baking unlike anything I’ve baked before probably because I’ve never baked anything with tahini before! So quick, so easy, and so delicious!! Thank you for this great recipe! I will make it again and again!
Do you use old-fashioned or quick cooking oats?
You can use either…enjoy!
These are delicious! I love how unique they are and how they don’t make me feel bad after eating, unlike most other kinds of cookies. The only issue I had was that I didn’t realize just how thick the dough would be and tried to do it in my Vitamix – and burnt out the motor! Thankfully it started working again after I let it cool down, and I finished blending in my food processor. My husband said “they’d be better with frosting” but clearly he doesn’t know what he’s talking about LOL. This is a keeper for sure.
Haha, I mean, they would definitely be good with frosting too! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Simply amazing taste and texture with a balance of flavours.I am a vegan chef and love how all the ingredients blend in.I also added a touch of maple to this to sweeten it
So thank you
So glad you enjoyed them! Sound yummy with a little maple syrup! Thanks for the comment.