Date Bars
If you've got cut-up pitted dates, rolled oats and shortening, you're most of the way to this vegetarian: about 65 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Make the filling first: combine the dates, water, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 8 to 10 minutes until the dates break down into a thick, spreadable paste. Set aside to cool.
- Heat the oven to 175 C (350 F) and lightly grease a roughly 20 by 20 cm baking pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the softened butter, shortening, and brown sugar, then work everything together with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pressed.
- Press a little more than half of the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form an even base.
- Spread the cooled date filling evenly over the base, then scatter the remaining crumb mixture over the top and press it down gently so it adheres.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown, then let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares so the filling can set.
You'll use: Oven · Saucepan · Pan · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Date Bars take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Try white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Date Bars vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Date Bars is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Date bar.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.