These Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates are the perfect marriage of sweet and savory. Tangy goat cheese inside a juicy date drizzled with hot honey and finished off with a garnish of mint leave chiffonade. It’s the perfect appetizer for your Iftar party or any other dinner party for that matter!
I just love dates because they are a nutrient rich, single ingredient super food. Be mindful of how much you consume however, dates are high in sugar and it’s hard to stop at just one!
Ingredients & Variations
Dates: Stuffed dates are best when you use big, soft dates like Medjool or other plump variety. I have used honey dates as well and they have worked out just fine.
Goat cheese: Goat cheese is definitely an acquired taste but works really well to balance the sweetness of the dates.
Hot honey: Hot honey (affiliate link) is having its moment! And although it can be a lot easier to get it at the store, it can be pricey! Make your own with my easy recipe below! Or, if nothing else, drizzle some plain honey and follow that with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.
Mint leaves I love the freshness that mint imparts here.
How to make goat cheese stuffed dates
Let the goat cheese come to room temperature. First make sure to have the goat cheese at room temperature. This just makes it easier to work with and doesn’t crumble as you stuff the dates.
Make the hot honey. Take a 1/4 cup of raw honey and add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Heat and mix in a small saucepan.
Pit the Dates. Next, make slits in the dates and pit them. You can get pitted dates to cut the prep time but they cost a little more.
Stuff the dates. Take about 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese and fill the date. Lay onto a platter in a single layer and continue filling the rest of the dates. Once all the dates are filled, Drizzle the hot honey and finish off by garnishing with the mint leaves.
Tips for assembling and storage
- Make sure to take the goat cheese out of the fridge and bring to room temperature about 20 minutes before you start assembling these stuffed dates. It tends to crumble less and is easier to work with.
- Enjoy these at room temperature as they tend to be
softer and creamier. - You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days but best to enjoy them straight away. If you plan to prepare these ahead of time, hold off on the hot honey and mint and garnish just before serving.
Other stuffing ideas to try
- Nut butter and chocolate: Fill your date with nut butter of choice and dunk in melted chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes on a parchment lined sheet and enjoy chilled. Peanut butter stuffed dates in dark chocolate coating is extremely popular and a healthier option to Snickers.
- Whole nut: Keep it simple by just stuffing with your nut of choice; cashews, almonds, walnuts and pecans all work really well.
- Cream cheese and crushed pistachios: My aunt stuffs her dates with cream cheese and then garnishes with chopped pistachios. You can garnish with some cardamom powder and rose petals for a South Asian flair.
Here are some more date based recipes to try
If you try this recipe, I’d appreciate it so much if you would rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! And let me know in the comments how it worked out for you. If you are on social media, share your pics with me on Instagram by tagging me @eatdrinkpure so I can see and repost it on my stories!
Stuffed Dates
Equipment
- 1 pairing knife
- 1 large plate/platter
Ingredients
- 20 Medjool dates
- 4 ounces goat cheese
for garnish
- hot honey
- mint leaves
Instructions
- Meanwhile pit the dates and chiffonade the mint leaves. Make slits in the dates, remove the pit and take about 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese and fill the date. Lay onto a platter and continue filling the rest of the dates.
- Once all the dates are filled, drizzle with the hot honey and finish off by garnishing with the mint leave chiffonade.
The mix of goat cheese and dates is divine. Super easy recipe! Yumm!
Yay! So glad you liked this combo! So simple and delish!