Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf, ultra-moist packed with dates, raisins, and crunchy walnuts. This retro bread is one of my most requested holiday recipes! Not only is this bread gluten-free but it is dairy-free too!
Growing up, every Christmas our neighbors would gift us a small walnut date loaf. It was something we looked forward to every year! The original recipes go back to the 1920s, also known as "Retro Date Nut Bread," with many variations including soaking the fruit in brewed coffee instead of water.
This Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf has become a holiday staple in our house, and one of my most requested recipes! I hope you enjoy it too!
Ingredients in Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf
This bread is made with simple ingredients, and room for lots of variation. You can soak the fruit in boiling water or brewed coffee. Not a fan of nuts? No problem, leave them out.
- Dates: My favorite dates to use are Medjool dates.
- Raisins: They help provide texture and flavor
- Baking Soda: This is one of the important ingredients, you'll want to make sure it's not expired.
- Boiling Water: Helps to soften the fruit and moisten the bread.
- Oil: Helps to moisten the bread.
- Egg: Binding agent.
- Dark Brown Sugar: My preference is always dark brown sugar as it provides a stronger molasses flavor.
- Sugar: Helps sweeten the bread.
- Vanilla: Provides flavor.
- Gluten-Free Flour: My favorite brand is Bob Mills Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Flour.
- Almond Flour: The addition of almond flour helps provide more moisture.
- Baking Powder: Helps the bread to rise.
- Salt: Helps bring balance to the sweetness.
- Walnuts: For Texture.
How to Make Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf
Such an easy recipe to make! This bread is better served the next day and continues to moisten over time. It really is the perfect bread!
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 8½" x 4½" loaf pan or a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl add the dates, raisins, baking soda, and boiling water. Allow the fruit to soak for at least 10 minutes, do not drain.
- In a large mixing bowl beat together the oil, brown sugar, and sugar for 30 seconds. Then add the egg and vanilla. Cream together for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. The batter will become crumbly.
- Pour the liquid and dried fruit mixture into the batter, mixing until well combined.
- Fold the walnuts into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes cover the loaf with aluminum foil and continue to bake another 15-25 minutes depending on loaf pan size.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow the bread to cool for one hour.
- Store the bread by tightly wrapping it in aluminum foil or a tightly sealed container.
Tips for the BEST Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf
Serve this bread by itself or slathered in cream cheese!
- Serve this bread the next day, if you can resist. The bread stores nicely wrapped twice in aluminum foil, which helps lock in moisture. Day two and three are the best time to have this bread.
- This bread is wonderfully served by itself or with cream cheese. Afternoon tea or a slice after dinner, there no right time to have a slice.
- For the best flavor make sure the dates, raisins, and baking soda are not expired.
- The baking soda helps moisten the bread and the fruit, make sure the baking soda has not expired. You will know that the baking soda is fresh once it fizzes in the warm water.
- You can make mini loaves as gifts! Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For More Tasty Bread Recipes Click The Links Below
- Cranberry Orange Loaf (Gluten and Dairy-Free)
- Lemon Bread (Gluten and Dairy-Free)
- Pumpkin Spice Bread (Gluten and Dairy-Free)
- Orange Cardamon Bread (Gluten and Dairy-Free)
Recipe
Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf (Dairy-Free)
Gluten-Free Walnut Date Loaf, ultra-moist packed with dates, raisins, and crunchy walnuts. This retro bread is one of my most requested holiday recipes! Not only is this bread gluten-free but it's dairy-free too!
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped dates
- ⅓ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¼ cup coconut oil, refined, melted
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cups gluten-free flour Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 8½" x 4½" loaf pan or a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- In a medium-size bowl, add the chopped dates and raisins. Pour the boiling water over the fruit mixture and add one teaspoon of baking soda. Allow fruit to soak at least 10 minutes, do not drain.
- In a large mixing bowl beat together the oil, brown sugar, and sugar for 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla. Cream together for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- At low speed, slowly add the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. The mix will become crumbly.
- Once all the dry ingredients are added pour in the fruit mixture with the liquid. Mix until well combined. Fold in the walnuts, then pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. About halfway through, cover the loaf with aluminum to avoid over-browning and continue to bake another 20 minutes, or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick.
- Remove the loaf from the oven. Cool completely before slicing, then store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for several days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 232mgFiber: 4gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 23IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
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Did You Enjoy This Recipe?Please give it a star rating in the comments below. Thank you!
Marion says
Hi I'm excited to try this recipe but could I use regular flour instead of gluten free & the rice flour? Please let me know. Thank you
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Marion,
Because I am celiac, I have never made this recipe with regular all purpose flour, but I think the result will be similar.
The almond flour helps tenderize the bread, however the dates help tenderize as well so I don't think you have to use it.
You could try to replace both the almond flour and gluten-free flour with 1 3/4 cup ( around 220 grams ) of regular all purpose flour.
Let me know how the recipe turns out!
Becca
Kate says
This was delicious! I don't usually do gluten free baking so I was very impressed with how it turned out. I added 1 tsp cinnamon and a couple shakes of mixed spice which I think compliments the date and walnut flavours nicely. I also used gluten free flour for the almond flour because I didn't want to buy another kind of flour, and it didn't have any negative effect on the loaf. I will definitely be making this again!
Rebecca Taig says
Kate,
Thank you so much for your review, it is very much appreciated.
The addition of cinnamon and mixed spice sounds beautiful.
Paula Harris says
Do I melt the coconut oil for the recipe?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Paula,
Yes, you would melt the coconut oil.
Enjoy the loaf!
Linda says
I made this today, Super Bowl Sunday. It came out great!
Karen Budd says
I just made this- came out great- delicious! I'll definitely make it again. Thanks
for sharing!
Rebecca Taig says
Karen,
Thank you for your comment, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Sandhya says
Can I make this recipe egg free? Sub with flax egg or apple sauce?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Sandhya,
I have not tried this recipe without the egg, but I think apple sauce or a flax egg may work.
If you decide to make it, let me know how it turns out.
Happy Holidays!
Neil says
Great recipe, I've used butter instead of coconut oil, and just used brown sugar. I also LOVE dried apricots and almonds, so have adjusted those things, but for the ratios and results, this is a great recipe, I make one a week.
Rebecca Taig says
Neil,
Those flavor combinations sound fantastic!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Becca
Ghanima says
This recipe is awesome! Having it now for breakfast. I remember date nut bread tending to the dry side as a kid, but this is so moist and flavorful. I’m just starting y gluten tree baking journey, many thanks
Rebecca Taig says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you for your kind review.
Becca
Mariya says
I can’t wait to make this but sadly don’t have a loaf pan. What’s your guess on baking time as muffins?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Mariya,
For muffins, I would bake the recipe at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Everyone's oven is different so you may need a little more time. Just make sure the center comes out clean with a toothpick prior to removing. Let me know how they come out!
Sue S says
Thank you for this recipe, I made it yesterday and it's absolutely amazing! Great for breakfast with cream cheese or as a mid-afternoon snack. Thank you again!
Rebecca Taig says
Sue,
Thank you for the lovely review, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Happy New Year!
Becca
Lara Baxter says
Made this cake for my mum who’s gluten free and she loved it. Brilliant recipe x
Rebecca Taig says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for leaving a review.
Wishing you and yours a happy holiday!
Uttara Malhotra says
Is there a microwave option available for the bread?
Rebecca Taig says
This bread is very soft and moist, I would only recommend microwaving the prepared bread for 8 seconds at most.
Janine says
Wow, wow, wow, give this a try. I have tried a few different gluten free cakes without much success, however, this easy tasty recipe WINS. Light, fluffy, tasty, success at last and delish to boot , thank you Rebecca .
Rebecca Taig says
Janine,
Thank you for such a lovely compliment.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this loaf!
Becca
Teresa says
Delicious! Part of my family are gluten free and some dairy free, this is perfect. I will try the muffin version for traveling purposes.
Rebecca Taig says
Hi Teresa,
Thank you for the sweet comment, I really appreciate it.
For a smaller version, you can also bake this recipe in a mini bread loaf pan at 350F for 25-28 minutes. 🙂
Becca
Shweta Dahiya says
Can I use coconut flour as gluten free flour?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi there!
Unfortunately, coconut flour will not replace gluten-free flour as an even substitute.
The "Gluten-free flour" is a rice flour base.
Becca
Joann Moore says
Hi I am in Australia and am wondering what the Bob Mills Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour is I can buy G/F self raising flour also plain G/F flour but not sure what 1 to 1 means regards JoAnn
Rebecca Taig says
Hi there!
Bob Mills is a flour brand that created a gluten-free flour called " Bob Mills Gluten-Free 1:1 Flour. Their 1-to-1 blend includes a mix of gluten-free rice flours, starches and xanthan gum, making it easy to swap out for regular flour in any recipes.
If a non-gluten-free recipe calls for 1 cup of regular flour, you would use the exact amount of this gluten-free flour as a substitute.
This flour is designed for quick breads and not recommended for use in yeast recipes.
The ingredients are:
sweet rice and brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and xanthan gum.
In this recipe, you could use plain gluten-free flour.
Hope this helps, and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Priya says
Hello:) love that you had a wonderful gluten free recipe.
Can’t wait to try it:)
Is it okay to use any kind of oil?
What if I had to skip raisins, as I don’t have any? Will it affect the texture?
Rebecca Taig says
Hi there!
You can always use a few more dates in place of the raisins or leave them out altogether. 🙂
I would use a neutral-tasting oil, such as refined coconut oil, or if you have access to it the "Butter-Flavored" Coconut Oil by Nutiva is amazing. I have not tried it, but I'm sure melted butter would work fine as well.
Let me know how the recipe turns out.
Becca
David says
Hi Rebecca,
This loaf is delicious, however as I added the dry ingredients to the oil, sugar and egg mixture, it became very stiff and difficult to blend. I ended up having to use my bare hands and the result was a dense lump of dough. It wasn't crumbly. When I added the date, raisin, water and walnuts I ended up with lots of small lumps of dough in the mixture. Where did I go wrong?
Thanks, David
Rebecca Taig says
Hi David,
I'm so sorry your loaf did not turn out, perhaps it was the flour measurements? Maybe too much?
I recommend using a food scale to properly measure.
Did you use brown sugar, which is hydrating? Did you cream until light and fluffy?
This loaf is far from dense, because of the liquid from the date mixture.
I appreciate you trying this recipe and can understand the frustrations of something not turning out as planned.
Sincerely,
Rebecca