Coconut date balls are a great easy, healthy snack or dessert, and with just 6 ingredients – including salt and water – they're ready in minutes! These are vegan, fruit-sweetened, and you probably have everything on hand already.
Make these to have on hand for a sweet snack at any time of day. If you're looking for some more no-bake or raw desserts, try my Almond Butter Coconut Balls or Raw Chocolate Fudge with adaptogens.

Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cocoa: if you prefer, use raw cacao in place of regular cocoa powder. Cocoa will make for a slightly milder ball.
- Dates: use soft deglet or medjool dates, or soak them. Use two deglet noor for every medjool date if subbing them.
- Spices: feel free to skip the cinnamon and have plain chocolate balls, or sub something like fresh ginger.
How to Make Date Balls
Step 1: place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
Step 2: blend until well mixed and the dates are very finely chopped.
Step 3: add a bit of water as needed, until the dough holds when pressed into a ball.
Step 4: form into balls and roll in extra coconut, then store.
How to Store
Storage: keep these in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Freezing: place the balls in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
Top Tips
- Dip them in chocolate: for a more decadent sweet, dip the balls in melted dark chocolate rather than rolling in coconut.
- Use older dates: while the recipe calls for soft dates, it is a good way to use up older, dried dates! Just soak them in very hot water for half an hour or so before blending.
- Go by feel: add just enough water to make a dough that holds together. The amount will vary depending on how much liquid the dates contain.
FAQ
What does desiccated coconut mean?
Desiccated coconut is just another word for shredded, dried coconut. It's usually a bit finer than regular shredded coconut.
Is it OK to eat dates everyday?
Dates are high in fibre, but also really high in sugar, and should be eaten in moderation as part of a healthy diet. A date ball a day is probably fine!
Are dates healthier than honey?
While both are high in sugar, dates are still a whole fruit and contain more vitamins and other elements like fibre than honey does.
More Vegan Treats
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Recipe
Coconut Date Balls
Equipment
- Food processor
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 10 medjool dates
- ½ cup desiccated coconut plus more for rolling
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon water more or less depending on the dates
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients but water in the food processor.10 medjool dates, ½ cup desiccated coconut, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 pinch sea salt
- Pulse until the dates are broken up and a dough starts to form.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of water (you might need more on less depending on the dates) and pulse again until the mixture holds together.1 tablespoon water
- Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and roll in the extra coconut.
- Store the coconut date balls in the fridge.