Date Pesto Recipe (Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free)
A naturally sweet, nutty spread made with Medjool dates, roasted nuts, seeds, coconut, and cinnamon. No refined sugar, no gluten. Perfect on toast, bagels, crackers, or fruit.
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool dates or dates of your choice
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 5 teaspoons desi ghee or coconut oil
Instructions
- Roast the cashews, pecans, walnuts, almonds, and sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant (about 5 to 7 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Divide the roasted nuts and seeds into three equal parts. Grind two parts into a fine powder. Grind the remaining part into coarser, cocoa nib-sized pieces for crunch.
- Remove the pits from the dates and blend them in a food processor until you get a smooth paste.
- Mix the date paste with the desi ghee or coconut oil until smooth.
- Add both the finely ground and coarsely ground nuts to the date paste and mix well.
- Stir in the cinnamon powder and shredded coconut until everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle some extra shredded coconut on top for decoration.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Notes
- Adjust the grind of nuts and seeds to your preference. You can make it chunkier or smoother based on what you like.
- Adjust the number of dates depending on how sweet they are and your taste.
- Using desi ghee gives better results, but coconut oil works well for a slightly different flavor.
- This stays fresh in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- If you are following seed cycling, substitute the seeds accordingly.
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