These Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Walnuts and Mint make a quick and easy appetizer that everyone seems to love! Soft and tender Medjool dates stuffed with creamy goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and fresh mint are fun finger food. Make ahead of time and refrigerate!
This easy appetizer of Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates is a favourite of mine and I serve it in all seasons. It's equally delicious for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter and any summer get-togethers!
❤️Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft, tender sweet dates stuffed with creamy goat cheese, toasted walnuts and fresh mint are fun finger food! My friends and family love the balance of sweet and savory in this delicious appetizer.
- These little two-bite snacks are perfect for a holiday appetizer tray too. There's no need to choose between naughty and nice, as one look at the list of ingredients below will tell you they're ALL nice!
- Sweet Medjool dates are soft and luscious, and they have amber-brown, slightly crinkly skin. They work perfectly in this recipe because you can bite into them easily without squashing the filling out.
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These goat-cheese stuffed dates are just as popular as my Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Dates and these Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates. This stuffed dates recipe doesn't need bacon, making it ideal for your vegetarian guests.
When you serve these dates stuffed with tangy goat cheese, you can feel good that you've provided an option for your friends who are following a vegetarian or gluten-free diet, too.
🛒 Only four simple ingredients
- Medjool dates: they're naturally sweet, soft and squishy and they make an ideal receptacle for a teaspoon or so of soft cheese. They have an almost caramel-like flavor.
- goat cheese: you'll want to use a creamy variety of goat cheese in this recipe. You could also substitute cream cheese.
- walnut halves
- fresh mint leaves: don't leave these out! They add another layer of flavor not to be missed. 😊
🔪 How to stuff dates with goat cheese
- Carefully make a small slice on the side of each date without cutting all the way through. Remove the pit. If your dates come pre-pitted, just squish it into a slight bowl shape.
- Stuff each date with a teaspoon of goat cheese. The easiest way to stuff dates is to fill a piping bag with goat cheese and use a frosting tip to pipe it into the cavity. An even easier way is to buy the goat cheese in a tube, snip off one of the corners, and squeeze it into the date. If you're using blue cheese or cream cheese, just use a small spoon to fill the cavity.
- Press a toasted walnut half and a fresh mint leaf into the goat cheese and serve!
👍🏼 Top Tips
Don't forget the fresh mint! You'll understand why when you taste it.
The first time I served these, my brother picked the mint leaf off before he bit into one of these dates, and we all protested--loudly--until he complied and popped it in his mouth, too. That little leaf of fresh mint is necessary, it's integral, and it's essential. It's really good. Enjoy!
Use room-temperature cheese for the best filling results. Whether you use goat cheese, cream cheese, or blue cheese, if it has been slightly softened it will be easier to stuff the dates.
🔁 Possible variations
As mentioned above, you could substitute cream cheese, blue cheese or whipped feta cheese for goat cheese. You can also use pecans instead of walnut halves.
Some recipes suggest warming these in the oven before serving. I haven't found this necessary at all. They're absolutely delicious raw at room temperature, they make an impressive appetizer, and it's one more step you don't really need to take!
❓ Reader's Questions
You can stuff these dates a day ahead of time and store them covered in the fridge. Add the mint leaf just before serving, or it will wilt.
If you love easy make-ahead appetizers as much as I do, try these Mini Cheese Balls on a Stick. You'll find lots more ideas in 20 Easy Finger Food Appetizers.
🍽 What to serve with these easy stuffed dates
These make a fun finger food to serve along with other party snacks like Puff Pastry Pizza Tarts, Crostini Appetizers, or Sweet and Spicy Pretzel Nut Snack Mix.
🗒 More delicious appetizer recipes
If you make this goat cheese stuffed dates recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below! I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Mint
Ingredients
- 12 soft Medjool dates
- ¼ cup creamy goat cheese
- 12 walnut halves, lightly toasted
- 12 leaves fresh mint
Instructions
- Carefully make a small slice in the side of each date and remove the pit.
- Stuff each date with a teaspoon of goat cheese.
- Press a toasted walnut half and a fresh mint leaf into the goat cheese.
- Serve.
Nutrition
This post has been very popular since 2015. I've updated it with additional information to make it more helpful!
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