This vintage recipe for date balls comes straight from my grandma’s recipe box. They are a classic no-bake treat that is perfect for the holidays or any time you need a little something sweet.

Small bowl of classic date balls coated in powdered sugar, ready to eat.

Date balls have the perfect mix of crunch and sweet, buttery goodness. The contrast between the dates and rice krispies makes them delicious.

They would make a quick and easy addition to your Christmas treats. Or make them any time of the year for a simple but fabulous dessert.

While dates are delicious all year long, for some reason, I only think of them around the holidays. It is probably because the containers of dates meant for gifting hit the shelves then.

My husband’s grandma always bakes date nut loaves for Christmas as well. They are so delicious and packed with flavor.

So, when I saw this recipe for date balls in my grandma’s recipe box, I knew I had to make them. The recipe looks like it was clipped for a newspaper quite a few years ago.

So long ago, in fact, that the newspaper clip is so yellowed it almost matches the cardboard she glued it to. I think that the fact that she took that extra step to protect the recipe is another indicator that she thought it was a good recipe.

Yellowed newspaper clipping with vintage date ball recipe glued to piece of cardboard.

You know we are all about classic recipes around here. I love recipes that have been passed through the generations.

There is just something special about making something that you know your mom made and her mom before her. Plus, you only hang onto recipes that are good, so if they are stuck around this long, you know they are special.

Why You’ll Like This Recipe:

They are quick and easy to make.

They only take 6 ingredients to make. 7 ingredients if you roll them in powdered sugar.

They are no-bake, so they don’t take any room in the oven.

Ingredients including dates, pecans, an egg, butter, sugar, and rice krispies ready to be made into date balls.

Cutting board with chopped dates and a knife.

They have a great mix of buttery chew and crunch.

Storage

Date balls last 10-14 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, so you can make them in advance.

Email Me The Link

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

Tips and Tricks

You need chopped dates for this recipe, but don’t use the ones that are already chopped.

The dates that are chopped and meant as a snack are coated to keep them from sticking together. That coating also makes it harder to get these date balls to stick together.

When you buy dates, they should either be whole pitted dates or chopped dates that are stuck together in a clump in the bag. (Use the extras to make some date pudding!)

Saucepan with date, butter, sugar, and egg mixture next to bowl of rice Krispies and a bowl of chopped pecans.

Saucepan with date ball mixture after the cereal and chopped nuts have been stirred in.

You can omit the nuts if you would like. I used pecans and thought they were delicious, walnuts would work too if that is your preference.

Grease your hands before rolling the balls. The mixture is a little bit sticky, and that makes it easier.

I used a small cookie scoop to portion out about a Tablespoon of the mixture. Using a scoop makes it easier to keep the balls uniform in size.

Portions of date ball mixture rolled into balls on a sheet of wax paper.

Rolling date balls in a small bowl of powdered sugar.

If you want to fancy them up a bit, you could roll them in colored sugar instead of powdered sugar. I have even heard of people rolling them in red sugar and shaping them like strawberries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do date balls taste like?

These date balls have almost a caramel like flavor to them. They are buttery and sweet with a nice crunch from the cereal and nuts.

Can you freeze date balls?

I wouldn’t recommend freezing these treats. The rice cereal will soften. Luckily, they are really quick and easy to make, so you can just make them as you need them.

Hand holding a date ball with a bite missing showing the cereal and nuts held together by a caramel like filling inside.

How fine should you chop the dates?

The finer, the better. In fact, using a food processor is a good idea. While the date balls in these pictures were delicious, I wish I had chopped them finer so they would have melted into the butter and sugar mixture more.

4.78 from 9 ratings

Old Fashioned Date Balls

Author: Carlee

Servings: Date Balls

This vintage recipe for date balls come straight from my grandma's recipe box. They are a classic no-bake treat that is perfect for the holidays or any time you need a little something sweet.

Prep: 10

Cook: 5

Total: 15

Ingredients

Instructions

Chop 8 ounces pitted dates finely. You can use a food processor to get them super fine or dice them as finely as you can with a knife.
Put dates in saucepan. Stir in 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 large egg. (Plump, sticky dates work best for this recipe. If your dates were dry, add a Tablespoon or two of water to help plump them back up.)
Add ½ cup butter and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups Rice Krispies and ½ cup chopped nuts.
Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of the mixture onto a sheet of wax paper. Continue scooping until the mixture has all been distributed.
Let the mixture sit for just a minute or two. Then lightly grease your hand and with gentle pressure roll each scoop between your palms to form a ball. If it starts sticking to your hands more than to itself, wash your hands and regrease them. Continue until all of the mixture has been formed into balls.
If desired, roll in sugar. Powdered sugar works well, but so does granulated sugar or even colored sugar.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.