These Bacon Wrapped Dates can be made with either cream cheese or goat cheese, and both versions are incredibly delicious! Sweet Medjool dates are stuffed to the brim with a chorizo cheese filling and wrapped in savory bacon. These easy-to-make appetizers simply fly off the baking sheet faster than you can make them. And everyone always wants a copy of the recipe. There are two make-ahead options listed to make your entertaining even easier.
These are my favorite appetizers ever… and I mean ever! I’ve made these for special occasions and holidays for over 15 years. And I’m not alone in my enthusiasm because everyone absolutely loves these.
The spicy chorizo is turned into a creamy filling that you sandwich into sweet Medjool dates. Then it’s all wrapped up with smoky – savory bacon – utterly indulgent for sure. As if that’s not tempting enough, you can make these ahead as well!
I don’t know where the idea for this recipe originated since I’ve seen it from many sources. But my recipe is adapted from a cookbook called “On Cooking”.
These are the perfect appetizers for entertaining because they can be completely made ahead. Whenever you’re ready to serve them, you can pop them in the oven for a few minutes and that’s it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bacon – thin slice bacon is a must for this recipe so that it cooks evenly in the oven. Thick-cut bacon won’t crisp up properly during the cooking time.
- Chorizo – bulk ground chorizo sausage is what you’re looking for in this recipe, not the cured dried chorizo. You can also use other types of sausage, but chorizo has a hint of zestiness and paprika spice that balances dates’ intense sweetness.
- Soft cheese – cream cheese and soft creamy goat cheese work well in this recipe. I use either or depending on what I think my guests will enjoy. My personal preference is the goat cheese which has a natural tang that again like the chorizo balances well with the dates. But if you don’t care for goat cheese, cream cheese is incredible as well – no wrong answers here!
- Medjool dates – work best in this recipe and I don’t recommend other types of dates because they’re too small to wrap bacon around properly. Also, Medjool dates have a softer less fibrous texture than other dates (like golden dates) that I’ve tried. Medjool dates are usually found in the produce section of most grocery stores.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 2: Next brown the chorizo sausage in a pan breaking it up into the smallest bits possible.
Drain the excess grease and mash it together with the softened cream cheese.
Step 3: Then using a spoon, fill each date equally with the chorizo cheese mixture.
Step 4: Wrap each date with 1/2 a strip of bacon. Then secure the bacon ends together by inserting a toothpick through the center.
Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in an oven-proof baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
Step 5: After 10 minutes of cooking time, turn each bacon-wrapped date over so they will cook evenly.
You can use a pair of tongs, or carefully use the toothpicks which aren’t as hot to turn them over. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and perfectly browned.
Ways to serve this
- Serve these bacon-wrapped dates as an appetizer to any holiday meal, but especially in the winter months. These rich dates are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
- These also work great as part of a game day spread with your favorite appetizers. And you’ll find 5 more fun appetizers below above the recipe card.
- As I mentioned, these are rich appetizers, so you could consider cutting them in half when they’re cool enough to handle after baking. You can see what they look like in the next photo below. And there’s no need to serve these hot, they’re great at warm or at room temperature as well. If you’re serving multiple delicious appetizers, making these 2 bite appetizers into smaller 1/2-sized portions is a good option. If you cut them in half, there will be 24.
FAQ’s
I recommend Medjool dates for 2 reasons, first, they’re the perfect size to wrap in bacon. And secondly, they’re not as fibrous as other dates.
There are many variations of bacon wrapped dates, but many versions are stuffed with either goat cheese or cream cheese. Some recipes are stuffed with cheese and nuts. My recipe combines cheese and chorizo for zestiness and a hint of spice that balances with the dates. Both goat cheese and cream cheese work equally well for bacon wrapped dates, so choose what version appeals to you. Some bacon wrapped dates are also stuffed with blue cheese which I think is best when mixed with cream cheese. Some versions are also served with a drizzle of honey, but I find that to be too sweet for my taste.
How to make these bacon wrapped dates ahead of time
- You can fully assemble these dates, then refrigerate them for up to 2 days until you’re ready to bake them. Remove them from the refrigerator to come to room temperature while your oven preheats.
- Or you can make and bake them before storing up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Again let them come up to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 250ºF and bake until they’re warmed through, about 15 minutes.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftovers into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating – reheat any leftovers in the microwave or reheat them in the oven at 250ºF until heated.
- To freeze – place the leftover bacon-wrapped dates into an airtight freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Tips & Tricks
- Getting the bacon right! Thinly sliced bacon will crisp up the proper amount during the baking time with the oven temperature listed. Also, select a package with the least fat, so you get the most bacon flavor here.
- Cream cheese or goat cheese? I couldn’t make that decision because I think they’re equally good. But here are some things to consider – do you prefer a bit of tang? If that’s the case, goat cheese may well be the perfect combo for you. Also, I’ve had some write-in to say the dates were a bit sweet for them. This is another case where goat cheese can balance the natural sweetness of dates. Cream cheese on the other hand tends to be richer, and it’s also the crowd-pleasing choice. So if you’re serving these to a diverse range of ages from kids to adults, cream cheese would be my go-to choice.
- What are the best dates to use? I love making these with fresh Medjool dates. These are the fresh kind in the produce section, not the dried kind in the baking section. Our local health food store carries them, and so does Costco.
Dietary Options & Substitutions
- Dairy-free & Paleo – try using a dairy-free cream cheese like Kite Hill.
More Appetizer Recipe Inspiration
I hope you enjoy these Bacon Wrapped Dates with chorizo! If you do get a chance to make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Bacon Wrapped Dates
INGREDIENTS
- 12 Medjool dates - pitted, see notes
- 3 ounces bulk fresh chorizo - (not the cured/dried kind)
- 2 ounces cream cheese - or soft goat cheese
- 6 strips thinly sliced bacon - cut in half to make 12 short strips
- 12 toothpicks
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF if you’re baking these right away.
- Then preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high, and brown the chorizo.
- Drain off any extra grease, and mash the chorizo with the cream cheese or goat cheese in a small bowl using a fork or the back of a spoon.
- Spoon the chorizo/cheese mixture evenly into the dates, packing all the filling into them as much as possible. You may also need 1-2 additional dates.
- Wrap each date with a piece of bacon and insert a toothpick through the center of the date from the side to secure the ends together.
- At this point, you can refrigerate these for a couple of days if you’d like. Remove the dish with the dates from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
- When you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400° F. Place your dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in an ovenproof container, and bake for about 20 minutes, turning over once in the middle of the cooking time.
NOTES
nutrition facts
This recipe was originally published in 2013, and updated in 2020 and 2023 with more tips, information, and photos.
I just made these and found them to be way too sweet. Perhaps I will try again and use goat cheese. Very easy and quick to make. I followed the recipe as written.
Dates can be quite sweet for some people, but going with the goat cheese will definitely cut some of the sweetness as it has a bit of tartness to it. 🙂
Had these last night at a restaurant here in IL…DIVINE!! definitely going to have to make these!!!
You’ll love how easy they are to make! They can be prepped ahead of time and baked at the last minute which is always a big bonus – be sure to let me know how it goes!
Sounds heavenly – chorizo anything is divine, but bacon and dates – WOW!
These are always a smash hit because everyone’s crazy about them!