Date & Tahini Granola

ABOUT 7 CUPS [1 KG] 

This is our house granola, because it is both delicious and adaptable. Swap out the nuts, sub in seeds, mix in whatever dried fruit you want. I’ve even made it with maple syrup instead of date molasses. But this is the version we like best. The date molasses and tahini swathe each morsel in an addictive, salty-sweet coating that is hard to stop snacking on. We spoon this granola onto yogurt, use it to top fruit crumbles, layer it in parfaits, and eat it out of hand throughout the day. 

If you like your granola on the chewy side, bake it for less time (35 to 45 minutes) and pack it more tightly in the baking sheet; for crispier granola, bake it longer (40 to 50 minutes) and spread it out in a thinner, more even layer. As always, much depends on your individual oven.

Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts Rawaan Alkhatib

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups [200 g] old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

• 1 cup [140 g] raw unsalted pistachios, left whole or coarsely chopped

• 1 cup [120 g] raw unsalted walnut halves, left whole or coarsely chopped

• 1 cup [100 g] unsweetened coconut flakes

• 2/3 cup [160 ml] date molasses

• ½ cup [100 g] packed light brown sugar

• ½ cup [120 ml] olive oil

• 1/3 cup [80 g] tahini

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup [175 g] chopped dates

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 300°F [150°C]. 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, pistachios, walnuts, coconut flakes, date molasses, brown sugar, olive oil, tahini, and salt and stir until everything is thoroughly coated and a little wet and shiny. 

Spread your granola mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes total, depending on how chewy versus crispy you want your granola. The granola should be fragrant and toasted by the time you’re ready to pull it out of the oven. 

Let the granola cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack before stirring in the chopped dates and seasoning with more salt as needed. Leftovers will keep, stored in a jar or other airtight container at room temperature, for up to a month.

Excerpted from Hot Date: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, From Party Food to Everyday Feasts by Rawaan Alkhatib, © 2025. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Linda Xiao.

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