Bacon-Wrapped Dates Recipe

Bacon-wrapped dates are the modern Spanish-tapas version of British Devils on Horseback, the 19th-century prune-and-bacon savory course that closed Victorian dinners. The version below uses Medjool dates stuffed with manchego and a marcona almond, pre-rendered thin-cut bacon for clean crisping, and a sherry-vinegar glaze that anchors the bite to a tapas bar instead of a generic appetizer tray. Eighteen minutes in a 400°F oven, served warm with toothpicks left in and a glass of fino sherry.

What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe

A heavy half sheet pan does most of the work, both for the pre-render and the final bake. A second sheet pan helps if you’re scaling up to 36 or more dates. Beyond that, a sharp chef’s knife for opening the dates and cutting bacon strips, a small saucepan for reducing the sherry vinegar, and a stack of bamboo party picks to spear each finished date. A wood board for serving keeps the visual warm against the dark dates.

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Where Devils on Horseback Became Tapas

Bacon-wrapped dates trace two threads that arrive at the same plate. The English thread starts in the 19th century with Devils on Horseback, a savory course of prunes (sometimes stuffed with chutney or almonds) wrapped in bacon, skewered, and grilled. Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861) is the early printed reference; the dish was served at the end of Victorian dinners as a savoury, the British equivalent of cheese course. The other thread is Spanish: dátiles con beicon is a standard pintxo in Madrid and San Sebastián bars, often stuffed with manchego or a marcona almond, sometimes glazed with sherry vinegar or Pedro Ximénez.

Both threads land at the modern American party-circuit appetizer, but the Spanish framing is closer to how the dish actually tastes best. Dates carry enough sweetness to handle a sharp cheese and a richly cured meat, and the sherry vinegar glaze ties the bite to a tapas frame instead of leaning on blue cheese (which most American versions reach for and which tends to overwhelm a one-bite portion).

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

Medjool dates are the right grade. They’re large, soft, and sweet enough to balance the bacon’s salt. Deglet Noor are smaller, drier, and produce a different, harder bite. Look for Medjool dates that yield when pressed gently; rock-hard dates have been over-dried and won’t open cleanly without breaking. A 450 g (1 lb) container holds 25 to 30 dates depending on size.

For the bacon, thin-cut (not thick-cut) is what wraps cleanly and crisps in the time it takes the date to warm through. Thick-cut bacon is still flabby at 18 minutes; by the time it crisps, the date has burst and the cheese has scorched. Standard supermarket thin-cut bacon is fine; a high-quality artisan thin-cut is better.

Manchego (Spanish, sheep’s milk, semi-firm) is the cheese that holds up to bacon’s salt without overpowering the date. Cut it into small batons about 1 cm by 1 cm by 2 cm so each piece tucks inside the slit. A marcona almond goes in alongside the cheese for crunch and a slight sweetness. If you can’t find marcona almonds, regular roasted salted almonds work, though the marcona’s softer texture is closer to traditional pintxo.

The sherry vinegar glaze takes 5 minutes. Reduce Spanish sherry vinegar (not balsamic, not white wine vinegar) with a small amount of honey until it coats the back of a spoon. The reduction adds a tart-sweet finish that ties the dish back to the Spanish frame.

Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 23 minutes (5-minute pre-render + 18-minute bake) | Total time: 43 minutes | Serves: 8 to 10 (20 to 24 dates)

Ingredients

• 22 Medjool dates (about 400 g / 14 oz), pitted
• 60 g (2 oz) manchego cheese, cut into 22 small batons
• 22 marcona almonds (or regular roasted salted almonds)
• 11 slices thin-cut bacon (about 340 g / 12 oz), halved crosswise to give 22 short strips
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry vinegar
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) honey
• Pinch fine sea salt
• Bamboo party picks or short toothpicks, 22 of them

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a half sheet pan with parchment.
2. Pre-render the bacon. Lay the 11 slices of thin-cut bacon (about 340 g / 12 oz) flat on the parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer. Slide into the oven for exactly 5 minutes. The bacon should look partially cooked, with the fat starting to render but the slices still pliable. Lift the slices with tongs to a stack of paper towels and pour the rendered fat off the parchment into a heat-safe container (save for another use). Wipe the parchment with another paper towel; the same sheet pan continues for the bake.
3. While the bacon pre-renders, prep the dates. Use a sharp paring knife to slit each Medjool date lengthwise just deep enough to remove the pit. Pinch the date open into a small canoe. Tuck one manchego baton and one marcona almond into each date and press the date closed around the filling.
4. Cut each pre-rendered bacon slice crosswise into halves, giving you 22 short strips. Wrap one strip around each stuffed date, starting at the seam and overlapping the bacon ends. Secure each wrap with a bamboo party pick or short toothpick through the bacon and into the date.
5. Arrange the wrapped dates on the same sheet pan, seam-side-down, spaced about 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart so the bacon crisps on all sides. Bake for 18 minutes, until the bacon is deep gold and crisp at the edges. The dates may bubble slightly at the seam; this is normal and reads as caramelization.
6. While the dates bake, make the glaze. Combine 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry vinegar and 15 ml (1 tablespoon) honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the vinegar reduces by half and coats the back of a spoon. Add a pinch of fine sea salt off heat.
7. Remove the dates from the oven. While still warm, brush each one lightly with the reduced sherry-vinegar glaze using a small pastry brush or the back of a spoon. The glaze should sit in shiny droplets, not coat the bacon completely.
8. Transfer the dates to a wood serving board or a small ceramic platter, party picks pointing up. Serve immediately while the bacon is crisp.

Notes

The 5-minute pre-render is the single technique that separates these dates from every American party-circuit version. Wrapping raw bacon around a stuffed date and baking it gives you 18 minutes of cooking time to render the bacon fully, which is rarely enough; the date softens, bursts, and the cheese leaks before the bacon has crisped. The pre-render does half the rendering work in advance so the final bake can crisp the outside without overcooking the date.

For a make-ahead service, prep the stuffed and wrapped dates up to 8 hours before baking, cover with plastic on a sheet pan, and refrigerate. Pre-render the bacon and let it cool before wrapping if you want to assemble far in advance. Bake straight from the fridge without adjustment; the cold sheet pan adds about 90 seconds to the total bake.

The glaze is optional but transforms the bite. Skipping it produces a salty, sweet, simple bacon-wrapped date. Adding it brings the tart sherry note that anchors the dish to the tapas-bar frame. Plan 30 seconds per date for the glaze brush.

Tips and Variations

Pre-render the bacon, every time

Every American recipe says “wrap raw, bake, done.” The result: pale, flabby bacon that has barely rendered when the date is already bursting. Five minutes of bare bacon on a sheet pan at 200°C (400°F) gets you halfway through the rendering before the bacon ever touches the date. The final bake then crisps the outside without overcooking the inside.

Manchego over blue cheese

Blue cheese overpowers a one-bite appetizer. Manchego (Spanish, sheep’s milk) carries enough flavor to register against the bacon’s salt without taking over the bite. A wedge of aged gouda is the next-best substitute. Reserve blue cheese for larger bacon-wrapped formats (like a pork loin) where the meat-to-cheese ratio is higher.

The marcona almond is the texture move

Marcona almonds are softer than regular almonds, with a slightly sweeter flavor and a higher oil content. Tucked inside the date with the cheese, they add a small textural crunch that the soft date doesn’t provide on its own. Regular roasted salted almonds work, but the marcona’s softer texture is closer to what Spanish tapas bars use.

Skip the cheese for a paleo version

For a dairy-free or paleo-friendly take, skip the manchego and stuff each date with two marcona almonds instead. The bite becomes simpler and the bacon-and-date balance shifts more toward the salt-and-sweet axis. Skip the honey in the glaze too, and use plain reduced sherry vinegar with a pinch of salt.

Storage and reheating

Bacon-wrapped dates are at their best the moment they come out of the oven. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge, covered. Reheat at 175°C (350°F) for 6 minutes on a sheet pan; the bacon crisps back up and the date warms through. Avoid the microwave, which makes the bacon flabby and softens the date past the point of holding shape. The dates do not freeze well after baking; the bacon weeps when thawed.

What to Pour Alongside

A dry fino or amontillado sherry is the textbook Spanish pairing; the dry sherry cuts the bacon’s salt and echoes the vinegar in the glaze. Cava works for the same reason and brings bubbles for a cocktail-hour register. A chai-spiced rum punch picks up the warm spice notes if the dates are part of a fall or holiday spread.

On the food side, dates sit comfortably alongside a cheese and charcuterie board (the warm element on an otherwise cold spread), a tray of deviled eggs with smoked paprika (which share the Spanish pimentón frame), and a plate of stuffed mushrooms with sausage and cheese. Plan two to three dates per guest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of dates are best for bacon wrapped dates?

Medjool dates are the right grade. They’re large, soft, and sweet enough to balance the bacon’s salt. Deglet Noor are smaller, drier, and produce a tougher bite. Look for Medjool dates that yield when pressed gently; rock-hard ones have been over-dried.

Should I use thick or thin bacon for bacon wrapped dates?

Thin-cut bacon, every time. Thick-cut bacon is still flabby when the date is already overcooked. Thin-cut wraps cleanly and crisps in the 18-minute bake window. If you only have thick-cut, pre-render for 8 minutes instead of 5 and watch the dates carefully toward the end.

Can bacon wrapped dates be made ahead of time?

The stuffed and wrapped (but unbaked) dates hold in the fridge for up to 8 hours. Pre-render the bacon and let it cool fully before wrapping the dates, then cover the sheet pan with plastic and refrigerate. Bake straight from cold; the cold pan adds about 90 seconds to the bake time.

How do you keep bacon wrapped dates from getting soggy?

Pre-render the bacon for 5 minutes before wrapping. This removes most of the bacon fat that would otherwise pool on the sheet pan during the final bake and turn the bacon flabby. Bake the dates seam-side-down on parchment, not directly on a greased pan, so the rendered fat drains away from the bacon during cooking.

What cheese should I stuff bacon wrapped dates with?

Manchego is the right call for a small one-bite appetizer; it carries enough flavor to register against the bacon’s salt without overpowering. Aged gouda is the next-best substitute. Goat cheese works for a softer, tangier version. Blue cheese is what most American recipes reach for, but it overwhelms the bite at this scale.

Final Thoughts

A bacon-wrapped date is a small bite that carries a lot of decisions. The date variety changes the texture, the bacon thickness changes the crisp, the cheese changes the balance, and the glaze ties the whole bite to a tapas-bar frame. None of the choices are difficult; together, they’re the difference between a recognizable American party appetizer and something a Madrid pintxo bar would recognize.

Serve on a wood board with the toothpicks pointing up, a small ramekin of the extra glaze on the side, and a glass of cold fino sherry. Plan two to three per guest; the rich-salty-sweet bite reads heavier than it looks.

Last update on 2026-08-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API