This is quite possibly the most amazing appetizer I have ever made; I have never seen anything gobbled up by a crowd so quickly. Although it’s certainly not surprising as to why – combining moist, sweet dates with creamy cheese and salty, crisp bacon creates a flavor combination that is nothing short of fabulous. In addition to being one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted, this appetizer is a snap to throw together and takes mere minutes in the oven. You can easily prep the dates – stuffing and wrapping them – and as soon as guests show up, pop them in the oven. Unique and classy, this appetizer will impress guests and have them raving!
I had first planned to make two dates per person, since I was serving another relatively substantial appetizer (polenta pizza, which I will be sharing soon!). After fixing up the dates and having quite a bit left, I decided to bump it up to three per person and added more to the baking sheet. I could have easily planned on making four or five per person – these disappeared almost instantly.
If you can’t find fresh dates you could go ahead and use dried, but if available, I think the fresh are so much more flavorful. They are also moister, which provides a great contrast to the crispy bacon.
More great appetizers:
Traditional Hummus
Cheddar Ale Spread
Chicken Spread
1 year ago: Croissants
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Prepare 3-4 dates (or more!) per person
Fresh dates
Fontina cheese, cut to fit inside the dates
Bacon, cut into 3″ pieces1. Preheat broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slit the dates open, keeping the bottom in tact. Place a piece of cheese inside each date. Wrap bacon around the stuffed date, overlapping the ends on the bottom.
3. Broil for approximately 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!
(Inspired by The Left Over Queen)
See more: Appetizers, bacon, Cheese, dates
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Did you precook your bacon at all or just use it straight from the package?
This looks delicious!
Hi Kaytee – Thank you! I did not precook the bacon at all – just used it straight from the package.
These look AMAZING!! I’m always on the lookout for great appetizers – that are quick – and that don’t require your guests to come to your aid in actually making them (been there, done that , ‘nuf said).
I louuuvvveee me some Fontina too…
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
Isn’t it just fab?
Hi Jenn – Yes, absolutely, totally 100% fab!! Thanks so much for posting it!
This looks amazing with the oozing cheese. I had something similar in a restaurant but they stuffed it with some sort of sweet chutney instead of cheese, they are called devils on horseback.
Any date wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese is a great date to me!
I LOVE bacon wrapped dates. These look great.
That would be a great appetizer. There’s salty, sweet, something creamy. I love fontina cheese too. I think guests will be blown away by these combination.
This is pretty, you’re so creative
yum, yum yum! One of my fav restaurants, AOC, has amazing bacon-wrapped dates, and these look even better than theirs.
I don’t eat pork, but for a split second I considered it… that’s how mouthwatering these look!
Linda – That’s such a compliment, thank you! You’ll have to make these and let me know how they compare!
Amy – Wow, thanks! Almost had you, huh?
They look delicious! I actually just made bacon-wrapped fingerling potatoes.
Dates and Bacon always go very well together, very well tought! Bacon goes very well with melon as well. Pour a bit of Porto on it and you have the perfect appetizer
Those little gems looks heavenly!
Well done!
Never had them with the cheese. I like that. Great idea.
Just found fresh dates for the first time ever, and bought them. Now I know what to do with them! If only I can figure out an easy way to pit them…hmm. Maybe I need to suck it up and buy a pitter. These look SO good!
OH WOW that sounds so amazing!!
Do you think you are going to the foodbuzz fest in SF?? I think I’m going to go!
Having been part of the crowd that devoured them, I can vouch for their awesomeness. Thanks for making them, cuz!
I love these little bites too. I use Asiago cheese, and applewood bacon, and brush the bacon with paprika before I wrap and BAKE them. A little twist worth trying!
I can see why these disappeared so quickly, they look super tasty! Love the cheese in them too.
We make these at my restaurant in DC except we stuff them with a mixture of blue cheese, cream cheese and chives. After they’re baked we drizzle a little balsamic glaze on top that’s infused with chai tea (simple syrup with a couple chai tea bags steeped in, then combined with balsamic and reduced by half).
Lisa – that cheese mixture sounds FABULOUS! And with a balsamic glaze? Bliss! Which restaurant in DC?
I’ve made these stuffed with walnut halves and they are also very good. I will try your fontina version. Looks Yummy!
Had some recently in New Hope, PA stuffed with blue cheese and also topped with a pesto oil.
Also, I there are so many different kinds of dates (along with prices). Which kind did you use? I’ve found the firmer date is a little better for stuffing than the softer ones.
I also had better success with pre-cooking the bacon in the microwave for one minute before wrapping to ensure the bacon cooks thoroughly before the date and stuffing starts to burn.
Thanks for the great article!
These look amazing & I can’t wait to make these. A friend & I used to indulge ourselves with Bacon-wrapped Smoked Oysters. If you like smoked oysters, give it a try some time. Just wrap & broil.
I made these for a bachelorette party this weekend and they were amazing! These were soo simple to make and I got tons of compliments! I will definitely be making these again soon!
Came across this recipe by chance and it looks yummy!
Any idea on good bacon replacement? Since i don’t eat pork 
Great recipe though! 
Trent — Stuffed dates topped with pesto oil sounds fabulous!
I used regular pitted dates, bought from a local Italian grocery.
Thank you for the tip on precooking the bacon, I will definitely try that next time!
Sarah – So glad everyone enjoyed these! They’re a great crowd-pleaser, aren’t they? Thanks for stopping back and sharing your results!
Avriesa – What about substituting turkey bacon?
Sounds like a fabulous flavor combination
I have never had a date in my life but I loved the idea of them so I made them the other night. My husband and I had them 2 nights straight!! They are amazing. The only thing is I subsituted turkey bacon for regular bacon because I cant stand regular bacon. They were delicious though!!!!!