No Bake Granola Bars with Nuts and Oats

These No Bake Granola Bars with Nuts and Oats couldn’t be easier! They’re healthy, contain no added sugar, and are great for packing on the go!

Where did June go!? Is it me, or did it just fly by? We were so busy all month with our trip to Chicago, friends’ events and a recent visit to New Jersey. I feel like I’ve hardly had any time to pop-in and say hi to you guys.

I thoroughly enjoyed being home for three days over 4th of July weekend. June’s schedule left me very little time for recipe development, so I was excited to have a few extra hours to spend in the kitchen. I have a backlog of recipes I’ve been meaning to try this summer.

On Sunday we had exactly zero plans (yay!), so I spent the afternoon trying three new recipes. These No Bake Granola Bars with Nuts and Oats were one of them. I am usually wary of no-bake recipes because the texture can often be pretty funky. But, these bars were GREAT! All you have to do is press the mixture into a baking dish, place the dish into the freezer for a couple hours, slice, and enjoy! Easy peasy. Freezing is key – otherwise if you try to slice them, they’ll just fall apart into a crumbly mess.

I absolutely loved the flavor of these no bake granola bars. They’re packed with fiber (oats and dried fruit!) and healthy fats (nuts and chia seeds!), making them a healthy and delicious mid-day snack. Plus, they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and refined-sugar free! So you can definitely make them for your friend who has ALL the food allergies…you know who I am talking about ;-)!

The recipe makes 10-12 bars. If you’re only making them for yourself, you can cut the recipe in half OR place half the sliced bars in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them.

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No Bake Granola Bars with Nuts and Oats

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almonds, Chia Seeds, dates, granola, oats

Servings: 10 -12 bars

Author: Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dates
• 3/4 cup almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted
• 1.5 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 1.5 Tablespoons chia seeds
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line an 8x11 or 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, soak the dates in water for 15 minutes.
3. Place the almonds and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped, about 15 seconds. Make sure not to process the nuts too fine - you still want chunks. Combine the almonds and pecans in a large bowl with the oats, chia seeds, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Stir in the raisins.
4. Drain the dates, reserving a few Tablespoons of the water. Place the dates in the food processor with the almond butter and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding one Tablespoon of reserved water as needed. Add the date mixture to the nut and oat mixture. Stir well - you may need to use your hands to thoroughly combine.
5. Spread the mixture into the greased baking dish, using the back of a rubber spatula to press the mixture completely flat. Cover and place the dish in the freezer for 1.5-2 hours until hard. Remove from the freezer and using a sharp knife, slice into 10-12 bars. Wrap individual bars in saran wrap. Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat.

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