Easy, Soft & Chewy, No-Bake Granola Bars

Looking for healthy and quick breakfast and snack ideas? These Soft & Chewy, No-Bake Granola Bars are easy to make yet hardy. They have rescued our household many-a-day, and can do the same for yours! They’re a perfect, healthy choice for busy weeks. The delicious date sweetener will make your taste buds rejoice while keeping blood sugars low.

How to Make Easy, Soft & Chewy, No-Bake Granola Bars

1. Make a date paste out of chopped dates and water using an immersion belnder
2. Blend nuts into crumble
3. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until a dough forms
4. Firmly pat into a parchment paper lined pan
5. Cut into 6 breakfast bars or 12 snack bars
6. Eat right away or store, covered, in the fridge

Try adding in some homemade chocolate chips, raisins or cranberries. You can also add 2 tbsp of cocoa which will reduce the sweetness some, but it can easily be made up for by adding a few extra dates & water.

Depending how runny the brand of peanut butter is will impact the amount of water you need to add. For example, I use Costco’s Kirkland brand, which is quite thirsty. If you’re using a runnier natural version, like Skippy, you’ll need less water. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until a dense but pliable batter is formed.

Granola Bar Health Benefits

Nuts are full of healthy, unsaturated fats and protein. Harvard Health tells us that they’re associated with weight loss because they can help us feel full longer. Eating a daily serving of nuts each day, instead of meat, has shown a 30% decreased rate of heart disease. They also said a diet high in nut intake has “favorable effects on cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, and inflammatory factors…”

Food like these granola bars are an excellent option to help us stay healthy and well, yet not compromise the joy of eating.

Grains or No Grains?

We used to eat according to a paleo diet and thought grains were a less ideal food choice. Recently, after spending several months reviewing evidence-based food nutrition research, our perspective changed. We now tend more towards whole-food and plant-based eating habits, which include some grains.

If you’d like to read a wee bit about it, Harvard Health has a good, non-bias article that reviews other literature on the Paleo diet. Nutritionfacts.org has an interesting video that talks about the benefits of eating plant-based, which contrasts the modern Paleo menu’s heavy reliance on meat.

Easy, Soft & Chewy, No-Bake Granola Bars

4.75 from 4 votes

Whole-food and plant-based breakfast or snack granola bars. They're high in protein and good fats, which will help you feel full longer.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 breakfast bars

Course: Breakfast

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup dates
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup pecans
• ¼ cup almonds
• ¼ cup hemp hearts
• ¼ cup ground flax
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1 cup oats

Optional

• 2 tbsp cocoa
• ¼ cup chocolate chips or dried fruit

Equipment

• Immersion blender
• Blender

Method

 

1. Chop dates and place in a tall cylindrical container meant for your immersion blender (otherwise it'll splash all over). Add 3 tbsp of the water and purée using an immersion blender until it forms a paste. Reserve 1 tbsp of water to add at the end if you need more moisture. The more water you add, the softer the batch will be.
2. Add pecans, walnuts and almonds into a blender and blend until a crumble is formed
3. Add nut crumble, date paste and all remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix until a dough is formed.
4. Pat into a small parchment paper lined casserole dish or Tupperware container (approx 6"X9"). Use a knife and cut into either 6 breakfast bars or 12 granola bars. Store in fridge for up to a week for optimal freshness and texture.

Bon appétit!

You may also want to try out our granola recipe too!