Last Updated on March 29, 2023
These No Bake Fruit and Nut Bars are a perfect quick grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
They are also a great source of protein to start your day off right.
Not only are these slightly sweet and crunchy bars vegan, they are also gluten free!
I love adding different dried fruits each time I make these bars.
You can also add different types of nuts or seeds, such as cashews, walnuts, hemp, or even sesame seeds.
A breakfast bar you can customize each time you make them.
Make a batch of these bars and wrap them up to freeze for a quick meal.
They can be frozen for up to a month, if they even last that long.
These bars are a quick and easy snack or meal on the go!
What Ingredients are needed
- Dates – Pitted dates add sweetness and stickiness to the bars.
- Nut Butter – In this recipe I have used both the peanut and almond butter. The peanut butter taste, well like peanuts. The almond butter is similar to peanut butter but with a different rich nutty flavor. A few different options are sunflower butter, cashew butter or even hazelnut butter. Pick your favor nut butter.
- Real Maple Syrup – The maple syrup adds more sweetness to the bars.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds a hint of vanilla and enhances all the other flavors in the bars.
- Rolled Oats – Oats add a slight nutty flavor as well as provide texture and support to this recipe.
- Dried Fruit – Any dried fruit will work in these bars, pick your favorites. Examples are raisins, cranberries, strawberries, apricots, blueberries, apple, pears, cherries, or even goji berries.
- Seeds – The seeds I have tried are sunflower, hemp, and pumpkin seeds. But there are many different seeds that would compliment these bars just as well, such as chia, flax or even sesame seeds.
- Chocolate Chips – Replace a dried fruit with your favorite chocolate chips. This is optional.
Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
Optional
- Chocolate – In this recipe I used semi sweet chocolate chips. But this can be any variety of chocolate, be it a bar or chips. Pick your favorite.
- Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter works the best for the smooth topping.
How to make No Bake Fruit and Nut Bars
Grease a glass 8×8 dish and set aside.
Add dates to a food processor and pulse, then transfer to a small saucepan.
Continue to add peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla to the dates and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 1 to 3 minutes, and well combined.
Once done add to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
Add almonds and peanuts to the food processor, pulse until the nuts are roughly chopped.
Pour the almonds, peanuts, oats, dried fruit and seeds over the date mixture in the mixing bowl and blend everything well.
After the mixture is well combined, pour it into the greased 8×8 dish and press the mixture until evenly flat, set aside.
Chocolate Frosting Instructions
This is optional.
In a small sauce pan, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together until smooth.
Pour the melted chocolate frosting on top of the bars and place into the freezer for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove from the freezer and cut the bars.
Wrap the bars individually and place in the freezer for a fast and easy meal or treat!
No Bake Fruit and Nut Bars
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 10 Oz. Pitted Dates
- 1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter or a nut butter of your choice.
- 1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Almonds Roughly Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Peanuts Roughly Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1/4 Cup Three Different Dried Fruits, Examples: Raisins, Cranberries, Blueberries, Chopped Apricots, Chopped Strawberries, your choice. Or use 3/4 Cup of 1 Dried Fruit.
- 1/4 Cup Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips Replace 1 dried fruit with chocolate chips. Optional.
Chocolate Frosting-Optional
- 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips of your Choice
- 1 Tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter
Instructions
- Grease a glass 8x8 dish and set aside.
- Add dates to a food processor and pulse, then transfer to a small saucepan.
- Continue to add peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla to the dates and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 1 to 3 minutes, and well combined.
- Once done add to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add almonds and peanuts to the food processor, pulse until the nuts are roughly chopped.
- Pour the almonds, peanuts, oats, dried fruit and seeds over the date mixture in the mixing bowl and blend everything well.
- After the mixture is well combined, pour it into the greased 8x8 dish and press the mixture until evenly flat, set aside.
Chocolate Frosting - Optional
- In a small sauce pan, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together until smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate frosting on top of the bars and place into the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove from the freezer and cut the bars.
- Wrap the bars individually and place in the freezer for a fast and easy meal or treat!
