So apparently the first weekend binge of the year is going to be filled with superfoods. Stay with me, I promise these are as addictive as cookies. These crunchy quinoa bars have peanut butter, flax seed, chia seeds, almonds, raisins and honey. They’re absolutely bursting with good health and good stuff. Don’t you just feel yourself glowing already?
Sweet, nutty, full of texture, these amped up granola bars are what you need on hand every time the munchies hit. I adapted the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, swapping out the almond butter for peanut, and the pumpkin seeds for flax. This recipe is super flexible, use what you have lying around, you can’t go too wrong. Something tells me desiccated coconut would be yum!
To bind the whole mixture, you need either soaked dates or soaked raisins, both of which work equally well. I used raisins because I realised at the last minute I was out of dates and didn’t want to put off making these. As long as whatever you put in is refined-sugar-and-fat-free, you’re good to go.
They take ten minutes to whip up and the only time some patience is needed is while they’re cooling, so that they don’t fall apart as you cut them. Chilling them in the fridge is optional, I liked them a little on the softer side at room temperature. But they’re delicious no matter how you like them! Happy snacking 🙂
Quinoa Peanut Butter Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raisins or 5 dates (see notes)
- 1 cup oats, instant or rolled
- 3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup flax seed
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey, or maple syrup if vegan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a food processor or grinder, blend the raisins or dates till they form a thick paste. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 150 C and lightly grease an 8" square baking dish. Line with baking paper, leaving a little overhang and very lightly grease the paper too.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, quinoa, almonds, flax, chia and salt. Mix well.
- Add the peanut butter (make sure it's at room temperature so it mixes easily), honey and vanilla. Then add the raisin paste. Mix very well till the mixture is thoroughly moistened.
- Press into the prepared baking tin and use a silicone spatula to pack the mixture in firmly, especially in the corners.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through baking. The bars are done when the edges are lightly browned. They will firm up further as they cool.
- Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes, then lift the bars out using the overhang of the paper. Set on a wire rack and let them cool completely before slicing into squares. If you find the bars breaking, chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week and in the fridge for about two weeks. Happy snacking!
Notes
Shop this recipe!
Check out a full list of my baking essentials here!
This post contains affiliate links.
Turned out great! Wonderful hiking snack. I added some coconut shreds, cinnamon, and nutmeg as well!
Those sound like delicious additions!
I have made these twice; the first time I followed the recipe exactly, but they were very crumbly and fell apart easily (even after stored in fridge, as recipe recommends) making them hard to eat and hard to grab & go, like I regularly do with granola bars. The second time I made them, I nearly doubled the dates, adding 9 instead of the recommended 5. I also lowered the honey from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup, because dates are so sweet on their own. They held together beautifully and are delicious.
Thanks for letting me know! I think the kind of dates and peanut butter could make a difference as they both act as binders. The bars are a bit crumbly in my experience, so the degree would vary depending on those ingredients. I’m glad you found what works for you 🙂
what is the nutritional values for these bars: calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber
Is it okay to use quinoa without rinsing it if used in recipes like this? I want to try this recipe but I’m afraid the saponins might affect its taste.
I don’t use quinoa very often but I don’t see the harm in rinsing it either. As long as you drain it very well I don’t see a problem 🙂
I love these bars. They are easy to make and delicious.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for trying these! I’m glad you liked them 🙂
Hi Shannon, I’ve written the temp as 150 C (or 300 F as in the original recipe, I just cross checked it) since we don’t use farenheit measures here in India. Hope the bars turned out great for you!
Making these as i type, when i realized that you wrote to preheat the oven to 150… i thought it was quite low so i popped over to the recipe that you said it was adapted from and see that it should be 350.
Hope these turn out cause they smell quite nice!