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By Katja Heino 2 Comments
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No Bake Healthy Snack Bars (gluten free with vegan + nut free options)

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close up of snack bar

Make your own healthy snack bars at home in just a few minutes. No baking required. Easily customizable. No crappy ingredients + no wasteful packaging. Gluten free with vegan + nut free options.

Perusing the snack bar aisle at my local health food store, I see excess packaging, questionable ingredients, and expensive price tags.

So I like to make my own.

Every week, I’ve been making a different healthy snack to have on hand for school lunches and for easy snacking. Our current favs are lunch box cookies and peanut butter pumpkin energy balls.

This week, I’m sharing a simple, no bake recipe for healthy snack bars loaded with dried fruit and seeds. So good!

six granola bars on white counter

What’s in healthy snack bars?

Just a few simple pantry ingredients.

❤️ gluten free oats (I like THIS sprouted brand)

❤️ honey or maple syrup (use maple syrup for vegan)

❤️ nut butter (or sunflower butter or tahini for nut free option)

❤️ seeds (like pumpkin, sesame, chia, flax, or sunflower)

❤️ dried fruit (like apricots, raisins, cranberries, dates, figs, etc.)

❤️ salt

The best thing about these bars is that they are like a snack bar chameleon. Super versatile. You can add in whatever makes you happy .

Other optional add-ins could be:

  • mini chocolate chips
  • unsweetened shredded coconut
  • chopped nuts

NOTE: Soaked and sprouted grains, nuts, and seeds are always my preference if possible.  This helps with better digestion.

side view of snack bars

How to make healthy snack bars

Step 1: mix together oats + salt

Step 2: melt together nut butter and honey/maple syrup

Step 3: add oats to wet mixture and stir until well combined.

Step 4: fold in seeds + dried fruit (and any other optional add-ins)

Step 5: press mixture into 8×8 baking pan + place in fridge to set

Step 6: cut into desired sized bars + enjoy

What do they taste like?

These bars are not your traditional crispy granola bar. The texture is soft + chewy with just the right amount of sweetness. The flavor depends on the nut or seed butter you use and also the add-ins you choose.

We like them best cold out of the freezer, but they can absolutely be packed in a school lunch box. The texture will just be a bit softer.

How to store health snack bars

Store these yummy bars in the fridge, covered for up to a week.

We like to freeze them in a single layer then store them in reusable silicone bags. I use parchment paper in between the layer.

close up of gluten free granola bar

happy back to school, my sweet friend! ❤️

xx,

Katja

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No Bake Healthy Snack Bars

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  • Author: Katja Heino
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Description

Soft + chewy homemade snack bars.  No baking required. Easily customizable. No crappy ingredients + no wasteful packaging. Gluten free with vegan + nut free options.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 and 1/2 cup gluten free oats (I like THIS sprouted brand)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup nut butter (or sunflower butter or tahini for nut free option)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (use maple syrup for vegan)
  • 3 tbsp seeds (like pumpkin, sesame, chia, flax, or sunflower)
  • 3–4 tbsp chopped dried fruit (like apricots, raisins, cranberries, dates, figs, etc.)
  • optional add-ins: mini chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, or chopped nuts


Instructions

  1. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, combine oats + salt.  Set aside. 
  3. In a double boiler (I use a small glass bowl over a pot of water), gently melt together nut butter + sweetener of choice. Do not over heat.  Remove from heat. 
  4. Add oats to wet mixture + mix until well incorporated.  Fold in seeds + chopped dried fruit, adding in an extra add-ins. Mix again. For my salt lovers, adjust for salt. 
  5. Press mixture evenly + firmly into prepared baking pan.  Place in fridge to set for at least 2 hours. 
  6. Cut into desired sized bars + enjoy. Store covered in fridge for up to a week or freeze for later. 

Notes

Soaked and sprouted grains, nuts, and seeds are always my preference if possible.  This helps with better digestion.

Chopping your dried fruit and larger add-in helps to keep the bars together and gives a nice texture.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

gluten free snack bars on white counter

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Filed Under: Desserts, Healthy Snacks Tagged With: dried fruit, gluten free snacks, granola bares, healthy snacks, oats, snack bars

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy Farless says

    October 15, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    Very addicting! Just didn’t stay together as well as I had planned. Will try again.

    Reply
    • Katja Heino says

      October 20, 2021 at 5:51 am

      Be sure to press them down firmly in the pan before you place in fridge to set. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi I’m Katja!

And this is how we do healthy in our family. Just REAL food. Simple. Easy. Gluten free. More about Savory Lotus

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  • ✨ 5 years ago, i completely uprooted my life because i felt a call for something different • i don’t have a single regret 

there is so much peace and power in intentionally creating a life aligned with your values and heart’s desire 

but it takes radical ownership of EVERY aspect of your life
  • 💪fitness is one of the biggest mood boosters in my life—not because it solves everything, but because it consistently gives me space to come back to myself 💪

💪sometimes the workout is the least important part • the real gift is becoming the kind of woman who keeps choosing herself, over and over again 💪
  • ✨this season has changed me in ways i never expected—and honestly, i think it’s making me a better woman • softer, slower, stronger, and more trusting ✨✨
  • ☀️sunlight sets the tone for my day and for my hormones • i’m 52• moving towards menopause • not doing complicated protocols, hormones or peptides • finding my way through slowing down, getting strong , simplifying, and being intentional with what ACTUALLY supports my body • every woman has a different journey • and i’m figuring out mine 💗
  • 💗 some things are out of our control • AND we have more agency over what happens to us than we think • a beautiful life is built in the habits we repeat 💗
  • • anyone else feel tired of all the noise? • trying to find my place here again • as i navigate big changes in my own life seasons • what actually makes a beautiful life ? 🌈✨
  • • becoming intentional about every aspect of my life has brought so much peace, contentment, and joy into my life • as i get older, i crave a slower, more deliberate pace to life • feeling grateful • 🙏
  • 🥦🥒🥬 growing your own food is a powerful way to support your health • you get fresh food + sunshine, fresh air and movement when you work in your garden • you don’t need a HUGE homestead • you can grow in containers on your apartment patio • you can create raised beds in your front yard • you can create an urban garden in the middle of a city 

🥦🥬🥒 we are blessed with a bit of land in western NC (about an acre) • 8 garden beds provide space to grow lots of things • i concentrate on building healthy soil • no pesticides or chemical • we also have berries and fruit trees planted around the yard 

🥦🥒🥬 there’s a deep satisfaction that comes from working the soil, tending the plants, harvesting the vegetables, and eating what we grow • it connects me to SOURCE/GOD 💗 and reminds me to stay in rhythm with NATURE • grateful 🙏
  • 💪 training for life • in a world full of distractions and drama, i’m focusing on what’s important to me • i want to be strong, to feel alive, and to be capable • so i can show up for myself, my family, and my community • when you turn inward and take charge of your own life and your own health, you realize that freedom, real health, and longevity are possible 💗• hope you have an amazing big day
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✨ 5 years ago, i completely uprooted my life because i felt a call for something different • i don’t have a single regret there is so much peace and power in intentionally creating a life aligned with your values and heart’s desire but it takes radical ownership of EVERY aspect of your life
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
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@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
💪fitness is one of the biggest mood boosters in my life—not because it solves everything, but because it consistently gives me space to come back to myself 💪 💪sometimes the workout is the least important part • the real gift is becoming the kind of woman who keeps choosing herself, over and over again 💪
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
✨this season has changed me in ways i never expected—and honestly, i think it’s making me a better woman • softer, slower, stronger, and more trusting ✨✨
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
☀️sunlight sets the tone for my day and for my hormones • i’m 52• moving towards menopause • not doing complicated protocols, hormones or peptides • finding my way through slowing down, getting strong , simplifying, and being intentional with what ACTUALLY supports my body • every woman has a different journey • and i’m figuring out mine 💗
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
💗 some things are out of our control • AND we have more agency over what happens to us than we think • a beautiful life is built in the habits we repeat 💗
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
• anyone else feel tired of all the noise? • trying to find my place here again • as i navigate big changes in my own life seasons • what actually makes a beautiful life ? 🌈✨
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
• becoming intentional about every aspect of my life has brought so much peace, contentment, and joy into my life • as i get older, i crave a slower, more deliberate pace to life • feeling grateful • 🙏
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
🥦🥒🥬 growing your own food is a powerful way to support your health • you get fresh food + sunshine, fresh air and movement when you work in your garden • you don’t need a HUGE homestead • you can grow in containers on your apartment patio • you can create raised beds in your front yard • you can create an urban garden in the middle of a city 🥦🥬🥒 we are blessed with a bit of land in western NC (about an acre) • 8 garden beds provide space to grow lots of things • i concentrate on building healthy soil • no pesticides or chemical • we also have berries and fruit trees planted around the yard 🥦🥒🥬 there’s a deep satisfaction that comes from working the soil, tending the plants, harvesting the vegetables, and eating what we grow • it connects me to SOURCE/GOD 💗 and reminds me to stay in rhythm with NATURE • grateful 🙏
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
@savorylotus
@savorylotus
•
Follow
💪 training for life • in a world full of distractions and drama, i’m focusing on what’s important to me • i want to be strong, to feel alive, and to be capable • so i can show up for myself, my family, and my community • when you turn inward and take charge of your own life and your own health, you realize that freedom, real health, and longevity are possible 💗• hope you have an amazing big day
7 months ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

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