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These healthy vegan energy bars are like a homemade Larabar and the perfect snack, made with hazelnuts and tart cherries.
Ever tried your hand at homemade energy bars? With Larabars and Clif bars all the rage, we couldn’t resist trying a version made at home. These healthy vegan energy bars are similar to homemade Larabar, but with slightly more texture. Like a raw brownie (our go-to healthy dessert), they’re gluten-free and all natural, made mainly of Medjool dates and nuts. This version uses hazelnuts for a more complex flavor, and dried cherries for a tart note that compliments the sweet. They’re based off an idea from one of our favorite cookbooks, Whole Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon.
How to make vegan energy bars
Making these healthy vegan energy bars is very easy: all you’ll need is a food processor! You’ll need a large food processor for the size of this batch. Simply blend all the ingredients together, then add another handful of cherries and pulse to combine to get a little texture. Blending all the ingredients will form a sticky dough. Roll the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet and allow it to freeze for 45 minutes to harden, then cut it into squares and you’re ready to go!
A few notes on ingredients: it can sometimes be hard to find hazelnuts. If you can’t find them, almonds work too! It’s easiest and cheapest to buy them in the bulk section. A note on the type of dates: you’ll need Medjool dates for this one. Medjool dates are very large, sticky dates that have a caramel flavor and a soft texture. They’re essential to get the right consistency for these vegan energy bars. Medjool dates are becoming more and more common in grocery stores in the US. Sometimes they’re packaged with the dried fruit; other times they’re in bulk in the product section.
Looking for healthy snack recipes?
Outside of these healthy vegan energy bars, here are a few more healthy snacks we love:
- Cinnamon Yogurt Fruit Dip
- Hummus and Veggie Roll Ups
- Garlic Herb White Bean Dip
- Very Verde Cilantro Dip
- Healthy Banana Bread Muffins
- Classic Homemade Hummus
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
- Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie
- Superfood Pecan Energy Bars
This recipe is…
This healthy vegan energy bars recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Cherry Vegan Energy Bars
These healthy vegan energy bars are like a homemade Larabar and the perfect snack, made with hazelnuts and tart cherries.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 large bars or 32 small bars 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts
- 20 Medjool dates (2 cups)
- 1 cup + ¼ cup tart dried cherries (with no sugar added), divided
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add all ingredients except ¼ cup dried cherries. Turn on the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together without being crumbly, about 2 minutes. (The length of processing is important for the texture, so make sure to process long enough that the mixture is not crumbly, but not so long that it becomes too gooey.)
- Add the remaining ¼ cup dried cherries and pulse several times to combine, incorporating the larger cherry chunks into the mix.
- Turn out the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet and press it into a flat layer of the desired thickness, then roll a rolling pin over the top to smooth it to a uniform thickness. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 45 minutes to harden. Then slice into bars of the desired size (we used 4” x 2”). Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Adapted from Whole Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon Note: You can substitute almonds for the hazelnuts if they are not easily available, but we recommend using hazelnuts for their unique flavor.
Will they last if I wanted to take them for a trek ? About 5 days? Any packing suggestions?
These should last 5 days. Just make sure to keep them wrapped and airtight.
Thanks for replying Alex. Just made them. Taste pretty nice. I didn’t find mejul dates so they weren’t clumping no matter how much I processed them so added half a table spoon of maple syrup. And decorated with small chocolate chips. Now I hope they last for the trek!
Good stuff. I replaced the dry cherries with dry cranberries. And, as my processor broke down recently, I hand to hand-mince the whole lot and use honey to blend it all together (though peanut butter would have been an option). Talk about old school!
HAHA oh my goodness that sounds incredibly difficult to chop everything by hand! I’m glad to hear it worked! THANKS for trying it out :)
I have found that with many recipes for homemade energy balls/bars, that increasing the vanilla a bit or adding a few drops of water to the mixture help to bind them. Maybe decreasing the oats? These would probably work just as well with less or even omitting completely…