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These no bake energy bars are a lightly sweet healthy snack loaded with protein-packed nuts and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla.
Thinking back to ten years ago when Alex and I first started cooking, the food landscape in America was almost unrecognizable. We had never heard of quinoa. No one we knew ate kale. No bake energy bars hadn’t been invented yet. Heck, there wasn’t even Pinterest or Instagram.
In 2010, we decided to start a website to record some of the vegetarian “real food” recipes we were making at home. At the time, not many people we knew were into cooking or real food. But gradually these ideas started to catch on.
Ingredients For No Bake Energy Bars
Years ago I made my first raw brownies in our tiny galley kitchen, using a recipe adapted from the blog My New Roots. It was an “ah ha” moment for me, realizing how delicious the simple combination of Mejdool dates and nuts could be. Here’s what you’ll need for this simple recipe:
- Medjool dates: Medjool dates are large, caramel flavored types dates that are used in fruit and nut bars and raw treats. They’ve caught on quickly; you’ll see recipes all over the internet these days. Of course, a few companies have become household names (Larabar!) using the simple equation of blending dates and nuts into a tasty treat.
- Cashews: Raw and unsalted is what you want, but roasted cashews work too! You can use leftovers for homemade cashew butter, cashew cream, and more of my favorite cashew recipes.
- Almonds: These stay chunkier and give the bars some texture.
- Cinnamon and vanilla: These add a delicious, sweetly spiced flavor.
A Perfect Whole Food Plant Based Snack
When I started A Couple Cooks, never did I think it would be around for years. I started it with the passion of spreading the love of whole food and the joy of home cooking. Most of my first posts were enthusiastically praising the flavor of foods I’d just discovered: kale, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, quinoa, and fruit and nut bars like these.
Never did I dream that in a handful of years, these foods would start to part of the American consciousness and that terms like whole food plant based would become part of our lexicon. These no bake energy bars are a great way to eat a protein-packed, plant-based snack!
How To Make These No Bake Energy Bars
So! Here’s a simple recipe for cashew no bake energy bars. Like many no bake energy bars, the recipe uses Medjool dates, the large variety with a caramel flavor that’s becoming common in grocery stores. Here’s how to make this recipe:
- Blend. In a food processor, combine the dates with cashews, almonds, cinnamon and vanilla. Process until a sweet dough forms.
- Roll. Spread the dough on a sheet pan and press it into an even layer. Use a small glass to roll over the top to make it perfectly flat.
- Freeze, then cut. Freeze for 15 minutes to set the dough. Then cut it into bars.
Pumpkin Spice Variation
The cinnamon and vanilla makes these no bake energy bars have a delicious, nuanced flavor that’s incredible satisfying! If it’s fall, you can also make a seasonal pumpkin spice variation on this bar that’s extra tasty. Simply substitute the cinnamon in the recipe with 1 ½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice. It’s a cozy way to celebrate the season!
Dietary Notes
This no bake energy bars recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Cashew No Bake Energy Bars
These cashew no bake energy bars are a lightly sweet healthy snack loaded with comforting pumpkin spices and cashews.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups Medjool dates* (about 20)
- ¾ cup cashews
- ½ cup almonds
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates. In the bowl of a food processor, add the dates, cashews, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla, kosher salt, and ½ tablespoon of water. Process until combined and a sticky dough forms, with large chunks of nuts.
- Spread the dough into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Then use a glass to roll over the top to a uniform thickness, about ½ inch thick. Freeze for 15 minutes until set, then cut into rectangles.
Notes
*Look for Medjool dates, a large variety with a caramel flavor. Medjool dates are available in most mainstream grocery stores.
**For a pumpkin spice variation, substitute 1 ½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice for the cinnamon.
Just made these! Omg delicious ?
Oh so glad you enjoyed these! Thank you for commenting!
This looks amazong!! Kind of looks like a larabar, but pumpkin flavored!! So excited to make this!
Omg, you had me at Pumpkin spice! These look bomb, guys!
Awww thank you! Hope you enjoy the recipe!