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This homemade energy bar recipe is the perfect wholesome snack! It’s naturally sweet, featuring oats, chia seeds, and pecans.
Wholesome snacks is a topic Alex and I get asked about a lot. Now that we have kids, we think about it a lot too! This energy bar recipe is our newest invention for healthy snacks.
And let me tell you, our kids are OBSESSED with them, too! Not only are these kid approved, they’re perfect for adult snacking too. The sweet flavor is reminiscent of pecan pie, and they’re full of superfoods like pecans and chia seeds.
Ingredients in This Energy Bar Recipe
Why make an energy bar recipe at home instead of buying it? Well, it lets you control the ingredients so you know exactly what’s in it! They’re also slightly cheaper than store bought. The energy bars we like to make are similar to store bought Larabars. But our homemade version is about 2/3 less cost and you have ultimate control over the ingredients! Here’s what’s in them:
- Pecans
- Medjool dates
- Oats
- Chia seeds (gives a boost of protein, fiber and Omega 3s!)
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Amazing recipe and a perfect snack during the Daniel Fast!! These won’t last in my house! Thank you!!” -Kiara
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I made these yesterday and they turned out amazing! I ended up mashing the medjool dates with a wooden spoon and then added the chopped pecan mix to the dates. I just used my hands to mix it all together, turned out really good! No crumbling!” -Josie
How to Make Homemade Energy Bars
To make this energy bar recipe, you’ll need a large size food processor for blending the ingredients. Here are the basic steps:
- In a food processor, blend together Medjool dates, pecans, oats, chia seeds, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until a sticky dough forms.
- Press it into an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake the bars for 30 minutes at 200 degrees, which helps to dry them out a bit and improves the texture so they’re not so sticky.
- Cut them into bars that are 3 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide.
Ingredient Spotlight: Pecans
Pecans are the star in this energy bar recipe! There are so many things Alex and I love about this nut. Pecans are:
- Nutritious: Pecans are very nutrient dense! They’re among the highest in “good” monounsaturated fats, and contain protein, fiber, flavonoids and essential minerals (copper, manganese and zinc).
- Versatile: They’re not just for pecan pie! They’re an easy snack right out of the bag or mixed with dried fruit for a fast trail mix. We love tossing them into our morning oatmeal, on yogurt, and onto green salads. Of course, using pecans in granola and energy bars is only natural.
- Local: Of all the major tree nuts eaten in the US, pecans are the only ones indigenous to America! They were originally grown wild and enjoyed by Native Americans. Now they’re harvested in over a dozen Southern states.
A Kid Friendly Snack
Our kids are so into these! They’re a great kid friendly snack that’s also naturally vegan and gluten free. Here are a few photos of our son Larson as a toddler gnawing on these pecan energy bars. (Where did our baby go?)
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
These energy bars stay good for 1 month refrigerated. Store them refrigerated in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper. If you’d like to package them for on the go snacking, cut out 4” x 6” rectangles of wax paper, wrap them around the bars, and secure them with tape.
Dietary Notes
This energy bar recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, dairy free, refined sugar free, and naturally sweet.
Homemade Energy Bar Recipe
This homemade energy bar recipe is the perfect wholesome snack! It’s naturally sweet, featuring oats, chia seeds, and pecans.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 15 Medjool dates (9 ounces)*
- 1 cup raw pecan halves
- ½ cup gluten free oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200F.
- Remove the pits from the dates with your fingers (they come right out!). Place the dates in the food processor and process or pulse until they are mainly chopped and a rough texture forms. Then add the remaining ingredients and process for a minute or so until a crumbly dough forms.
- Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Dump the dough into the center of the parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle that is 6” x 10.5”. Cut the dough into 14 bars that are 1.5” x 3”. (You don’t have to be as precise as we were, but we found it was easiest for cutting uniform bars!)
- Bake the bars for 30 minutes (this step helps to make the texture more dry and less sticky). Cool the bars to room temperature, then store refrigerated in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper. If you’d like to package them for on the go snacking, cut out 4” x 6” rectangles of wax paper, wrap them around the bars, and secure them with tape. Stays good for 1 month refrigerated (or more, but they may not last that long!).
Notes
* We recommend using Medjool dates: they’re a large, tender and sweet variety of dates that create the perfect texture for these bars. They’re available at most grocery stores; many times they are in the bulk or produce section, or packaged in the dried fruit section.
Can walnuts be used instead of pecans?
Thanks
Amazing recipe and a perfect snack during the Daniel Fast!! These won’t last in my house! Thank you!!
I made these yesterday and they turned out amazing! I tried to chop my dates using the chopper setting in my blender and it didn’t work out too well lol I ended up mashing the medjool dates with a wooden spoon and then added the chopped pecan mix to the dates. I just used my hands to mix it all together, turned out really good! No crumbling!
Thank you for sharing :) I’ll definitely be making these again!
I decided to add unsweetened almond paste to help bind all the ingredients (and also soaked the dates beforehand). It resulted in a moist, delicious snack bar although I’m not certain it still follows the Mediterranean diet plan with the paste.
Interesting! That sounds really delicious! I think that since it is unsweetened, it still fits the Mediterranean diet. Great idea!
I had really great luck with this recipe. Made them for a breakfast alternative for a wilderness backpack trip. I made as described but then pressed them into cup cake pan (lined with paper). I did bake them at 250 degree for 30 min. They held together nicely and were not sticky. Great recipe!!
This is so wonderful to hear — I am so glad that you enjoyed them! So glad they worked on a backpacking trip!
These are awesome! I had difficulties cutting them because they kept falling apart. Gathered it back together with a few more tbs of water.
If yours is falling apart ad a little bit of water.
Thx 4 awesome recipe !
We love the taste of these but I have trouble getting them to stick together. My second batch was better but still they don’t want to hold together well. Not sure I’ll try a third time. Any suggestions?
Thanks for letting us know! It’s possible that your dates are on the dry side. Are you using Medjool dates? If so are they very old? The newer Medjool dates are more sticky. Next time, we’d recommend soaking them in warm water before making. You can also use a little warm water in the food processor to get them to hold together if they are very dry.
Love this recipe SO MUCH! Wow! I was just delighted to find it because I had everything needed in my kitchen already. We all enjoyed eating these yummy bars, and they’re really easy to make! Thank you!
Didn’t hold together at all, there isn’t any binding ingredient.
I love this recipe. However, after having made it several times exactly as per recipe, and after having had it in the fridge to cool off, it still is very crumbly, Any idea what I could do to fix this? Maybe a thickening agent? Please advise, thank you. Cole
I wanted to like these…but as another review said the bars “just fall apart.” I followed the recipe exactly as posted and the flavor is nice but won’t be making again.
I agree they didn’t hold together at all. I even made a second batch in case I made a mistake. I didn’t use the type of dates mentioned, so that might have been the problem. My solution, which worked great, was just to roll them into balls! They taste amazing and are a great healthy snack to take on long cycling trips. Thanks!
Am I missing something in this recipe, I couldn’t make the dough it was very crumbled, I added 1Tbs of of coconut oil.
I’m sorry it didn’t work! You likely had very dry medjool dates which can happen sometimes.
Just wondering if the 9oz of dates is before or after you remove the pits.
Thanks!
The 9 ounces is prior to removing the pits. But it’s easiest to just count the number of dates — 15 dates! Thanks.
I’m in the middle of making these now, and im not sure i would call this mixture a dough? It’s very sticky and not roll-able, but I’m going to fit it into the pan and bake it… wish me luck … will try to remember to return with the results
These look delicious! Do you soak the chia seeds before using them?
We don’t!
This was my first time using dates, Husband and I both enjoy the flavor of this awesome treat!!! Hubby says they taste like apple crisp without the Apple! 🍎 lol. I think I agree!!! Thank you. I will definitely makes these again and again!!
We love to hear that! Thanks for making.
I made the pecan granola bars. Oh my they were easy to do and taste great. Thanks so much. Won’t be buying any protein bars you can really save money and bake a great bar at home.
I’m always looking for easy and satisfying vegan snacks that both myself and my non-vegan fiancé will enjoy. These are our new favorite! They were so easy to make and the flavor is simply amazing. The problem we will have is to limit how many we eat.
:) Thanks for making them!
do you remove skin from the dates
No need!
My daughter and I love these! I especially love how simple they are to make! The dates I used were too dry to hold the mixture together so the first batch was tasty but crumbly and not a pretty bar. I added a tablespoon of water to the second batch and it was perfect.
I’m super looking forward to try these!! I just found your blog and am quite impressed thus far. I tried to find your podcast, but couldn’t. I’m just wondering though, have you tried freezing them at all? And how long would they “stay good” for in the fridge? These look perfect for my family as I head back to work as a healthy snack, so I’m curious though if I could make a ton of them and freeze them to take out or if I could keep them in the fridge and they would last a little while. Thank you!!
Good question: we updated the recipe! They stay about 1 month in the refrigerator — possibly even longer. We have not tested them frozen, but it would likely work: you may want to wrap them individually so they don’t stick together and to avoid freezer burn. Let us know if you try! Here’s a link to our podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-couple-cooks-small-bites/id1057057304
OMG!!THESE ARE DELICIOUS; JUST SHAT I BEEN PRAYING FOR .I USE WALNUTS AND THEY ARE STILL DELICIOUS I CAN’T EAT PEANUT BUT.THANK YOU AND I WILL TELL MY FRIENDS.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Just wondering if you have tried freezing them? They are delicious and thanks for sharing.
I’ve made these twice now, and I love them! The first time I did only let the dates sit in hot water for 10 minutes, and I felt like the dates didn’t blend throughout the whole mixture well (I still ate the whole batch though). The second time I was making a batch of date honey simultaneously so I just let the dates for the bars simmer on the stove for about 40 minutes. They blended perfectly this time, so I’ll stick with this method as I make them on the future. Nonetheless, I LOVE this recipe and how healthy it is!!!
I can’t believe how delicious these are!!! Followed the recipe exactly. Will definitely make them again. The salt element was so perfect, made the flavors pop! Thank you for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these and love them! The only thing I found is following the recipe my dough was too loose and crumbly. I added more dates and one egg egg replacer to bind and it worked great. Just an FYI. Thanks for the recipe though! I’ll be making them again!
These were really good! I couldn’t find Medjool dates, but used deglet nour dates that I found at Costco and they worked just fine. Like another person said in the comments, I would try adding half a cup of raw sunflower seeds next time for some additional crunch.
I made these yesterday with a few tweaks. I have 5kg Pecan Nut Dust I wanted to use in something and I used packed dates not fresh. I also didn’t add the chia seeds and in my next batch, I am gonna make the weekend I wanna add sesame seeds to the top as I roll out the dough I think that will make a nice crunchy roasted sensation… They came out marvelous and at the end, I realized I forgot the cinnamon – they are still divine! My family loved them too!
Is there anything I could use instead of dates? I don’t like dates. Too too sweet.
Sorry, dates are essential for this version.
This recipe looks amazing. I have a nut allergy and pecans are the only not that I can eat so this is especially inspiring to me. However I am allergic to dates. Do you have a good substitute for dates? I can eat raisins and cranberries would that work?
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear you have a date allergy! We haven’t tested this type of bar with other types of fruit: the Medjool dates really have the perfect consistency for this sort of thing. So unfortunately I don’t know if this is the best recipe for you! You could certainly try, but we wouldn’t be able to guarantee it would work out because the texture is key here!
Try using figs instead of the dates. Not tried it put they are kind of the same texture.
You had me at “kid approved”! I bet Zoella would gobble these up too – I need to make them ASAP!
Awww…those pics are the cutest!! I agree, homemade energy bars at the way to go. Just too much junk in them otherwise. Can’t wait to give these ones a try.
I had no idea that pecans are the only major tree nut indigenous to America! Also, Larson’s eyes get me every time. So precious.
adorable photos! great recipe too, like making these from your recipe so I know what’s in them, thank you!
They look delicious! Have loved making bliss balls so will have to give this kind of energy bar a try. Snacking is my weakness haha so good to have healthier ones around