If you are looking for healthy energy bars and want to learn how to make them at home, this recipe will show you how simple it is to make these no-bake energy bars with a couple of ingredients.
These homemade energy bars are incredibly easy to make at home and are perfect for after school snacks, backpacking snacks or even as a quick on the go breakfast.
Between oat energy bars, protein bars, chocolate chunk oat bars, I love making homemade healthy snacks for on the go.
If you are strapped for time and want to buy snacks, Costco has a fantastic selection of individually wrapped snacks.
How to Make Homemade Energy Bars
Step 1: Preparing the Base
Start by pitting the dates and placing them in a food processor. Blend until a sticky paste forms. This will serve as the foundation of your energy bars.
Step 2: Adding Nuts and Flavors
Incorporate your chosen nuts and flavor enhancers into the date paste. Pulse the mixture until the nuts are broken down into small pieces and are evenly distributed.
Step 3: Shaping and Setting
Transfer the mixture onto a parchment-lined tray and press it down firmly to create an even layer. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour, allowing it to firm up.
How to get the best results
Blend well
This will take anywhere between 2-4 minutes with a high speed food processor. If the mixture is still crumbly, continue processing. You'll want to process until the mixture forms a ball.
Line pan with parchment paper
This makes releasing the final bars as simple as possible.
Use gloves when shaping
Trust me and put on a pair of gloves before shaping. It'll make the process SO much easier!
Use medjool dates
Medjool dates work the best because they are naturally softer than other varieties. DO NOT soak before blending as this will result in a more wet texture.
Make sure that your dates are pitted before adding them to the food processor or this will ruin your results and potentially damage your food processor.
Place mixture in fridge after shaping
This will help firm up the bars and make it easier to cut and remove from the pan.
Cost Savings
This will obviously depend on where you purchase your ingredients and the flavor you are recreating.
To keep this as standard as possible, let's use the pricing on Amazon. Please note that all of these are purely estimates.
As an Amazon Associates Affiliate, I earn commission on certain products. Read my disclaimer policy for more details.
1.25 cup of medjool dates is ~$3.65
1 cup of raw cashews is ~$0.39
This recipe makes ~6 servings (cost would be lower if you wanted to divide the bars into smaller pieces.
Each bar would cost ~$0.68 to make at home.
So, is it worth it to make energy bars at home?
If you want a fun weekend project that could incorporate your children into the kitchen, these are worth trying. But, if you have limited time and resources, the store-bought bars are better suited for your needs.
While it does take extra time to prepare, the food processor is really what is doing the heavy lifting in this recipe.
You don't even need to shape them into bars if you didn't have time to. This mixture would also work great for energy balls.
Storage
Place parchment paper in between bars to prevent sticking.
Place into ziplock bag on air tight container. Place in fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Watch this sneak preview of the recipe
15 Variations based on Popular Larabar ingredients
This recipe is based on my favorite healthy energy bars: Larabars.
After analyzing the ingredients of almost all the flavors, here is my take on flavors for your own homemade energy bars based on the most popular Larabar flavors.
All of the recipes use the method above.
Note: Use Medjool dates for all flavors. Ideally use dried fruit with no added sugar.
Carrot Cake: 1 cup pitted dates, ½ cup almonds, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup dried pineapple, ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup freeze dried carrots (carrot chips), 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil
Lemon Bar: 1 cup pitted dates, ½ cup cashews, ½ cup almond, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Coconut Cream Pie: 1 cup pitted dates, ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup cashews, ¼ cup almonds
Pineapple Upside Down Cake: 1 cup pitted dates, ½ cup almonds, ½ cup dried pineapple
Blueberry Muffin: 1 cup cashews, 1 cup pitted dates, ¼ cup dried apples, ¼ cup dried blueberries, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Pie: 1 cup pitted dates, ½ cup pecans, ½ cup almonds
Cherry Pie: 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup almonds, ½ cup unsweetened dried cherries
Apple Pie: 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup almonds, ¼ cup unsweetened dried apples, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cup raisin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peanut Chocolate Chip: 1 cup pitted dates, ½ cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, pinch of sea salt
Peanut Butter Cookie: 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, Pinch of sea salt
Almond Cookie: 1 cup almonds, 1 cup pitted dates, ¼ cup dried apples, Pinch of sea salt, ½ teaspoon almond extract
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip: 1 cup almonds, 1 cup pitted dates, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup dried apples, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Pinch of sea salt
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: 1 cup cashews, 1 cup pitted dates, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup dried apples, Pinch of sea salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Banana Chocolate Chip: 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup almonds, ¼ cup unsweetened banana chips, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Double Chocolate Truffle: 1 cup pitted dates, 1 cup cashews, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, pinch of sea salt
What pan should I use to shape these bars?
I used a 9x5 loaf pan which helped with making them into nicely shaped bars to make 4 servings, but feel free to use any glass or metal pan you have, even tupperware!
Homemade 2-Ingredient Energy Bar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups pitted medjool dates
- 1 cup raw cashews
Instructions
- Place ingredients into high speed food processor. Blend on high for 2-5 minutes until mixture forms a ball
- Line glass or aluminum tray with parchment paper
- Using your hands (gloves to make things easier), form and shape bars
- Place bars in fridge for 30 minutes to allow mixture to firm up
- Cut into individual servings
Nutrition
These bars are so healthy, they can be eaten at any time of day. If you love healthy sweets, you'll love these recipes.
More Homemade Convenient Snacks
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- Easy Strawberry Protein Bars RECIPE (Healthy, Gluten-Free)
- Easy 5-Ingredient Orange Oat Bars RECIPE (Healthy, Vegan)
- Collagen Protein Bar Recipe (Gluten-Free, Healthy)
- Healthy Snickers Bar Inspired Recipe (Date-Sweetened, Vegan)
- Easy and Healthy Homemade Granola RECIPE (4-ingredients)
- Best Individually Wrapped Snacks At Costco 2023 (Healthy)
- Healthy Heavenly Hunks Oatmeal Dark Chocolate RECIPE
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