Fruit Seed & Nut Bars (Grain-free, High Protein)

Make a batch of these grain-free, vegan, fruit seed & nut energy bars in no time, with no added sugar or fillers! They are gluten-free and Paleo, too.

Energy bars made without grains, oil, or added sugar? Yes, please!

These fruit seed & nut bars are a breeze to make and are packed with energizing nutrition to empower all of your activities (work, home, the gym).

Recipe Benefits

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Paleo
• Grain-free
• No added sugar
• Gluten-free
• Oil-free
• Straightforward to make
• High protein (7 grams per bar)
• High fiber (3.5 grams per bar)

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

The energy in these fruit seed & nut bars comes from real food: no fillers, no additives, nothing weird or un-pronounceable. Instead, they are limited to seeds, nuts, and fruit.

Here’s what you will need to make these. You can change out the dried fruits, nuts and seeds according to what you have on hand!

• 1 cup whole raw almonds with skins
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dates
• 1/2 cup prunes
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup pepitas (raw green pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment or foil.
2. Place the almonds, apricots, dates, and prunes in a food processor; pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add orange juice and salt; pulse until mixture starts to stick together.
3. Add pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, pulsing a few times just to incorporate.
4. Scoop mixture into prepared pan. Using a large square of wax paper or plastic wrap, evenly press mixture into pan, using your palms to flatten.
5. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.. Use ends of foil to lift bars from pan. Cut into 8 bars.

What Do the Bars Taste Like?

Although similar in texture to LARA bars (soft), these bars have more crunch due to the greater proportion of nuts and seeds relative to fruit. You can vary the dried fruits to your heart’s content, but I recommend keeping the dates as they work so well to hold everything together.

A nourishing bonus: the sweetness in the bars comes naturally (dried fruit and orange juice), so no post-nibble sugar-rush, only energy and satisfaction. Take that, store-bought energy bars!

I am confident you will love them as much as I do.

I’ll be up and running around the kitchen later, so more deliciousness to come. Stay tuned!

Isn’t real food pretty?

Storage for the Fruit Seed & Nut Bars

Wrap the bars in wax paper or parchment paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or the freezer for 3 months.

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