Healthy Breakfast Bars
Ligia Lugo
Published:
October 10, 2023
Last Modified:
October 10, 2023
These healthy breakfast bars serve as an excellent source of vegan protein. With the natural sweetness of dates and cranberries and loaded with various nuts and seeds, their blend of textures and flavors makes them an excellent option.
You can control the texture and taste when you make your breakfast bars at home. I have tried a few from the grocery store and have never fallen in love with one.
Sometimes they are too hard, and sometimes they are too sweet. Expensive too!
Whether you pull up a chair or are running out the door, this vegan protein bar recipe makes easy snacks that are easy, delicious, and a pleasure to eat.
Can healthy breakfast bars be made nut-free
Yes, for sure! Any of your favorite seeds would substitute for the walnuts.
As a suggestion, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) would be a flavorful crunch.
Baker’s tips
I mentioned above to make cuts into the batter before baking. The neatest and easiest way to do this is with a dough scraper.
Now if you don’t have one of these, don’t worry.
You can use a knife, but I often like to use a dough scraper for cutting and separating dough. It’s quick and neat.
Another neat trick is laying parchment paper in the pan before pressing the mixture.
Make sure the parchment paper hangs over two of the opposite edges. This makes it super easy to remove from the pan after baking.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat pastry flour adds fiber and nutrients to the main base of these breakfast bars.
- Rolled oats give extra protein and a chewy texture.
- Coconut oil adds to the baking; you can use any oil you prefer.
- Dates are a wonderful sweetener, and they add a nice texture too.
- Dried cranberries give a sweet tart addition to the flavors.
- Dried apple is another texture that makes everything taste even healthier.
- Walnuts add protein and that mild crunch factor.
- Shelled sunflower seeds are full of protein.
- Water adds the needed liquid for this vegan protein bar recipe to bake.
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8″ x 8″ square pan.
- Mix the flour, oats, salt, and oil in a medium bowl.
- Add dates, cranberries, and dried apples.
- Add the water, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and mix well.
- Press into an 8″ x 8″ pan to fill out all the corners and make a connection with all the ingredients.
- Important:
- Score into squares before baking. By this, I mean for you to press down with something like a metal pastry board scraper to make deep marks so they are easy to cut apart after baking.
- Bake at 325° for 30 minutes.
IF FREEZING:
After they have cooled, you may freeze them in any of the methods shown in my article Preparing Food for the Freezer
They defrost quickly, so it doesn’t take any planning. The microwave will also zap them in 20 seconds or let them defrost at room temperature.
Healthy Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil – liquid form
- 1/2 cups dates – chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries – lightly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried apple – chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts – chopped
- 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Lightly oil an 8"x8" pan.
- Mix flour, oats, salt and oil in a medium bowl.
- Add dates, cranberries and dried apples.
- Add the water, walnuts, sunflower seeds and mix well.
- Press into an 8" x 8" to fill out all the corners and make a connection with all the ingredients.
- Important: Cut into squares before baking. By this I mean for you to press down with something like a metal pastry board scraper to make deep marks so that they are easy to cut apart after baking.
- Bake at 325° for 30 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
36 responses to “Healthy Breakfast Bars”
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OK, how do you not eat all of them at once? 😀 I don’t think I could manage. They look amazing!
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These bars look some much BETTER than store bought bars and like you said, you’re saving money too!
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These bars look perfect for snack time anytime! 🙂
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What can I use as a substitute for the coconut oil?
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Any oil will work Carolyn. Olive oil etc. I am just partial to coconut oil. 🙂
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These look pretty perfect! Good idea to save your money for shoes 😉
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You know it Stephanie! 🙂
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I love the combination you used. They are a great grab and go option
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No bar at the store could even come close to these! I am having a date obsession this summer! Totally going to make these for my hubby’s new office! Pinned!
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Fantastic Amanda! I am so glad you are going to make them.
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Great recipe to have, especially with school starting back soon! I love your tip about cutting the bars before baking – brilliant.
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Thanks for the compliment Lana! That means a lot to me 🙂
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ha ha ha – that gave me a good chuckle (maybe I only watch my spending with breakfast bars)! These sound wonderful, and way better than anything you could buy at the store anyway. Date and cranberry is a wonderful combo!
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You’re a sweetheart Heather! 🙂
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Being able to control the flavors and textures is why I like to make a lot of things at home too. These bars look good!
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Ginny – These bars look fantastic! (And I totally agree – I haven’t found many store bought breakfast bars that I enjoy!) Can’t wait to try these at home!
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These breakfast bars look so good! They’re perfect for busy mornings too!
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What a great way to start the day!
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I always think the same thing about breakfast bars – too hard or too sweet. I appreciate that these ones are made with ww flour and just natural sugars from the dried fruit. Perfect!
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Oh, these look good & good for you! Love anything with cranberries!
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Homemade breakfast bars are definitely a nifty way to save at the store and to avoid all the artificial and processed junk that is often found in the packaged stuff. Love all the ingredients in this recipe, especially the trio of dried fruits!
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Thanks so much Felicia! I so appreciate you. 🙂
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These look delicious. I love making this kind of breakfast bars for the days that I go to work. I will usually grab one first thing in the morning to eat while I am driving to work then have one on hand for later. I am usually running around so much that this is the kind of quick eats I tend to exist on most days. -
This looks delicious. I am always looking for new breakfast recipes. -
Oh these would do me nicely for breakfast Ginny. They look wonderful! -
I LOVE a good breakfast bar – especially with dried fruit. saving these to try soon, thanks!
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I love how good these look and as an added bonus, they are good for me! Thank you! -
Great idea to make them at home. Beside the cost, they are way too sweet for me. With all these delicious fruits, I wouldn’t put any sugar at all. -
What a great way to start the day. These are perfect for autumn! -
I love cranberries and this is an amazing way to incorporate it even more in our diet. These breakfast bars not only look mouthwatering, but are healthy too! -
I absolutely agree with you – making breakfast bars at home saves you some money and you know what you are actually eating!
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I made this to use up a ton of dates I had on hand. They are amazing!! I don’t know the exact measurement of dates I used though, maybe 1 1/2-2 cups. I just used those and 1/2 c raisins, 1/2 c pecans, and added in 1/2 T cinnamon, oh, and 1/4 c mini chocolate chips. I baked them in my toaster oven for 20 minutes. I love that there’s no added sugar. My kids love them, too. Thank you for a great recipe. 🙂-
You are so welcome Aimee and all those extra dates sound fantastic! Love your kids too! 🙂
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These bars were easy to make and I loved the different flavors in each bite. -
I don’t tolerate any oils.
Can applesauce be substituted in place of the oil??-
I haven’t made the swap so I can’t say for sure. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out.
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