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You are here: Home / Recipes / Easy Energy Bar Recipe

December 3, 2021

Easy Energy Bar Recipe

This easy energy bar recipe is filled with healthy whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Even better, no cooking required! Jump to recipe at the bottom.

Easy Energy Bar Recipe with dish of chia seeds and spoon of almond butter this !

Easy Energy Bar Recipe

There has to be hundreds of bars on the grocery store shelves these days. Sure, the packaged ones can be convenient, but let me tell you how delicious these homemade energy bars are!

Best of all: this healthy snack only takes about 15 minutes to make. And they are no bake energy bars to boot!

Making energy bars at home is easier than you think. All it takes is a few pantry staples and some (mostly hands-off) time.

With notes of honey and almond butter as the “glue,” these are melt-in-your-mouth good with a bit of a crunch. Specks of sea salt make all the difference!!

This energy bar recipe doesn’t even need a food processor or time in the oven – just press the mixture into an 8-inch baking dish and chill for an hour and you have healthy granola bars whenever you need one. 

As a bonus, you get full control over what goes in and you can skip the excess sugar and preservatives. 

How to Make Energy Bars

Ingredients

These bars really pack in the nutrition. Here are the staples you’ll need to make these super easy energy bars:

  • rolled oats make up the base of this bar, and add both soluble fiber and complex carbs
  • walnuts & almonds for the nuts. I love the crunch!
  • pumpkin seeds & chia seeds, which are rich in magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids
  • almond butter & honey to hold everything together. It’s important to choose a “drippy” almond butter and not the no-stir variety. This flavor combination is the best!
  • vanilla & salt for added flavor

ingredients for easy energy bars

Ingredient swaps

  • You can sub in other nut butters like peanut butter or cashew butter, or even sunflower butter for a nut-free option. Just make sure you use a “drippy” one. 
  • Sub chia seeds for flax seeds.
  • Sub in sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds.
  • Swap almonds for salty peanuts or your favorite type of nut or dried fruit.
  • Make them gluten-free with gluten-free oats.
  • Swap in dried fruit like dried cranberries, chocolate chips, or coconut.
  • Try to keep proportions similar to keep the bars held together. 
Step 1: Toast the oats and mix the dry ingredients

This step is optional of course, but I like to toast the oats in a dry skillet until fragrant.

Then add the toasted oats, nuts, seeds, and salt to a big bowl and mix to make sure everything is well incorporated.

This way everything will be evenly distributed when you add in the sticky ingredients.

toast the oats

Step 2: Heat the wet ingredients in a saucepan

Heating the almond butter and honey will make it more viscous and easier to stir. Heat until they just start to bubble and then remove from heat. 

Step 3: Mix the rest of the ingredients together in the saucepan

Simply add the dry ingredients, including any dried fruit, nuts, or alternative toppings, right into the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to really work it all together. (Clean hands work too!)

This step will take a few minutes, but keep going until the mixture is evenly coated and slightly sticky.

healthy energy bars healthy energy bars recipe

Step 4: Press into a pan

Press the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Important: really push it in there!

After using the back of your spoon or a bar roller, wet your hands and really press the nuts together in there.

This step is key for getting the bars to stay together once cut. 

Step 5: Chill in the refrigerator

The one hour chill time allows the almond butter and honey to solidify, giving you an easy, mess-free cut. 

Easy Energy Bar Recipe

Step 6: Cut and serve!

Be sure to cut them with your sharpest knife as soon as you pull them out of the fridge.

Don’t let them come to room temperature first, because they get more crumbly as they warm up.

how to make easy energy bars

Energy Bar FAQs

Can I use a different type of nut butter?

Sure! As long as the nut butter is the drippy style, any variety should work.

Use peanut butter for a more classic flavor or sunflower seed butter if you have a nut allergy. 

Can I use a different liquid sweetener?

I wouldn’t recommend it. Maple syrup is a lot thinner than honey, and not quite as sticky. I think this is key to holding these energy bars together. 

Do I have to store these in the fridge after they’re cut?

I recommend storing them in the fridge to keep their shape. At room temp they are more likely to crumble as the nut butter glue softens, but you can absolutely pack and enjoy them on the go.  

homemade energy bars recipe

To make these “grab-and-go” style, wrap them up in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for easy and healthy snacking.!

Other healthy snack ideas:

  • Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
  • Super Oatmeal Cookies
  • Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal Muffins

My Wellness Program

If you’re interested in learning more about an intuitive eating approach to wellness, check out my wellness program, Bloom. You’ll get 6 weeks of lessons on mindful eating, preparing balanced meals, nutrition foundations, and finding exercise you love. All for just $67!


easy energy bars with chia seeds, almond butter and pumpkin seeds
Print Pin
5 from 4 votes

Easy Energy Bars

These easy energy bars are filled with healthy whole grains, nuts and seeds. No cooking required!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword gluten free, healthy snacks, no cook, oats
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Refrigeration Time 1 hour hour
Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings 10 bars
Calories 288kcal

Ingredients

Granola Bars

  • 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup slivered almonds
  • 3 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup almond butter see notes
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Line an 8x8” pan with parchment paper.
  • Toast oats in a dry skillet for 8-10 minutes (until fragrant). Mix with nuts and seeds in a large bowl.
  • Meanwhile heat a saucepan over medium and add honey and almond butter. Once the mixture starts bubbling slightly, remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Add in the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The mixture may look dry at first but continue to press everything together with a wood spoon or spatula. Add a spoonful of almond butter if your mixture looks too dry.
  • Press the mixture firmly into the parchment lined pan (this is key to sticking together!). Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
  • Cut into bars.

Notes

  • There are so many types of nut butter on the market these days! I use and recommend the 365 brand almond butter that is "drippy" and requires stirring. If you use one that is too thick, your bars might not hold together. 
  • Be sure to push firmly into the pan and allow the bars to chill for the full hour. Do not let them come back to room temperature before cutting.

Photos by Leanne Ray at Healthyish Appetite

Filed Under: Recipes

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Comments

  1. Kori Daniel says

    December 3, 2021 at 7:09 am

    I can’t wait to make these this evening!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      December 3, 2021 at 9:26 am

      They are so good!!

      Reply
  2. Kori Daniel says

    December 6, 2021 at 9:48 am

    5 stars
    My bars did not stay together, BUT they are amazing!! I used sprouted oats that I think are just too thick. But I am currently enjoying a serving with yogurt, and it’s phenomenal. We got eight servings out of the recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      December 6, 2021 at 11:33 am

      You have to push together extra extra hard and keep them chilled!!

      Reply
      • Kori Daniel says

        December 6, 2021 at 12:02 pm

        I will for sure next time! They are truly divine, though. As Bob Ross would say, “a happy mistake” because they still are incredible!

        Reply
        • Kath Younger says

          December 6, 2021 at 1:01 pm

          haha! I’m glad you love the flavor!

          Reply
  3. Kelly says

    December 6, 2021 at 3:14 pm

    5 stars
    These are really good and my whole family loves them (toddler included!). I turned mine into “granola cereal” with oat milk this morning and it was so much better than my typical store-bought granola (and kept me full way longer). Thank you!

    Reply
  4. ANNE SANTORA says

    June 19, 2022 at 10:52 am

    How long can you store these in the fridge? Can you freeze they plastic-wrapped bars?

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      June 19, 2022 at 7:48 pm

      I’d say up to a week in the fridge, and definitely freeze in plastic wrap!

      Reply
  5. Gabriel says

    July 22, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    Would instant oats work? I have both in my pantry, but I need those rolled oats for my breakfast overnight oats, haha 🙂 Can’t wait to try them either way!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      July 23, 2022 at 6:59 am

      Yes I believe so. You might need to account for them absorbing the wet ingredients at a faster rate.

      Reply
  6. Jeff Russell says

    May 14, 2023 at 7:49 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! Love these. Way better tasting and less crumbly than some leading brands! Plus there’s the satisfaction of knowing what went into them.

    Reply
  7. Mae says

    August 31, 2024 at 1:42 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds like a great way to get all our dally nuts and seeds. Wondering if i can use coconut oil instead of peanut butter. I want to grind up a bunch more nuts and seeds and use the coconut oil and honey as a base instead. It would also be great if i didn’t have to heat the honey. Want all the nutrition from the local farmer’s raw honey.
    Is this wishful thinking?

    Reply
  8. Mary Stavropulos says

    May 19, 2025 at 5:09 pm

    How much protein per bar?? Nutritional stats ?

    Reply

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