These healthy and delicious vegan peanut butter and jelly energy bars are perfect for snacking, vegan, gluten free, and made with natural sweetness!
If you’ve got an extra 10 minute this gorgeous Sunday, I’ve got a plan for you!
Grab your food processor and whip up a batch of these Vegan PB & J Energy Bars. They are perfect for a breakfast on-the-go or a healthy snack to have during the week. Plus, they are way cheaper than store-bought energy bars which can easily run you $3 each.
My favourite thing about homemade energy bars, balls, or bites, is that they are unbelievably easy to make and even easier to take to work during the week for an afternoon pick-me-up, give to the kiddies for an after-school snack, or to enjoy for naturally energizing pre-workout option!
Using only 5 whole-food ingredients these bars truly replicate the mouthwatering flavours of a classic peanut butter and jam sandwich… just a single bite brings back memories of being a kid as PB & J was one of my absolute favourites.
Unfortunately the PB & J combo I enjoyed so much as a kid, was not always the healthiest one. From what I remember, those sandwiches were made with hydrogenated sweetened peanut butter and sugar-laden jam on top of two slices of glistening white “roll-it-into-a-ball” (wonder)bread.
Whole-foods present = zilch, nada, nil, zero.. you get the point.
So, to put a good NITK twist on things, I made sure that these energy bars pack a nutritional punch but still taste like a deliciousPB & J sandwich.
These bars are high in fibre at 7g per bar, provide a little dose protein, natural sweetness from the dates for quick releasing energy, and a nice boost of antioxidants! The big bonus… they only take 10 minutes to make, and a 30-minute wait as they sit in the freezer to set.
Are you a PB & J fan? How do you enjoy this delicious flavour combination in a healthier way? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
- 1¾ cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, then drained)
- ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries (or naturally sweetened if you can't find unsweetened)
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup whole blanched peanuts
- ½ cup gluten free quick oats
- Soak the dates in warm water for 15 minutes, and drain.
- Place dates, dried cranberries, peanuts, peanut butter, and oats in a food processor and blend until combined well.
- Scoop mixture into a square baking pan, and firmly press down to make an even layer.
- Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set, then cut into 8 rectangle bars.
- Store in the freezer or fridge.
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Christal // Nutrition in the Kitch
Has anyone every tried putting additional protein in these? I only have vanilla and don’t want to ruin the whole recipe….
Hey Wayne, What you can do is make the mixture as the recipes instructs, then add in 1 scoop of protein powder and blend. Taste and see what you think. If you want to add more, try a little more and be sure to add about 1 tablespoon of liquid (water, almond milk) along with it to add that moisture.
I am going to try these with almond butter and almonds. Have you made this variation?
No I haven’t, but I can bet it will be pretty delicious!!
I can’t believe these only contain 5 ingredients! They look just like those store-bought bars that contain twelve ingredients or even more, except so much more vibrant and tastier! I love peanut butter and jelly together–ALWAYS.
Thanks girl! I know – I love simple, and simple also means easy, quick, and effortless! PB & J = match made in heaven! 🙂
Yeah I was the same back in the day with PB and J. I ate it just about everyday for lunch when I was younger. I’ve come a long way from that point now eating much more cleanly but always love the pb and J combo.
Haha oh my the wonder bread sandwiches, they were classic, but ugh – not so good for us that’s for sure!
These are my go-hike bars to have as a snack or on the hiking trail. I just keep them in the freezer, and my nine-year-old son and I eat them up!
Glad to hear it Amanda! 🙂
So that’s the problem. I used Medjool dates and soaked them. You should really mention that Medjools are the exception. My bars are so soft they won’t act like bars, more like bendy rubber. They are too soft to put in lunches, etc and I just wasted £15 worth of ingredients.
I don’t understand what you mean by Medjools being the exception? Have you put the bars in the freezer?
Improvise – if they’re too wet, then add some dry ingredients (more oats, desiccated coconut, cocao powder, etc) or put them in a low-temp oven for a while (e.g. 130C for 25 mins, then turn off and leave to dehydrate)…