No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars (Nut-Free!)

No-bake chewy granola bars that are nut-free, gluten-free, fruit-sweetened and vegan! These bars are packed with seeds, including sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and hemp hearts. They’re high in fiber, healthy fats and contain a good dose of plant-based protein. Enjoy them for a quick snack at home or on the go!

This recipe was originally posted in 2016 and has been updated with new photography and extra details to help you make the bars as good as possible.

These granola bars are made with just a few simple steps. No baking necessary! They travel well, making them perfect for road trips, picnics or snacks at work or school. They’re packed with seeds, which adds a crunch and a good dose of healthy fats, fiber and plant-based protein.

How to Make Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

First, blend Medjool dates, sunflower seed butter and vanilla together in a food processor. Add the oats and bend it all together until you get a crumbly mixture that sticks together when pressed.

Next, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the seeds. This recipe uses sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds. Mix it all together and press it at the bottom of a dish. Drizzle with chocolate and you’re done!

Notes on the Recipe:

If your dates are dry, add one tablespoon or more of water while processing the dates, sunflower seed butter and vanilla.
If needed, you can replace the sunflower seeds with more pumpkin seeds and vice versa.
You can try to substitute the sunflower seed butter with other nut or seed butter if desired. That being said, this recipe has only been tested with sunflower seed butter.

More No-Bake Granola Bar Recipes

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars (Nut-Free)

No-bake chewy granola bars that are nut-free, gluten-free, fruit-sweetened and vegan! These bars are packed with seeds, including sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and hemp hearts. They're high in fiber, healthy fats and contain a good dose of plant-based protein. Enjoy them for a quick snack at home or on the go!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings 14

Ingredients

2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds, ground
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2-3 tablespoons chocolate, for drizzling (optional)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)

Instructions

Line a 9×9 inch dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend the dates, vanilla and sunflower seed butter until combined.
Add the oats and process until it makes a crumbly mixture (about 30 seconds). The mixture should stick together when pressed.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the flax seeds, hemps hearts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds. Mix it all together. You may need to use your hands to mix it well as the mixture should be thick, but it should stick together when pressed. If it doesn't stick at this stage, you can add more sunflower seed butter as needed.
Press the mixture evenly to the bottom of the prepared dish.
Melt your chocolate with the coconut oil. You can melt it in a small bowl in the microwave for about one minute. Drizzle on top of the bars.
Store in the fridge or freezer, covered.

Notes

If your dates are dry, add one tablespoon or more of water while processing the dates, sunflower seed butter and vanilla.

If needed, you can replace the sunflower seeds with more pumpkin seeds and vice versa.

If you make these chewy no-bake granola bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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View Comments

Guy says:

2016-09-04 at 3:54 pm

I love the name "Unsweetened Caroline". It's quite clever, a funny play on Neil Diamond's song "Sweet Caroline"! I don't know where you find all the time and energy you put into your creations, it is most definitely something you love. I enjoy all your posts, but must admit (sadly) that I will be busy during the school season and may not be able to follow you as much as I would like. Keep up the great work Caroline!
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2016-09-07 at 7:25 pm
  
  Thank you! Hopefully you'll find a bit of time to read during the school year. ;)
Sarah says:

2019-03-19 at 7:46 am

Hello Caroline!
what could I use to make this oat-free.?

thanks,
Sarah
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-03-22 at 7:58 am
  
  Hi Sarah, sorry for the late reply! You could try using additional seeds or maybe nuts like cashews. If you blend the additional nuts or seeds with the dates first, then stir in the other seeds after, it should work. I would maybe start with a little less than the amount written for oats. Hope this helps!
Batia says:

2019-05-29 at 11:06 am

Hi Caroline,

I love your recipes, keep up the good work!

I am wondering if there is a way to convert these bars to granola?

Thank you in advance,
Batia
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-05-30 at 3:40 pm
  
  Hi Batia, thank you so much! I'm happy you love the recipes. As for making this a granola, I think it would work well for a raw granola. I would prepare it following the recipe and just leave it as a crumble instead of making them into bars. I'm not sure how they would end up baked (you could try it!). I'm thinking it would be a bit dry. If you want a date-sweetened granola, you can find my date-sweetened nut-free granola on the blog. Hope this helps!
Rachael says:

2021-07-06 at 11:47 am

Hi there! Looks yummy! Could you add nutrition info to your recipes? It would be so helpful!

Thanks so much!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2021-07-09 at 12:20 pm
  
  Hi Rachael, I do try to create nutritious recipes, without focusing on numbers, such as calories. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but it might change in the future! I do want to make my posts as helpful as possible, while realizing my limits as a one person business. Thank you for the feedback!
  - Rachael says:
    
    2021-07-09 at 12:57 pm
    
    Hi there! Thanks for the reply. I totally get that, and I don't focus on things like calories either. But I'm pregnant and tyring to avoid gestational diabetes, so knowing carbs is super helpful to me. I just won't make a recipe if I can't get that info, and I'd love to make more of yours!
    
    And, especially when something is described as high in healthy fats, fiber, and protein, I like to know more specifics so I can determine if that's true for me.
    
    Thanks Caroline!
    - Nourished by Caroline says:
      
      2021-07-12 at 7:19 am
      
      Hi Racheal, I completely understand and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. As a dietitian, I do know which ingredients will add fiber, healthy fats, protein, etc. to my recipes. If I want to calculate specific nutrients for a recipes (especially if I want to share that it's high in protein or fiber for example), I use USDA nutrient database or even My Fitness Pal for those nutrients. While I don't encourage counting calories or macronutrients for most people, I completely understand that knowing carbohydrate amounts is important in some cases. If you're interested in making a recipe, a quick way to calculate the nutrients is to upload a recipe directly in the My Fitness Pal app. It might not be perfect, but it can work for quick information.
      
      Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience and it might change in the future. I hope you'll find many other recipes out there that can help.
  - Aygirl32 says:
    
    2021-09-01 at 7:06 pm
    
    How long do these last?
    - Nourished by Caroline says:
      
      2021-09-07 at 9:01 am
      
      You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you want them to last longer, I would recommend keeping them in the freezer. They can be eaten straight from the freezer thanks to the dates. :)
Sumit Singh says:

2021-08-02 at 5:16 am

Nice article, Caroline. Thank you very much for the recipe of No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars (Nut-Free). These bars are not only tasty but also healthy. The recipe is simple to understand.

Thank you very much for the article. Please keep sharing such information in the future too.
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2021-08-03 at 9:45 am
  
  Thank you so much! I'm happy you love the recipe. :)
Catherine says:

2024-04-21 at 2:28 am

A delicious healthy treat! Love the crunch with the add-ins. :)
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2024-05-13 at 9:12 am
  
  Thank you so much Catherine! :)