No bake Date Bars are made using wholesome, nutritious ingredients and are amazingly healthy. They are raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and require only 5 minutes of prep time.
Homemade healthy date bars aka nut bars aka healthy snack bars are easily made in a food processor with nuts, dates, coconut oil and cocoa powder.
They taste better than any store bought packaged health bars and keeps well in the refrigerator for a guilt-free treat anytime like the almond butter balls or no bake oatmeal balls.
Made with just 4 pantry ingredients, these raw date bars are vegan, gluten free, dairy free like all coconut oil recipes and makes an ideal no bake snack.
If you are looking for something sweet for snacking or an after dinner treat like the healthy almond flour cookie dough, but without ruining your diet, then these healthy chocolate bars or date bars are your best friend. They make great healthy after school snack for kids.
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Why you'll like it?
- Just grind, shape, chill and slice!
- Raw, no bake recipe.
- Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and peanut-free.
- Not overly sweet.
- Healthy and satisfying.
- Tastes amazing.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Dates - I used soft 18 large pitted Medjool dates. It was 9.5 ounces by weight (without seeds) or slightly more than 1 and ½ cups when measured.
- Nuts - A mix of whole almonds, cashews and shredded sweetened coconut.
- Cocoa powder - As with all cocoa powder recipes, dutch process cocoa powder helps to balance the sweetness in the date bars.
If love using dates in cooking, then check out my collection of date recipes for inspiration.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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Step 5 - Shape date bars dough into parchment lined loaf pan, making sure to press well using the bottom of a measuring cup or flat bottomed glass. Chill until firm.
How to store?
Refrigerate cut date bars in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Sometimes I like to wrap individual bars in parchment paper for easy storage or gift giving. Date bars can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Helpful Tips
- Don't grind nuts into a fine powder - Make sure to grind the nuts coarsely. The date bars looks and tastes better with the crunchy texture.
- Grind dates smooth paste - Process dates and coconut oil into a smooth paste.
- Coconut - I used sweetened shredded coconut but feel free to use unsweetened variety.
- Make a small batch - Cut date bars recipe in half to make a small batch.
- Store in refrigerator - Store in the refrigerator and eat cold.
More healthy recipes using dates
Date Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw almonds
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 18 large medjool dates, pitted (9.5 ounces by weight without pits) (refer notes to use smaller noor dates)
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted until lukewarm
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions
- Add almonds, cashews and coconut into a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Make sure not to make into a powder. Transfer ground mixture into a bowl.
- Into the now empty food processor, add dates without pits and coconut oil. Process until it is finely ground and forms into one mass.
- Scrape sides, add ground nut mixture and cocoa powder. Process for a few seconds until it is combined, making sure not to process too much.
- Line a large loaf pan or any flat bottomed pan with parchment paper (making sure that the parchment comes up the sides for easy lifting later). Transfer the ground mixture into the pan, spread evenly and pack very well using the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass.
- Place pan in the refrigerator overnight to firm up.
- To cut bars - Holding both ends of parchment, lift bars onto a cutting board and cut into 12 bars (or small bite sized squares). Transfer into a container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Eat them cold. They tend to soften if left at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I love that this is only 5 ingredients and a healthier alternative to other snacks! I can't believe the kids are already back in school! This summer flew by! These bars look so yummy Maria!
Patrick@looneyforfood.com
I’m in denial over summer ending so I’ll pretend I didn’t read that lol. But I’ll take these bars anyway! Love the low ingredient list
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
these look so tasty! i get free snacks at work but they're pretty unhealthy so i'll have to whip a batch up and keep it for the week (:
Theresa Byrne
Easy to make and delicious! I will see if my seven and four year old agree…fingers crossed but they are yummy.
Have you tried freezing these?
Thanks for a great recipe
Maria Doss
Hi Theresa,
Glad you loved these bars. They freeze great - thaw at room temperature before eating, Maria
Jeannette Shields
I know I will probably like these, but I don’t know if my daughter will. She says coconut upsets her stomach. What can I use as a substitute OR will you not taste it once it’s been “ground” (or “grinded”-I’m not sure of the right word!!) Thank you for the recipe!
Maria Doss
Hi Jeannette, You can easily make these date bars without the coconut if you prefer. Hope that helps!