This recipe is supported by Teami Blends
So what does it take to make the ultimate homemade energy bar?
They need to be packed with protein and contain tons of nutrition, but most of all…they should be delicious, right?
Well…we think we might have mastered just that! These bars are a real winner.
The apricots and maple syrup help glue all the ingredients together, while bringing a lovely sweetness to the bars.
And the combination of raisins, seeds, berries and nuts packs tons of interesting flavours into each bite.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Make sure you blend the apricots into a thick paste. If you’re struggling to reach the correct consistency, add a splash more water.
- Leave the bars to cool fully before slicing them, otherwise they might crumble!
- Press down as much as possible on the mixture in the tin, which will help compact the ingredients so the bars don’t fall apart.
Homemade Energy Bars
| Servings: 10 bars |
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Ingredients
- 85g / 3oz oats
- 85g / 3oz pumpkin seeds
- 150g / 5.3oz almonds
- 80g / 2.8oz raw buckwheat groats
- 70g / 2.5oz raisins
- 70g / 2.5oz dried cranberries
- 170g / 6oz soft dried apricots
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 4 tbsp water
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F fan-assisted and line a 7” x 7” square tin with greaseproof paper
- Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Spread the oats, pumpkin seeds and almonds evenly across the tray, then roast for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the apricots, maple syrup and water in a blender and blend into a smooth paste. Note: if you are struggling to blend the ingredients add an extra splash of water. Then transfer the apricot mixture to a mixing bowl, along with the buckwheat groats, raisins and cranberries.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the oats, pumpkin seeds and almonds to the large mixing bowl and give everything a good mix. Leave the oven turned on.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined tin. Smooth over the top using a piece of greaseproof paper, pushing the mixture down as you go to make sure its compact (this will prevent the bars falling apart when you slice them later on). Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool completely. Note: the energy bars might crumble if you try to slice them before they have cooled completely.
- Take the mixture out of the tin and slice into 10 energy bars.
122 comments
To good loved it
Mine did not stay firm. They are crumbly. Is there something I can do to harden them?
do you need to soak the groats first! They are really hard!!
Love the recipe, is there a way to use something other than the groats? I don’t have any in the house, but I have everything else here to make this now! 🙂
I would just add more of another grain or oats.
Any chance I could get the nutrition list. How many calories and carbs per bar
Or toasted quinoa would have the same texture
I used sprouted quinoa (dry from the bag ) and it was tasty!
Hey Roberta we haven’t tested this recipe with other ingredients, so we’d recommend using more of the oats or almonds! Hope that helps, Roxy (So Vegan)
What can I substitute for the almonds (nuts) so that my kids can take it to school?
You could add more pepitas or shredded coconut.
I am going to try it with amaranth.
Did them with amaranth and came out great!!!
Love this idea! I added some chia seeds and hemp hearts to them and that was good too! The recipe can be very flexible!
Thanks Victor! Roxy (So Vegan)
I made these successfully using sunflower seeds instead of groats. : )
I will be making these for my ravenous 19 year old nice and nutritious.
I need more recipies for energy bars please!!!
Watch this space! Roxy (So Vegan)
What can I use as a substitute to buckwheat groats ?
Buckwheat Groats can be found in the kosher section. They are called Kasha. It is not wheat but a berry. There is no gluten.
Kasha is the toasted version of buckwheat, you can use it (it’s not raw), and it has a stronger flavor.
Can these be made without the oats? Any ideas of what I could use instead as it is not so easy to find snack bars that are not oat based and have been searching?
Quinoa?
Can these be frozen?
Do you have nutritional information to share on these amazing bars? I’d like to know how many calories. Thank you.
I would also like to know the nutritional value. Did I read that these are sugar free? Isn’t maple syrup considered a sugar?
And it seems to be a lot of sugar with the range of dried fruits
Yum! Just made these, it was hard to wait for them to cool. They smelled like heaven. They taste wonderful too, perfect texture. I had to substitute Farro for Groats, but the internets says they are very similar.
Amazing, thanks for letting us know! We haven’t used farro in an energy bar recipe before, but we’ll give this a go, thanks for the tip. Roxy (So Vegan)
They look delicious. Do you think I could substitute dates for apricots? I have a bunch I’m trying to use up. Thanks.
Hi Sheila, we haven’t tried using dates instead but someone else has mentiond they have done it and it worked fine. Let us know how it goes. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Could I substitute honey for the maple syrup? And I will be using toasted quinoa instead of groats because I have it on hand. Thanks.
These tasted great, but fell apart as soon as I cut into them. What did I do wrong?
Hi Eowyn. Did you press down as firmly as possible to compact the mixture together before baking? This will prevent the bars from crumbling when you slice them into bars. Hope that helps! Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
I pressed mine down good but they still fell apart. I baked them another 10 minutes and that helped but still fell apart some. They sticky too but has a great taste. How did you store them.
I made these but they didn’t turn out quite like the picture. They didn’t stick together in a bar they are very crumbly and fall apart. Taste is awesome. What might i have done wrong that they didn’t end up in a bar form?
Hey Linda. Did you preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius? This is roughly 350 degrees fahrenheit. If the oven isn’t hot enough, the mixture will crumble when you slice it into bars. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Maybe you needed to compress them more before baking ,and I would do it after baking if it was on ongoing problem
Thanks, I’ll try that next time.
It’s really important you press down as firmly as possible before you bake the mixture. This will prevent the bars from crumbling when you slice them into bars. Hope that helps! Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
se ven buenisimas las barritas de cereales
Looks delicious. It Is there a per serving calorie count or nutrition list for this recipe?
Hi! I made the bars this afternoon and they are simply delicious! ! However by necessity I had to change a few ingredient.. .. I used spelt instead of buckwheat (couldn’t find any and we don’t have a health shop ) and honey instead of maple syrup! They taste really great! I’ve been looking for a good energy bar recipe for quite a while now and this one really has a lot in it. Thank you very much!
Amazing, really glad you enjoyed them! We don’t eat honey but we like the idea of using spelt, thanks for the tip! Roxy (So Vegan)
So the honey was ok? Maple syrup is super expensive in South Africa.
Are the buckwheat groats presoaked or uncooked and raw? You use sulfured apricots which are soft. If the apricots are untreated and dried, should I presoak them to make them soft before adding them to the recipe?
Thank you!
i was after the same reply.
Hey Sam. Yes we would recommend soaking them. It’s important the apricot and maple syrup mixture is smooth so it helps everything stick together when you combine all the ingredients. Thanks and enjoy! Roxy (So Vegan)
Oh, and the buckwheat groats are raw! Roxy (So Vegan)
Don’t like using maple syrup Is there a healthy substitute
Hey Brenda you could try without and replacing it with more apricots, but we haven’t tried this ourselves. It’s important you have enough of the dried apricot mixture to help all the ingredients combine together. Hope that helps, Roxy (So Vegan)
Failure. After they cooled I tried to cut into bars, but they just crumbled.
Hey Judith. Did you press down as firmly as possible to compact the mixture together before baking? This will prevent the bars from crumbling when you slice them into bars. Hope that helps! Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
I had dried cherries instead of apricots. No raisins so sunflower seeds. You can really do alot with this recipe.
Hi Mindy, this sounds great! Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe 🙂 Roxy (So Vegan)
Hi, what can you substitute for the apricots? I have IBS and am on a low FODMAP diet so can’t use apricots. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Hey Debbie, others have tried using dried cherries, which have worked though we haven’t tried this ourselves. Hope that helps! Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Generally, how long will these last (say you are going on a 3 day hike)?
Hi Diane, I’d say they last around a week. I’ve been eating them for over a week now though and they still taste great 🙂 Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
What I do the nutritional details per serve?
Could you use agave instead of the maple syrup?
Though well compressed, as per several others’ experiences, mine fell apart after baking /cooling. Very disappointed. I tried also compression after cooling, and rebaked them also. I think they need some other binding ingredient, personally.
Hi Mo F, sorry to hear they are falling apart for you. After blending the soft dried apricots, maple syrup, and water together they should form a paste that acts as the binder. This is what holds everything together. Maybe you need to use a few more apricots? Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Hello! I made these a few hours ago and they taste DELICIOUS! I am kind of surprised they taste this good. I actually substituted the apricots for dates because I only had those and the flavor is just great. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Delfina, thanks so much for getting in touch. So glad you are enjoying the energy bars as much as we are 🙂 Take care, Roxy (So Vegan)
As others have asked, is there a nutritional value for these? Would love to know what the values are…
Why do you answer every person who says they crumbled but ignore everyone asking for the nutritional information? That information is needed by many for various dietary requirements.
Maybe cuz there might be about 200 calories in one bar. My other recipe has that many and others have more but they taste great.
Hey Bonnie. We don’t currently provide nutritional information for our recipes but we are looking into it and we’ll update all our previous recipes as soon as we can. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Great Answer Roxy :), For individuals who want to have a calorie count you may want to look it up yourself, I have posted recipes prior and people complain about everything. If you want the calorie count so bad look it up. Roxy, thanks for the great recipe.
I agree!!! I’m scrolling through looking for the answer!
I don’t think that anyone who posts a recipe is responsible for providing any nutritional information – if readers wish to work it out for themselves it’s up to them. It’s kind that people make and share their recipes with us for free. Most cookbooks are not free and still do not provide nutritional information.
Thanks Roxy for a delicious recipe that did not crumble when I made it, tastes good, and I hope you post many more!
It’s really easy to put the info in an app like Myfitnesspal and it’ll create the nutritional info for you. Hope that helps.
I see that they will only last for a week. I was hoping they will last longer if kept in the fridge. What do you think?
Hi Arina, they should keep for over a week in the fridge 🙂 Best, Roxy (So Vegan)
By the way, mine came out delicious! A bit crumbly, but still fine! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made these last night, but did a 2.5x batch and put it in a 9×13 pan (similar volume). A double batch would have been fine. Mine taste great but they are very thick and crumbly despite pressing down hard. Now I have a huge batch of trail mix/granola for my trip!
I make a “no-bake” granola bar that uses honey, date syrup, and peanut butter as the “glue”. Then after pressing firmly into the pan, I just refrigerate it to let it get firm. I am wondering if these need to be baked or treated like my “no-bake” bar.
Followed the receipe completley, compacted the mixture with a potatoe masher, could not have compacted it more unless I ran it over with the car.
Used a nutribullet to mix the apriocot mixture to a smooth paste.
Each slice crumbled, did not slice cleanly like the video shows, expensive to make, wont be doing this again..☹
I was wondering what’s the calories on one bar?
I will try it for sure ! The link to have a print friendly version doesn’t work. Can you help ?
Hi Christine, apologies for this. We are looking into it. Best, Roxy (So Vegan)
0h Delicious! I didn’t have maple syrup (Southern Hemisphere and it’s outrageously expensive) so I substituted Argave syrup. at a slightly reduced quantity. I try everything raw and loved the crunch from the groats. I would never have tried them raw without this.
Hi Wenderella, Glad you enjoyed the energy bars as much as we do! 🙂 Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
My wife tried to make this.
It didn’t form properly and fell apart.
She has just sent me the link and asked me to look and recommend what cup she should use for measuring.
I’m at a loss as 1/4, 1/2, and 1 cup seems so vauge.
I understand weight for measuring and exact quantity.
But measuring this list of ingredients by cup seems to be to me like measuring by size and is very random.
Jason, a cup is a standard unit of measurement in the imperial system. It’s 227 millilitres ( mls ) in the metric system.
To ‘translate’ recipes, we usually use 225 mls for 1 cup, 125 mls for 1/2 cup, and 60 mls for 1/4 cup. It’s not a 100% accurate conversion, but it’s always been close enough for me.
Also, 1 tablespoon is 15 mls and a teaspoon is 5 mls.
Hope this helps.
What kinds of oats? Steel cut? Rolled?
Hi Sue, we use rolled oats. Thanks Roxy (So Vegan)
Are you people brain-damaged? THIS ISN’T SUGAR FREE BY A LONG SHOT. Maple syrup is SUGAR. Sweetened dried cranberries have SUGAR in them. Raisins are loaded with SUGAR. This would send the BG skyrocketing.
Now I KNOW that veganism damages the brain!
I don’t see anywhere that it claims to be sugar free. It is however, PROCESSED sugar free. You can buy dried cranberries with no sugar added.
Make sure when you buy the maple syrup that you buy the genuine article – as in REAL maple syrup, not maple-flavoured syrup which is loaded with processed sugars.
I don’t get why people feel they have to attack other people on-line. A recipe is shared – do with it what you will. If you don’t like it MOVE ON.
Thanks for the amazing recipe. I found it worked really well. I essentially subbed a lot of the dry ingredients for other things, like the nuts for various seeds, and threw in some chia and hemp seeds too. I used hulled buckwheat instead of the groats too. I think it’d be a pretty flexible recipe to be able to sub for wheat free, or nut free eating. For me, its a great lunchbox filler for my energetic boys.
I did make a little more of the apricot paste than the recipe probably called for, as I found it wasn’t blending into a smooth paste without a little extra water added. A teaspoon of vanilla wouldn’t go astray either, just to lift the flavour.
I did press it down extensively, and left the paper on when I baked it, which I assumed that the recipe insinuated be done. I let it cool in the tin, within the paper ‘wrapping’ til just about room temperature, and then sliced it into chunky bars. The knife does need to be very sharp (using the tip worked best for me), and my pieces did crumble a little at the edges, but nothing to complain about, really.
In future, I’d probably look at the balance of dried ingredients, and I’d probably throw some coconut in there somewhere. Overall though, a great base recipe. I just love the idea of using the dried fruit and sweetener as a paste to hold it all together. Next time I may even try throwing in a tablespoon of coconut oil to see how that goes 🙂
Hi Sarah – I actually always put in a tablespoon of coconut oil (with the apricot mixture), and also include coconut flakes. I’ve done this since the first time I made it. But don’t toast the coconut flakes first as they will burn.
My other little trick is to toss the oats in a little melted coconut oil and maple syrup before toasting them, extra yummy!
Thanks Grere! Love the idea of using coconut oil and flakes. Glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
What are the nutrition values…..carbohydrates, etc? Thanks
When looking for some great vegan energy bars, I stumbled upon this recipe. It looked really great, but then reading all the reviews I started doubting. These reviews about the bars being crumbly and not holding shape almost made me not make them.
I’m really glad i ended up making them in the end anyway. They are really great and I just pressed the mixture extremely firmly in the tin. After baking and cooling them, I could cut them easily with a sharp knife. The consistency is perfect and it’s a great snack for on the go.
I’m normally not one to post reviews, but I just felt I needed to set the record straight: these bars are great if pressed down firmly, as is said by the author numerous times!
Thanks Melanie! Roxy (So Vegan)
What temperature do you have the oven for 20 minutes?
Hey Robert. The oven should be left on at 180 degrees celsius. Hope that helps!
I screwed up the recipe but managed to save it – mostly. Here’s where I went wrong; the measures are imperial but the oven temp is metric. This of course, is hindsight. I baked the oats, almonds & seeds at 180F for 20 minutes which didn’t dry them enough. Then I put the pressed bars back in for 10 minutes at the same temp. They didn’t hold together at all when I tried to cut them. I put them back in the oven for maybe 20 additional minutes at the low temp until I noticed the error. I increased the temp to 350F and baked for about 20 minutes. After cooling they cut ok but the texture is a bit off. They still taste great though!
Perhaps this is why some people are finding the bars fall apart. Using the correct temp makes all the difference lol.
Thanks Debbie! Yes, it’s really important the oven is preheated to 180 degrees celsius, which is roughly 350 degrees fahrenheit. We also use UK cup measurements, though this shouldn’t matter because the ratios will remain the same. Hope that helps! Roxy (So Vegan)
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For folks wanting nutritional information, download an app to help with that. Myfitnesspal is great, this way you can decide how many servings, put in your substitutes, and more.
Excellent recipe. I used toasted quinoa instead of groats and hazelnuts instead of almonds. Cooled completely and cut easily with a sharp knife. I made 15 bars and MyFitnessPal took the recipe directly from the web and with my changes estimates 230 calories per bar.
I used 8”x8” pan
There are 296 calories per bar if you make it according to the original recipe for 10 bars. I usedMy Fitness Pal.
Thanks Susan! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Roxy (So Vegan)
These didn’t work out for me. They fell apart. I was extra careful to press it down hard after reading the reviews and I sharpened my knife just before. I let them cool overnight. When I saw they weren’t going to cut well, I put them in the fridge, but it didn’t make a difference.
Hey Renee. Did you preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius? This is roughly 350 degrees fahrenheit. If the oven isn’t hot enough, the mixture will crumble when you slice it into bars. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Yes, my oven was 350.
These bars are amazing! I didn’t have enough almonds so I added some walnuts too and it was a great decision! Love the walnuts in the bars. Also, I didn’t have any apricots so I used dates. Instead of maple syrup, I added a bit more dates. Turned out AMAZING!!! Thank you for a wonderful and healthy recipe!
Amazing, thanks Daniella! Glad you enjoyed them!
Thank You for a great recipe.
I did it twice and it came out amazing.
To all my American vegan friends, pay attention that the oven is on 350f, first time I made this granola bar, my oven was on 180f:))))))
Thank you!
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Mine just fell to pieces completely leaving a delicious but unmanageable pile of bits. I’m afrsud I won’t be making them again.
Hi I just made two trays of these and substituted the groats for quinoa and Chia seeds. The first tray crumbled but the second turned out OK because I left it in the fridge for the day then cut it with a small sharp knife. Hope this helps. I’m really happy with them and they keep me full till 2pm from early morning so I don’t the 296 calories mentioned above are a problem. Thank you so vegan! X
* are NOT a problem!
Hi Roxy and Ben,
I made your energy bars today and they came out perfect. I changed nothing from your recipe. Perhaps I can give a bit of advice to the whingers on here about keeping the bars together: Follow the instructions; wait for the bars to cool completely (I waited approx 3 hours!); and use a sharp serrated knife to cut them. No problem at all. Thanks for what will become a family classic!
P.S. Would love to post a pic if that option were available!
Hey Mario, so great to hear from you and so happy the bars came out well. They are delicious aren’t they! If you’re on Instagram or Facebook you could share a picture there. You can find us @wearesovegan Take care, Roxy
Why won’t you answer the question regarding the nutritional values of these???????????
Because she doesn’t have to. Look it up yourself if you want it so badly!
Why are people so demanding?