Raw Vegan Blueberry Apricot Granola Bar Recipe
It’s that traveling time of year. School is out, vacations are starting. It’s also when I get busy in the kitchen making raw, vegan snacks that travel well. Because I know if I am in the airport, or in the car and I am hungry I might eat something I normally wouldn’t touch if I don’t have my tasty snacks.
But when I have my little treats, I am never tempted to snack on the things that are usually on my “I really don’t want to eat that because I know I will feel like crap if I do” list. And if you find yourself in an airport, or at a truck stop, the healthy options can be tough to find while the unhealthy ones are a dime a dozen.
For this granola bar recipe, I wanted a bar that I knew would keep hunger at bay and give me some great nutrients. I was not shy as I threw together the ingredients. There are a lot of nutritional powerhouses in these! The stars of these bars are dried blueberries and dried apricots. Cacao nibs, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and a few other tasty ingredients rounded out the batch. Make them with gluten free oats and you don’t have to worry about gluten! I have also included instructions for baking if you don’t have a dehydrator and don’t care if they are raw or not.
Raw Vegan Blueberry Apricot Granola Bars
makes 12 bars
- 1/2 cup dates (softened)
- 1/3 cup ground golden flax
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter (see recipe here: Coconut butter)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup Organic Raw Cacao Nibs
- 1/2 cup Organic Dried Blueberries
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/2 cup large flake dried coconut (not sweetened)
- 1/2 cup raw flaked oats
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- Place dates, ground flax, coconut butter, maple syrup and almonds in food processor. Process until you have a coarse paste-like mixture.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add water as necessary to hold dough together.
- Press firmly into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into bar shapes with a sharp knife.
- Dehydrate at 115 for 8-12 hours. Alternatively you can bake at 325 for 20 minutes (not raw).
rina wrote on May 23, 2016
thank you for these delicious recipes
Ellina wrote on August 22, 2015
Just made them. So delicious. Trying to get off sugar and sweets and think these bars might help me transition to a healthier alternative
Ellen Allard wrote on July 5, 2015
Could I make these without the coconut butter?
Susan wrote on July 6, 2015
Hi, Ellen, The coconut butter helps hold them together. You could try an almond butter but as it doesn’t harden like coconut butter, they might be quite squishy. 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche wrote on June 21, 2015
I love granola bars and often make my own but I never have tried a de-hydration method before. Thanks for the idea!
Sara wrote on June 18, 2015
This recipe looks amazing- is there something I can use in place of flax?
Susan wrote on June 18, 2015
Hi, Sara, You could try chia seeds. Cheers!
Anna wrote on June 12, 2015
sounds delicious 🙂 yumm
tamara wrote on June 10, 2015
This look sooo yummy! Can’t wait to make them. Thanks!
Justin from Extreme Health Radio wrote on June 10, 2015
They look incredible. Do you soak the chia seeds first? I’m wondering if they’re challenging to digest?
Susan wrote on June 10, 2015
Hi, Justin, No, I don’t soak the chia seeds. They do not need soaking. They are actually easy to digest. Cheers!