On Tuesday, I shared a recipe for a vegan snack bar with an interesting twist: chickpeas added to the wet ingredients! They were delicious, and packed with nutrition from legumes, Omega-3 rich seeds, hearty and fiber-rich oats, and simple sugars from dried fruit and date paste (tutorial here). I loved them.
So did my friend Anne, who is also a stressed out science student with little cooking time to spare. Apparently, I inspired her to break out the baking mitts, and today, she posted her own scrumptious looking spin on the bars!
I’m flattered! And I’m also slightly unsettled by this eerie coincidence: when I mentioned earlier this week that I had another bar recipe I wanted to share—this one, a no-bake version—I was actually feeling inspired by Anne’s amazing 5-minute, no-bake granola bars, which she used in a guest post for me some time ago. Eerie! I suppose great minds really do think alike.
These bars took me a minute or two longer than five, but they really are worthy of the name, given how amazingly quick they are to make. I used Anne’s bars as inspiration, but I was really hoping to make these bars a simple and stress free vehicle for Omega-3 fatty acids (which are no my mind in the context of our oil conversation this week), so you’ll see that I used hemp seeds, chia, and flax–the Omega-3 trifecta! I also threw in some delicious, all natural dried apricots, in honor of my Mom, who is the intended recipient of this recipe. The resulting bars aren’t the most photogenic I’ve ever made, but they sure are some of the most delicious and easy.
Super Speedy, No Bake Omega-3 Vegan Snack Bars (vegan, gluten free with appropriate rolled oats, soy free)
Makes 12-14 bars
Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cup rolled oats (buy certified GF oats if you’re allergic to gluten)
1 cup puffed brown rice (I used Arrowhead Mills)
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup finely chopped apricot (raisins, goji berries, or cranberries will all be great–be creative!)
4 tbsp chia seed
2 tbsp flax meal
2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup date paste, agave or maple syrup (date paste is slightly less sweet, so you may use a bit more of you use it)
6 tbsp salt-kissed vanilla sunflower seed butter OR peanut butter
1) Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2) Mix wet ingredients by hand or in a blender or food processor.
3) Pour wet ingredients over dry, mix well, and press down into a shallow, rectangular baking dish lined with saran wrap. Cover with another layer of saran, and press down evenly to form a smooth surface. Refrigerate for a few hours, cut into 12-14 bars, and serve!
These bars are sinfully delicious, and they’re so remarkably easy. If I have the time to prepare something the day before an exam, you know it’s quick.
And worth making.
You can really taste both the coconut and the apricot in here—perfect, since these are two of my Mom’s favorite flavors. And what I taste, and love, is the healthy fat from the hemp and chia and flax, the protein from hemp and oats, the high fiber content, and the sweet kick of dried fruit and date paste. A simple, wining snack.
Anne and I have so much in common: editorial backgrounds, shared dreams of working in health care, and a shared passion for great food. Including snack bars. We’re also both a little serious, a little sassy, and a little silly:
No, Anne. I was not tipsy in the photo booth.
Can’t wait till she and I get to hang out in DC!
Enjoy these speedy snacks, folks—and see you tomorrow after my biochem exam.
xo
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna." 
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Good luck with your exam! Love that you’re highlighting omega-3′s and this sounds really good too, coco and apricot after my heart too.
I loved the link you shared to nomeathathlete’s sister’s bar templates–am going to have to play some more with those…
I would so be making these if I wasn’t on day 1 of a juice cleanse! I guess I’ll be pinning them in a new board that I will call “food I want to make as soon as I eat again.”
May you start eating incredibly soon!
Oh heck, I’m making them today. Still juicing, but I think my kids would love these!
Ahh! In that one photo is that cafe green in dupont circle!! How is miss it!
These look delicious. Your mom is one lucky woman!
Last time I was home on spring break, I was so bummed out because our family’s food processor broke after being in use since like, 1984. I wish I was joking but it was a wedding present and those old-school Cuisinarts last a long time! Alas, we’ve gotta get another one if I’m going to be making your recipes this summer!
I just ordered a cheap one for Mom’s apartment. Whining about how much I wanted/needed one for when I’m home was getting old. The cash was worth it!
You might want to peruse your local thrift stores (such as Goodwill) for a gently used food processor (I was able to find one for $10). You could also try your local chapter of Freecycle or Craiglist. When I am coveting a new kitchen gadget, I try to find a cheap, used version first to see how often I really use it. If I find that I love my “new” applicance and use it all the time I go ahead and splurge on a version with more bell and whistles (unless I luck out and get a used model that doesnt leave me wanting more). If it ends up hidden in a drawer more often than not (ie my frozen yoghurt maker) I simply return it.
Love this recipe! I’m sure these bars are way healthier than all the value added bars/functional foods I see in the grocery store these days.
I like Anne’s bars a lot and can’t wait to make these! Thanks for the recipe!
You were totally tipsy.
Miss you!! So excited to be living in the same place again in 3 weeks. Granola bar baking frenzy?!
Thanks for the love, my friend. Great minds really do think alike! xo
Love these Hurry Up Vegan posts!! These look amazing. I will definitely be going with the apricot
I also made your vegan snack bars with chickpeas – they were SO delicious, and super healthy.. loved them! I think I’ll be making these ones this afternoon seeing as I am loving the snack bars at the moment.. thanks so much for sharing!
Okay I literally JUST made these – didn’t have puffed brown rice so used quinoa flakes, or hemp seeds so used pepitas, and didn’t have apricots so used raisins – still amazing! Thanks again, definitely worth making.. I just popped them into the refrigerator so will look forward to trying them and snapping some pics later on today
I’m so glad they were a hit!
I love EVERYTHING about this post! These bars look amazing and oh-so-simple. And the pictures are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
These bars look absolutely amazing & I bet they are tasty to boot. I too like the fact that you emphasize the importance of omega 3′s as I’m always looking for new ways of incorporating them into my diet. So, between these bars & the bars found in Brendan Brazier’s Thrive Diet book I’ll soon be able to cut out those mostly non organic &/or often very expensive bars found in health food stores. Thank you for being so open with your recipes.
Brendan’s book is terrific (and Brendan himself is pretty terrific). Glad you find these helpful.
I like how it looks like the pineapple is sprouting from your heads
Was that intentional? It’s cute
Ha, not intentional, but definitely funny!
I was just reorganizing my cookbooks last weekend and came across my copy of Hurry Up Vegan and need to make these. They look fab & I am ALL about the no-bake bars!
I’m definitely making your first chickpea’d version of the oatmeal bars this weekend, though these quick bars look good too – maybe with a mulberry substitution.
Best of luck on your exam, Gena!
Mulberries are my first dried fruit love…be still my beating heart! I’m ashamed that I don’t post more regular recipes with them. I may have to fix that…
Ha
Mulberries make any dish special, huh? And, that’s coming from someone who lacks a sweet tooth. Now, I wish I could find them in the bulk bins, so I wouldn’t have to ration my $12 bag so carefully!
On another note, I’m loving your hemp/nooch blend! I’ve been regularly grinding up one serving at a time in my Tribest and tossing the mix on my greens. I’m generally more inclined to add nooch vs. hemp seed to my salads, so this is a great solution that somehow tastes more gourmet than it would seem given its simplicity.
These look wonderful and I love how quick they are to make! Thank you so much for a nut-free (I can eat coconut) recipe, too!
Hi Gena, I just wanted to add to my previous comment to say that I have made these bars a few times now, making various tweaks according to my tastes and what I have on hand. I’ve used both sunflower butter and tahini, and both were great. Last time I added some pumpkin and sunflower seeds and cut down on the other seeds a bit. I’ve used puffed kamut in place of rice and added chopped dates too.This is a great recipe and it seems like I can’t go wrong with it! Thanks!
I love love love your blog!! Was curious about your thoughts on the recent Starbucks news: Did you read about how Starbucks uses bug extract in their frappacinos? How is it fair that they offer soy milk and other vegan options (meaning they acknowledge vegan customers) yet fail to mention this ingredient?
I love seeing your goofy side. We really need to grab coffee together. Le sigh. SOMEDAY. <3
Great snack idea! I love five minutes part the most
For how long do you think these can be kept in the fridge?
I’d say a week to 10 days?
This is very timely, as I am appetizingly low on my omega-3! Thanks!
Looks yummy! I keep meaning to try your date paste – this would be a great reason.
These sound delicious — and I think they LOOK good, too. I wonder if I can keep them in the freezer with my other raw treats.
These look really good, thank you! I’m expecting a child due in a few weeks, and I’m looking for snacks that I can easily make at the last minute to take with me to the hospital to keep me energized before and after the birth. I’m thinking I may put together the dry ingredients for these in advance, and just mix up and shape the bars when I feel the first signs that the little one may be coming.
These bars looks really delicious. It’s great that they’re so quick to make, and so portable for when you’re on the run! I’m not sure what the particular appeal is, but I really like snacks that I can keep in my pockets for mouth rationing. Hope your exam went well!
I feel like I only ever comment on your recipes when something goes wrong for me, but let it be known that 90% of your recipes that I make turn out amazing! As for the “something that went wrong”: I thought it would be harmless to use brown rice syrup for the sweetener, but I’m finding them to be way too sweet (still gonna eat them though!). It could just be my own weird tastes (I prefer snacks to be on the less sweet side, like you) but I’d advise against that sub for anyone considering it :/
Just made these… delicious, AND speedy!
This is my next new summer snack. I’m pinning it and sharing it with those I love. Thanks for a great recipe.
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