You had me at chocolate. And peanut butter. And the no-bake factor is always a plus. And they are gluten-free, to boot.
When I found this recipe on Vegan Heartland, I couldn’t wait to try it. I was surprised to find that I had all of the ingredients on hand (if you’re vegan, you probably do, too). As Matthew (Vegan Heartland author) notes in his recipe post, these crunchy, sweet bars are rich in protein, fiber, antioxidants + omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. But don’t think that means you can eat the whole pan, cuz short on calories they are not. Nor are they short on flavor or texture. I LOVE ‘em!!!
These are super easy and quick to make. The hard part is waiting for them to firm up overnight. I simply have no patience, so I just put the pan in the freezer for an hour, and voila! – they were good to go.
Oops! I just realized I left the pumpkin seeds out of the ingredients shot.
YIELDS 12 to 16 bars (depending on how big you cut them)
***
INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups rolled oats (use gluten-free if desired)
¼ cup flax seed meal
⅛ cup chia seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup cashews
½ cup almonds
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup natural peanut butter (or nut butter of choice – I used almond butter)
½ cup vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life Mini Chips are gluten-free)
Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts/seeds for any you don’t have on hand or don’t like. You could sub dried fruit for chocolate chips, too.
STEP 1
Line an 8×8 (or similar size) pan or baking dish with parchment paper. Leave extra on the sides to use as handles for removing the bars later.
STEP 2
In a large bowl, combine the oats, flax seed meal, seeds and nuts; mix thoroughly.
STEP 3
Add agave nectar to the mixture and stir until well coated.
STEP 4
Add peanut butter (or other nut butter) to the mixture and mix until well combined.
STEP 5
Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan/baking dish and press firmly until it is evenly distributed. Original recipe instructs to allow mixture to then sit overnight (to firm up) before cutting into bars. As I mentioned, I’m not that patient. I put mine in the freezer for an hour or so and it seemed to work just fine.
STEP 6
Using the parchment paper handles, remove the entire block from pan/baking dish, then cut into bars. See how nice and even mine are? Oops. If I could have a do-over, I would cut it into 16 bars. There’s always next time.
I found that the bars start to lose their firmness if left out for too long. Best to store them in the freezer (in my opinion).
When storing the bars in a container, place a sheet of parchment paper between the layers to avoid bars sticking together.
Breakfast is served! Thanks again to Matthew at Vegan Heartland for this excellent recipe.
Welcome to 86 Lemons. My name is Livvy. Thanks for stopping by! I test a wide variety of seemingly fun DIY projects, vegan recipes and consumer products (like the latest mascara, for example). Then I report to you with the inside scoop. You'll get the real story on which ones are worth your attention and which ones are "lemons" to be avoided. Read more on my 
Yum! I wonder how brown rice syrup would work vs agave? Maybe hold them better? These look so easy! I gotta pick up some seeds! Hubby might see me raiding the bird feeder out back! JK
Good call, Katie – I would maybe try subbing half the agave nectar for brown rice syrup. Lmk how you like the bird seed ;)
Ok, couldn’t find sesame seed in the feeder ;) I wonder if I could sub coconut for the sesame seed. I know they are a different size but…..I let ya know how they turn out….gotta pick up parchment paper too as I just ran out today!
Oooh Livvy…those look delish! I actually have all the ingredients and will make these for my boys tomorrow. I think I will try raw honey instead of the agave. I’ve got to get me some parchment paper though. Thanks for sharing!
The parchment isn’t a must – you can always grease the pan instead. Hope you like ‘em!
PB & Chocolate is one of my all-time fave combinations, too. . . but sadly can’t have PB right now, so I’m SO happy to see that you used almond butter!! I think I need to add this recipe to my weekend roster. :)
Cashew butter would be great, too!
Looks great, Livvy. I am wondering if our Pure Maple Syrup would work in place of the Agave Nector, whitch could be hard to find in our area, They look so good. Thanks for posting it. :)
Hi Melissa! It’s possible that could work, but it’s also possible that pure maple syrup might not have enough ‘guts’ to hold it all together. I know that Meijer carries agave nectar! I wonder if the Amish store might have it, too? Sometimes they have weird stuff like that, don’t they? Maybe I’m dreaming.
Pingback: Nuttzo Chocolate Nut and Seed Balls | The Healthy Family and Home October 19, 2012
[...] post was totally unplanned. I had visited one of my favorite websites, 86Lemons, and saw this healthy vegan recipe and decided to make it the next day for my boys since I already [...]
I made these today. I used half peanut bitter and half Nutella. They turned out really well. Super yummy with extra chocolate from the Nutella though probably not so healthy.
Oh man… Dale’s a huge Nutella fan, he’d LUV those!
I thought this recipe looked really tasty, except that I can’t have chocolate or peanuts (arr elimination diet). So, I altered it by using almond butter instead, and added a touch of vanilla, molasses (because I ran out of agave before 1/2 c), and a good amount of cinnamon. They taste exactly like cinnamon rolls. Thank you for the inspiration.
Oooh! I’ll have to try your version! Glad it worked out for you :)
Are the nuts/seeds raw or toasted?
I used raw, but either would work.
LOVE! I added coconut flakes and a little bit of almond extract. I did 1/2 honey 1/2 agave with almond butter. Did not add pumpkin seeds or cashews…so yum. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Glad you liked them Becky!
These are fantastic! I made them. I have tried many granola bar recipes and never got the ratios just right. I did sub brown rice syrup for agave since I think it’s a bit tackier, but that’s no big thing. I found your site through the vegan post on buzzfeed. What a great find!
So glad you gave them a try and liked them! Matthew did a great job with this recipe. And thanks for checking out 86 Lemons – hope you’ll stick around :)
What is that you’re drinking in the background of the last photo? Looks delicious!
Funny you should ask. I mistakenly bought some Café Mocha cups for the Keurig. It is more like hot chocolate than coffee, and I believe it contains dried milk (not to mention loads of sugar), so I don’t drink it. Thought I’d use some up by way of a prop ;)
Random question. Did you eat these straight out of the freezer or did you let them thaw prior to eating?
I usually let them thaw a little.
Hi,
Could I use Sunflower Seed Butter, instead of PB or Almond butter? Severe nut allergy over here :)
Hi Katelyn! Definitely – sunflower seed butter should work great in this recipe.
Thank you :)
Just lovely snack on the road! I added powdered dried banana and dried raspberries left over from summer, used almond butter and turned out yummy! Thanks for the recepie!
Pingback: {Gluten-Free & Vegan} Chocolate Peanut Butter Nut & Seed Bars « Arohanui February 18, 2013
[...] from 86 Lemons which was previously adapted from Vegan [...]
I bought everything ,I prepared it Lyvvi …but there’s no how much degrees and how long do I put it in the oven..?
Renee, this is a no-bake recipe. Just put the pan in the freezer for a couple hours and the mixture will firm up, then you can cut it into bars.
These are awesome! I halved the recipe to make as snack bars for my 4 year old. Got 4 small bars big enough for her. I lightly processed my oatmeal too so it wasn’t so raw oatmeal-y. I think next time I will use brown rice syrup as it tends to be waaay more sticky than agave or honey.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe!
~Sherlock
Pingback: Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars February 26, 2013
[...] was excited when I came across this healthy and nutritious recipe on Pinterest because I am always looking for quick and easy snack [...]
DOES ANY ONE KNOW HOW MUCH CALORIES IS THIS PER SERVING
Hi Ranjini, you can use this link to manually enter in the ingredients and find the calories per serving: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
These look divine! I will definitely be making them! Thank you for the recipe! I was also wondering what program you use to put the text into your pictures? I love the fonts!
Hi Christal! Thanks for reading/commenting! I use Photoshop for editing and adding text.
I am absolutely addicted to these! I make them weekly! My family loves them, too! I sent some home with a friend (another Michigander!) too!
This recipe is a keeper. It’s a great alternative for those that want to make their own bars and it’s a great way to use up any seeds or nuts you might have left-over. I also added a little bit of shredded coconut to mine.
Could you please tell me how many calories per bar are these? Thank you
Hi Cyndy. I don’t have the nutritional info for these bars, but here’s a link to a recipe calculator that will figure it all out for you! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Could you give the carb count on a bar?
Hi Nancy. I don’t have the nutritional info for these bars, but here’s a link to a recipe calculator that will figure it all out for you! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I am thinking of dehydrating them to see if the hold together better. Have you tried that?
I don’t have a dehydrator :( so no, I haven’t tried it. But lmk how it works for you!
Pingback: No-Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola Bars | Kate's Recipe Box April 5, 2013
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Pingback: Lenten Staples: Meals on the Go – the Sequel | Illumination Learning's Blog April 8, 2013
[...] Peanut Butter, Chocolate, & Nut Homemade Granola Bar (I left out the chia and flax seeds since I know one of my kids would have refused to eat them otherwise. I also used plain granola instead of oats since that’s what I had readily available. It was a big hit! All four of my kids gobbled them up. The “Enjoy Life” chocolate chips are not only gluten free but dairy free as well.) [...]
Pingback: Nutty Crunch Chocolate Vegan Granola Bars | Plantivores April 17, 2013
[...] of different recipes for granola bars. One was from Two Sisters One Kitchen, and one was from 86 Lemons. What are the chances of finding two different vegan granola bar recipes on one day? I don’t [...]
Just found your site by accident–what a nice surprise! I’m a 13-year type 2 diabetic and finally decided to start taking better are of myself. I’ve been putting bars in my bag for emergencies and these will help. They’re great for a low blood sugar attack.
Pingback: Peanut Butter Snack Bars May 12, 2013
[...] based the bars around a 86 Lemons’ Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars. She says breakfast, I say snack then I don’t feel bad about eating them at 3am. I’ve [...]
I love love love these bars. I made them for the first time a couple of months ago and have made 3 batches. They are a perfect morning tea snack. I sit and enjoy every bite with a cup of tea every morning. I add coconut and walnuts to mine. Thanks so much for such a lovely recipe. Delicious!!!!