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    Home » Main Meals

    Lemony Date Energy Bars

    Jump to Recipe
    Three date energy bars wrapped in parchment paper and lined up with text at the top of the image.

    Soft and healthy these lemon date energy bars are the perfect energy boost. Slightly chewy and with only five ingredients, these homemade energy bars are great to take on long exercise bouts.

    I have an advertisement relationship with the ads in this post. Check out my disclaimer here
    Three date energy bars wrapped in parchment paper and lined up.

    A busy day often means poor choices in the food department. Struggling to give yourself actual food while shuffling kids around is stressful at best.

    Which is why my biggest nutrition tip as a Certified Nutrition Coach is to make sure you have prepped, healthy snacks ready to go!

    You'll love these date bars because they're:

    • easy to make (only 5 ingredients and no baking)
    • refreshing
    • loaded with energy
    • dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, whole30
    • kid-approved

    Don't overlook the importance of having healthy snacks on hand in grab-and-go situations. It's a lifesaver!

    Likewise, focusing on snacks like this makes for super simple meal prep.

    Ingredients You'll Need

    These date energy bars have one thing in mind and that's energy! This means that their base is made up primarily of dried fruit. If you want to make them more fueling though read on.

    Medjool dates: a natural sugar and a great energy boost! Dates don't freeze solid so this means the energy bars can be eaten even when they're pretty chilled. I use them in this peanut butter date bark recipe too, and they're pure perfection.

    Dried cherries and blueberries: sweeten the bars a bit more with some extra dried fruits. Any will work but these two make the energy bars really refreshing.

    Walnuts: walnuts give the fruit and nut bars a bit of substance and a dose of healthy fats.

    Fresh lemon juice: fresh lemon juice will give a more potent flavor to the energy bars.

    How To Make Fruit And Nut Bars

    1. Process the walnuts in a food processor until mostly ground.
    2. Add in the dates, cherries, and lemon juice and blend until combined.
    3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and add in the blueberries and collagen if using.
    4. Dump the mixture into a lined baking pan and smooth it out evenly.
    5. Pop in the freezer for thirty minutes.

    How You Can Add MORE Fuel To Healthy Snack Bars

    Want to make the date energy bars a bit more fueling and well-rounded? Add in collagen powder!

    All the protein without the bloat.

    I use collagen powder for amping up protein and boosting gut health.

    Learn about the difference between collagen and bone broth as how to increase protein intake.

    Honestly, as a busy mom collagen powder just makes it easy to eat more protein and not feel like I’m living off chicken and eggs.

    And more protein means more energy, more natural beauty, and feeling your BEST.

    Plus, in recipes like this, you can sneak protein into your kids as it’s one of the purest sources.

    I grab my collagen from Perfect Supplements because they source their collagen from pasture-raised (grass-fed) cows. So, I trust it.

    Grab some collagen powder and use code mamabear10 to save some money.

    https://www.perfectsupplements.com/Perfect-Hydrolyzed-Collagen-p/ps-collagen.htm?Click=111051&a_bid=90cabe16

    Important Teaching Tips

    Because these homemade date energy bars don't have a binding ingredient, they do come out a bit sticky. Thus wrap each bar in parchment paper to store. 

    They can be stored in the fridge or the freezer and are best eaten chilled. Otherwise, when left at room temperature they're a bit too sticky.

    Also, you can easily use any dried fruits to switch up the flavor! A few of our favorites are:

    • dried strawberries
    • chopped dried pears
    • whole dried cranberries

    The less you grind up the walnuts, the more sustenance the energy bars will have.

    The bars are great for bumping up glycogen stores (like after a long run) but they don't have a lot of protein in them to stabilize the sugar crash. Add in collagen powder if you need more fuel.

    Lastly, make sure to soak the dates in warm water for twenty minutes prior to blending them. The softer they are, the better they process into “date paste” without having to add much water.

    three fruit and nut bars wrapped in parchment paper with blueberries around it

    Fast, crave-worthy snacks that hit your protein goals (without tracking or extra cooking time).

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    Frequently Asked Questions About Date Energy Bars

    What's the texture like on the bars?

    The texture can be ultra smooth depending on how well you grind the walnuts or chunkier. However, it is pretty soft thanks to the dried fruit. This is also why it's best stored in the fridge or the freezer- to prevent it being too sticky.

    What can I add to the bars to give them more nutrients?

    Adding collagen to the fruit and nut bars will give them more protein, start by adding in ⅛ of a cup to the existing recipe. Likewise, adding in a tablespoon of nut butter or chia seeds will amp them up as well.

    Other Dairy & Gluten-Free Snack Recipes You'll Love

    • Chocolate coconut energy bites
    • Banana cinnamon balls
    • Superfood bites
    • Triple berry protein fluf
    • Peanut butter and jam protein balls
    • Chocolate Chia Seed Protein Balls
    • Banana cinnamon energy balls
    • Protein bars topped in chocolate
    • Macadamia chocolate protein balls
    • Chocolate fudge protein balls
    • Energizing protein bar
    • No-bake bounce balls
    • Cookie dough balls
    • Salted caramel protein fluff
    • Cookie dough overnight protein oats
    • Easy, no-bake vanilla protein bar
    • High protein snack recipes

    Three date energy bars wrapped in parchment paper and lined up.

    Dairy-Free Fruit And Nut Bars

    Fit as a Mama Bear
    Only 5 ingredients in these homemade, whole30-approved lemon blueberry bars! A soft, chewy, fruit and nut bar that requires zero baking.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    30 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 5
    Calories 302 kcal

    Video

    Equipment

    • Powerful blender
    • 8x4 baking tray
    • Parchment paper

    Ingredients
      

    • 20 Medijol dates soaked in warm water for twenty minutes
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts more walnuts needed for topping
    • ½ cup dried cherries
    • ¼ cup dried blueberries
    • ½ lemon juiced

    Instructions
     

    • Place the walnuts in the food processor and pulse until mostly ground.
    • Place the dates, cherries, and lemon juice into the food processor and blend until fully combined. You may need to scrape the sides down.
    • Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the blueberries.
    • Line an 8x4 loaf pan with parchment paper and put the bar mixture into the pan. Using another piece of parchment paper, press the mixture down evenly into the pan. Remove the top piece of paper and top the mixture with 2 tbs of walnuts pressing them down slightly with the spatula.
    • Place the pan into the freezer for thirty minutes. Once mostly frozen, remove and cut into bars. Wrap the bars individually in parchment paper. T
    • Place the wrapped bars back in the freezer to enjoy when needed!

    Notes

    The bars come out a bit sticky so make sure to wrap each bar in parchment paper to store. 
    They can be stored in the fridge or the freezer but are best eaten chilled. Otherwise, they're a bit too sticky.
    Also, you can easily interchange the dried fruits to switch up the flavor!
    Lastly, make sure to soak the dates prior to blending them. The softer they are, the better they process into “date paste” without having to add much water.
    Disclaimer:

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"

    Nutrition

    Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 362mgFiber: 6gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 440IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword fruit and nut bars, no bake bars, whole30 snack
    Have You Tried This Recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment below. Mention @fitasamamabear or tag #fitasamamabear!

    No bake energy bars are easy to whip together and absolutely tasty. All the dried fruits make them a great mid-afternoon treat because they're so full of energy and easy to munch on the go.

    Thus, whip up a double batch of the energy bar recipe, wrap them, store them and never worry about what to munch on!

     

    More Healthy Snack Recipes

    • A stack of frozen yogurt bars.
      Frozen Yogurt Protein Bars [5 ingredients]
    • A bowl of baked banana bread with chocolate chips and sliced bananas on top.
      Single Serve Banana Bread (High Protein)
    • Sliced protein bars beside a bowl of peanut butter with chocolate chips scattered around.
      4 Ingredient Protein Bars [Dairy-Free]
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. The Southern Thing

      April 03, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      These sound so tasty and healthy! A great guilt free option for a sweet tooth!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 03, 2017 at 11:18 pm

        Mm agreed! I find them really sweet so they're a great go to for me mid afternoon!

        Reply
    2. Shannon Burlingame

      April 03, 2017 at 7:41 pm

      These look SOO delicious and I love how it only needs a few ingredients. 🙂

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 03, 2017 at 11:17 pm

        Agreed! Minimal ingredients are the best kind of snacks! Both from a health perspective and from a time one!

        Reply
    3. sarah

      April 03, 2017 at 8:11 pm

      ummm... these sound absolutely delicious!!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 03, 2017 at 11:17 pm

        Thanks! I always keep a batch in my freezer 🙂

        Reply
    4. Lauren

      April 03, 2017 at 10:34 pm

      This looks so good! I love these, but we have a nut allergy in the family. Have you done any nut-free options? I might try substituting roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 03, 2017 at 11:15 pm

        Hey Lauren! They're pretty tasty! I haven't tried pumpkin seeds in this specific recipe but have used pumpkin seeds in place of walnuts in many others (like the magic energy balls). Give it a shot just add slightly more to make up for the mass difference.. and then let me know how they taste!

        Reply
    5. Danielle

      April 04, 2017 at 4:18 am

      Healthy, low fat snack. I try to make oatmeal my go to snack sometimes.

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 04, 2017 at 1:06 pm

        It's definitely healthy and an energy booster! I adore oatmeal so I'm with you there- specifically overnight oats! So easy and so tasty!

        Reply
    6. Natalie

      April 09, 2017 at 11:56 am

      wow they look so good!

      Natalie
      https://lucyandtherunaways.blogspot.com.au/

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 09, 2017 at 11:22 pm

        Thanks! Simple to make which is perfect 🙂

        Reply
    7. Nicole Kamai

      April 11, 2017 at 11:44 am

      I will have to try these!! They look so good!!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 11, 2017 at 6:06 pm

        Thanks for stopping by Nicole! They are definitely yummy so I hope you enjoy them!

        Reply
    8. Brittany Ferrell

      April 11, 2017 at 9:11 pm

      These look and sound so delicious! I really need to make these and for "on the go" as you mentioned because sometimes as a busy mom, I forget to eat!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear

        April 11, 2017 at 11:40 pm

        I don't think you're the only one who forgets to eat as a mom! I keep these, energy balls, muffins and protein bars all in my freezer just because of that point! Haha yes, I am the crazy lady but it helps!

        Reply

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