Granola bars are a favorite among Americans. We wake up, grab a granola bar, and rush out the door to begin our busy days. We pack our kid’s lunch and toss one in, thinking it will be a healthy addition. I mean, we’re talking about oats, and oats are good right? Yeah, they are…..but it’s not the oats that are the concern, it’s everything that surrounds those oats, makes them stick together, and taste so sweet. That’s why I wanted to make this Easy Raw Protein Granola Bar recipe!
When I decided to check out the ingredients of a popular granola bar- you know the one with the picture of the guy with the funny hat that we all know, the one that has entered many homes across America in one grocery bag at a time.
You guessed it, it’s Quaker!
What’s in your granola bar?
I wasn’t surprised, but I was, or let’s just say it was worse than I thought. I skimmed the ingredients of “rocky road” flavored Quaker granola bars. What did I see? I saw about 48 ingredients that were packed with so many forms of MSG, GMO’s, artificial flavors, (which its self can have its own paragraph of ingredients) and vanillin which can be addictive, cause headaches, and kill brain cells! The “healthy” granola bar we run out of the house in the morning eating is laced with ingredients that can cause many side effects. That’s just great for us and our kids now isn’t it….
Even “healthier” brands like Kashi had ingredients like natural flavors, which is typically MSG, and canola oil which is likely GMO. No wonder people are sick!
Making raw protein granola bars are easy!
What’s the solution? Make them! These easy raw protein granola bars are as quick as putting everything in a food processor or Nutri-Bullet, pressing them into a pan, and putting them in the refrigerator or freezer, cut, and eat! They are super healthy, full of protein, good fat, and no refined sugar!! You can pronounce every ingredient in these homemade granola bars and feel good about feeding them to your family.
For other healthy snacks try this Homemade Trail Mix!
How to ensure raw protein granola bars stick together
The worst is if you try to cut out the granola bars and they crumble. Remember, that different types of peanut butter have different consistencies. I like to use unsweetened peanut butter. The ingredients are just organic peanuts and salt. There is also a difference between Medjool dates and regular dates. Medjool dates are usually found in the produce section and are bought by the pound or bought in a container. They are big and sticky and they will help the granola bars to stick together well. Another key ingredient is coconut oil. You can use refined or unrefined just remember that unrefined will taste like coconut and give more of that coconutty flavor. They are a few coconut oils that I have noticed in the store that stay in a liquid form. You do want the coconut oil that hardens when it gets cold. When you chill the bars the coconut oil will also help them stay together nice!
For more protein-packed recipes check out how to easily make Homemade Protein Powder!!
Easy Raw Protein Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 8-10 Medjool dates large and deseeded
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds I used raw, unsalted
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 cups oats
- 6 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- ½ cup peanut butter or almond butter I used unsweetened
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup or local honey
- A couple of pinches of pink salt
- ¼ cup chocolate chips melted - optional
Instructions
- With your Nutri- Bullet or Food processor, add ingredients. So you don't overfill, you can add the first 4 ingredients, then blend, dump into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients to Nutri-bullet and blend. Pour into mixing bowl and mix everything together with a wooden spoon.
- Blend until everything is incorporated well.
- In a pan (I used 8x12) place parchment paper in the bottom, and pour ingredients in.
- Press the mix firmly and evenly in the pan.
- Refrigerate for about an hour, or freeze about a ½ hour.
- I cut mine about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide, but you can cut smaller or larger.
- If you would like to drizzle with chocolate. Melt chocolate chips in a saucepan. Add a tablespoon or 2 of milk of choice to thin them down. Drizzle chocolate over bars. Refrigerate for another few minutes to harden the chocolate.
- Store in a ziplock bag or airtight container in fridge.
Notes
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