This Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe is a healthy homemade snack for busy moms! They are oil-free and sugar-free because they are sweetened with dates! Plus they are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and full of protein and fiber!
Line an 8x8” square baking pan with parchment paper and grease, set aside.
Mix oats, coconut, almond meal, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl, set aside.
Add the soaked dates and almond milk to the container of your Vitamix (or other high-powered blender).
Blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high until ingredients are well blended but not totally smooth.
Scrape down the sides of your container and add the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Blend again until mixture is smooth.
Pour wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix by hand until well-combined.
Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and spread until evenly distributed. If desired, add chocolate chips to the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are golden brown.
Set dish on a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled, cut into bars and enjoy.
Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container!
Notes
You can double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13" pan.
Ingredient Substitutions
Dates. I love being able to use dates as a sweetener in healthy treats - like this Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe - instead of sugar. I don't recommend substituting the dates in this recipe.
Almond milk: Any non-dairy or regular milk works in this recipe. I recommend using unsweetened varieties.
Peanut butter: Any nut or seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter - suggestions include almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
Old-fashioned oats: I have also used quick-cooking oats with great results.
Almond meal: If you need to leave out the almond meal you can simply increase the amount of oats by 1/4 cup.
Store/freeze
Let the peanut butter granola bars cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serve them chilled or at room temperature.