These plant-based Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Hemp and Chia Seed Bars are an easy recipe to make using clean, real food ingredients. These nutrient-dense energy bars can be prepared in under 10 minutes and are the perfect healthy snack or breakfast bar!
"Raw Hemp and Chia Seed Bars" post was originally created, photographed, and published on March 11, 2014, by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ and not OneGreenPlanet.
Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- Nutrient-Dense - These healthy bars are loaded with protein, calcium, healthy fats and fiber, and are perfect for snacks and even as a breakfast bar. They contain all of my favorite nutrient-dense ingredients...hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut oil, and nut butter.
- Can Be Prepared in Under 10 Minutes - It's an easy recipe to make by simply combining the wet and dry ingredients, all you need to do is mix everything together in a bowl and then let them firm in the freezer before enjoying.
- Plant-Based No-Bake Recipe - No baking or oven needed!
Karielyn
Jump to RecipeIf you're looking for a no-bake, nutrient-dense snack, this Clean Eating No-Bake Raw Hemp and Chia Seed Bars recipe is just for you!
You can feel good about making these healthy plant-based Hemp and Chia Seed Bars recipe because it's raw, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, no-bake, contains no refined sugar, and is Medical Medium® Compliant.
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the clean, real food ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to use organic if possible.
- Almonds
- Quick Rolled Oats
- Hemp Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Ground Flax Seeds
- Maple Syrup
- Applesauce
- Almond Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Pure Vanilla Extract
That's it! These No-Bake Hemp and Chia Seed Bars are super-easy to make!
How To Make This Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make this healthy recipe and I'll show you with step-by-step instructions below.
Before beginning, prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. then set aside.
Step 1: Prepare the Almonds
Firstly, add the almonds to a food processor and process until they are chopped into tiny pieces.
When finished, set them aside.
Step 2: Prepare the Dry Ingredients
Secondly, add all the dry ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Stir together until they are well combined and set aside.
Step 3: Prepare the Wet Ingredients
Thirdly, add all the wet ingredients into a separate medium-sized mixing bowl.
Again, stir together until they are well combined.
Step 4: Combine the Dry and Wet Ingredients
Fourthly, combine the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
It's important to combine these ingredients well. Therefore, use your hands if necessary to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Next, add in the chopped almonds and stir until they are evenly distributed.
Step 5: Assembly
Fifthly, transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Spread it evenly and press it down as firm and tight as possible.
Place the baking dish in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm.
Step 6: Storage
Lastly, store the bars in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.
The bars will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature.
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some of my expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Oats. There are different varieties of oats to choose from, but I used organic gluten-free quick-rolled oats.
Maple Syrup. It can be substituted with another liquid sweetener like organic date nectar or organic coconut nectar. You could also use raw honey if you didn't need the recipe to vegan.
Coconut Oil. If you don't like the flavor or smell of coconut oil, use organic refined coconut oil which has zero coconut flavor or smell.
Almond Butter. Substitute with your favorite organic nut butter or sunflower seed butter.
Vanilla Extract. Use alcohol-free vanilla extract or organic vanilla bean powder if you need these to be 100% Medical Medium® Compliant.
Serving Sizes. These can be cut into different sizes. For example:
- (8) granola-bar size bars
- (16) regular-size squares
- (32) bite-size squares
I used (1) regular-sized bar as (1) serving for the nutritional calculation.
Storage. The bars will get soft if left out at room temperature. Store them in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You could make these Hemp and Chia Seed Bars nut-free with a few substitutions:
1. Omit the ¾ almonds
2. Substitute the almond butter with sunflower seed butter
However, if you need the bars to also be seed-free, you may need to check for a different recipe because it would be hard to substitute the hemp seeds, chia seeds, and ground flax seeds without completely changing the recipe.
The coconut oil is used in this recipe as a binder, because once it hardens in the freezer, it solidifies and holds everything together.
But not to worry! If you don't like the taste or smell of coconut oil, you can use organic refined coconut which has zero coconut taste or smell.
Although these bars are healthy and nutrient dense, they do not travel well and would not be ideal to pack in a lunch box.
This is because of the coconut oil which would begin to melt at room temperature, and the bars would fall apart.
These are best to store in the freezer and take out for a healthy treat when at home.
Even though the bars are made with clean, real food ingredients and are healthy, they are not necessarily calorie friendly, especially if you want to eat the entire batch at one time like me!
However, here's my favorite way to make them more calorie friendly instead of cutting them into (16) regular size squares.
1. Cut them into (32) bite-size pieces when are great for portion control and for toddlers.
By cutting them into smaller pieces, you can still get a little treat to satisfy a sweet craving with a much less calories/fat/carbs.
My photos and complete recipe also appear on OneGreenPlanet, who unfortunately uses bloggers content to generate profit for their website by using bloggers content in their recipe app, cookbooks and by charging readers to print a recipe.
Prior to August 1, 2025, they did not link back to the original author's content and photos for credit or attribution. Their links either went to dead links or to an author page on their website but never back to the original author's website URL.
For this reason, I do not recommend their website and would ask that you visit and support the original author's website for recipe content instead of recycled and duplicate content on the OneGreenPlanet website.
In regard to this recipe, if you see my photos and exact recipe from May 23, 2014 (word for word) on another site, primarily OneGreenPlanet, mine was the original and was posted first.
Order Recipe Ingredients
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Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Hemp and Chia Seed Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup organic almonds (chopped)
Dry Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups organic gluten-free quick rolled oats
- ½ cup organic hemp seeds
- ½ cup organic chia seeds
- ¼ cup organic ground flax seeds
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup organic maple syrup
- ½ cup organic applesauce
- ¾ cup organic almond butter
- ½ cup organic coconut oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons organic pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper, then set aside.
Prepare the almonds:
- Add the almonds to a food processor and process until they are chopped into tiny pieces, taking care to not to over-process, then set aside.
Prepare the bars:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined, then set aside.
- Add all the wet ingredients to a separate medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir until well combined. You may need to use your hands to mix to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add in the chopped almonds and stir until they are evenly distributed into the bar mixture.
- Transfer the bar mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Spread the bar mixture evenly and press it down very firmly and tight into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place the baking dish in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes, or until the mixture is firm.
- Cut into (8) bars, (16) regular-size squares or (32) bite-size squares.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight BPA-free container until ready to serve because they will get soft if left out at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- (6) granola-bar size bars
- (16) regular-size squares
- (32) bite-size squares
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
More Healthy Vegan Hemp Seed Recipes
- Mango and Hemp Seed Smoothie
- Raw Hemp Seed Bars with Cacao Drizzle
- Vegan Banana Hemp Seed Sushi Slices
- or my Real Food Vegan™ 14-Day Meal Plan Program with 42 plant-based vegan + gluten-free recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Jackie says
Excellent recipe! I left out the flax seed (didn't have any on hand) and added cinnamon (just because I LOVE cinnamon) and used pureed apple instead of apple sauce. They turned out perfect and are delicious!!!
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Jackie! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and I love the substitutions you made to it - especially 100% homemade apple puree!
Thank you for trying out my recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it...I sincerely appreciate it 🙂
Lisa says
I made these today with refined coconut oil and I added 6 organic dates, I chopped them up super tiny and mixed them in with the dry ingredients a little at a time so they wouldn’t stick together. I used 1/2 almond butter and 1/2 peanut butter. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of salt because of the dates! I am keeping them frozen, they have been in the freezer all day and you can still eat them right out of it!
This recipe is truly amazing, I love them! Thank you for publishing. I wish I could send you a pic!
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Lisa! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and love the adjustments you made to it to "make it your own"!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know how much you liked it...I sincerely appreciate it 🙂
Kayla says
I really wanted to like these but the coconut was overwhelming and they didn’t firm up very well in the fridge. Unfortunately ended up throwing these out ?
The ingredients are pretty expensive so I’d advise for first timers to halve the recipe in case you don’t like it it’s not such a waste
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Kayla! I'm sorry to hear the recipe didn't work out for you 🙁
The original recipe called for the bars to be placed in the refrigerator to firm and I've never had a problem with them firming in the freezer. I normally list in my original recipe creations that contain coconut as a binding ingredient to firm in the freezer. The reason for this is once the coconut oil solidifies, it becomes solid and is what "holds" or "binds" the recipe together. This will definitely take place in the freezer, and sometimes in the refrigerator depending on the recipe and other ingredients involved. However, since you did have a problem with them firming in the refrigerator, I updated the recipe to have the bars firm in the freezer instead, which would eliminate any problems with the bars firming.
In regards to the coconut oil, I have a tip in both the post and in the recipe card with a substitution for issues with regular coconut oil. Unrefined coconut oil will have a distinct coconut taste and smell, which some people (including myself) do not like. An alternative is to use organic refined coconut oil which has the same binding properties of unrefined coconut oil, but doesn't have any coconut taste or smell.
I would encourage you to try the recipe again with these changes: 1) letting the bars firm in the freezer instead of the refrigerator and 2) using organic refined coconut oil. I think you would be very pleased with them.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback...it's greatly appreciated 🙂
Sherri Barnhart says
How could I make these but free for school..instead of almond butter would tahini work?
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Sherri! I haven't tested the recipe with that substitution, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. It actually sounds really good!
I would give it a try and if you get a chance, come back and let us know how it worked out 🙂
Standaviet says
Thanks Karielyn, These are now going to be my go-to protein-rich, nutrition-dense snack. I added extra cocoa and cinnamon since I love that flavour combination. I made these yesterday, and they are delicious! I was a little nervous buying dried mulberries for the first time because they look like little, dried-up brains, but they’re great! Thanks for introducing me to them!
Karielyn says
Hi there! I'm so glad to hear that you tried out the recipe and I love the adjustments you made to it. You are right, the dried mulberries ~do~ look like little brains lol! They are really good to snack on and eat plain too. They are added in the recipe for the extra nutrition, but if you don't like them you can always leave them out.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know you like the bars...I really appreciate it! 🙂
Bob Elander says
How many carbs in those bars? I am on low carb diet can I eat these?
Karielyn says
Hi there Bob! I have updated the nutritional information in the recipe card. I would not say this is a low-carb recipe, but depending on how you cut them, you could definitely reduce the number of carbs per serving.
For example, the recipe will fill an 8 x 8 baking dish. The nutritional information was calculated for (1) square which would yield (16) servings. Each square would have approximately 21 net carbs.
However, if you cut each square into 1/4 pieces and made bite-size pieces, similar to an energy ball serving, you could get (64) pieces which would be approximately 5 net carbs per serving.
I think if you made them and used bite-size servings and didn't each a lot at one time you could make it work.
And, because they are so nutrient-dense, they are very filling so you wouldn't really need a large serving to be satisfied.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Eric Schranz says
Just popped all the ingredients into cronometer. A 50g serving is 218 calories: 5.9g protein, 17.8g carbs, 12.4g fat. As a percentage of calories: fat 48%, carbs 42%, protein 10%. Good ratio of omega3-omega6 (around 1:2.5).
Eric Schranz says
Forgot sugar: 6g (for 50g serving size)
Karielyn says
Thank you Eric!! 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Eric! Thanks so much for sharing the nutritional data…it is greatly appreciated! 🙂
Nancy says
Hi, thanks a lot they're very good so how much proteins for this recipe
Karielyn says
Hi there Nancy! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the bars! The nutritional information has been updated in the recipe card and it shows ~approximately~ 10 grams of protein for (1) square.
Thanks for the question and for trying out the recipe 🙂
Lizy says
In preparation for my baby's birth in a couple of weeks, I made a batch of these today to snack on while I'm in labor (I live in Denmark and here they encourage women to eat and drink lightly while in labor so to keep the energy levels up).
I tried the dough and it was delicious, they are still not ready because I just finished making them, but I'm sure they're gonna be great and even more delicious once they set in the refrigerator. I added some extra ingredients to the recipe: organic pumpkin seeds, raw cacao nibs and dried cranberries. I also substituted 1/4 almonds for about 1/2 cup of almond pulp I had from after making almond milk; and I also used whole chia seeds and grounded as well, so half and half to reach the amount the recipe calls for.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Karielyn says
Hi there Lizy! First, congratulations on your new baby...how exciting!! Second, I'm so excited you've chosen a real food, clean eating snack to nourish your body during a very important time!
Oh my gosh, I -love- the extras you added in, especially the cranberries and cacao nibs...yum!
I just want to make sure you know to keep these very cool, or better yet frozen, because they will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature due to the coconut oil. Other than that, I think they will be the perfect snack.
I wish you the very best during your delivery and hope everything is super easy for you.
Thanks for trying out the recipe and for letting me know it will be a part of your special day 🙂
Megs says
What can I sub for the applesauce if I don't have a banana or other fruits? Would unsalted butter work, or is that considered part of the "oil family"? New to making granola and love this recipe so far...I have everything but the applesauce in my pantry. 🙁
Karielyn says
Hi there Megs! I've actually tweaked this recipe a couple of times and originally it had 1 cup of raw honey and no applesauce. I found it to be too much sweetener for me (I don't like my desserts too sweet), so at the suggestion of one of the commenters, I reduced the raw honey to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup of applesauce as a substitute.
So...you could use 1 cup of raw honey (or maple syrup) and omit the applesauce and it would work just fine.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy them...they are really good 😉
Megs says
Thank you!!! Going to make tomorrow!!!! 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Megs! Yay! I hope you come back and let me know if you liked them 😉
jessica says
hi karielyn,
i love these bars! they are great filling snacks to have throughout the day, but they easily turn into granola. my husband is a helicopter mechanic and only gets one 10 min break in his 10 hour shift, and he would love to have this snack with him to keep him filled. unfortunately he cannot grab the granola pieces with his hand because they are covered in oil.
any suggestions to keep them compact while they are in his pocket and hes running around?
we would love to know your input!
thank you
Karielyn says
Hi there Jessica! Yes, these would not be the ideal "portable" or "on-the-go" snack because of the coconut oil. When refrigerated, it is what helps keep the bars intact and hold them together, but at room temperature, the coconut oil will "melt" and the bars will become soft and lose their shape.
So...I would try to reduce the coconut and maybe use some medjool dates, which are sticky and another good ingredient for holding things together. I would start with 1/4 cup of coconut oil and 4 - 6 large medjool dates (pitted). Check the texture, you may have to play with the ratios a little bit to get it just right. But the goal would be to try to reduce the coconut oil as much as possible and offset it with enough dates to "hold" them together. Then he wouldn't have as big a problem with the messy oil.
Another suggestion would be to make them in to balls, instead of bars. Just take them out of the food processor in spoonfuls, squeeze the mixture in the palm of your hand tightly, then roll them into the shape of a ball. That way instead of trying to carry around a bar that could fall apart easily, he could just pop a bite-sized ball in his mouth.
Thanks for your question and I sure hope you are able to make them "on-the-go" friendly 😉
Jess says
Do you know the calorie count for these bars? I want to make them but I freak out if I don't know calories counts! Thanks 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Jess! I have updated the recipe card with nutritional information.
Don't panic though! 🙂 One thing to remember is although one square might have 300 - 400 calories, it's not the same as eating a 400 calorie fast-food hamburger. The ingredients used are real whole food, high quality, and nutrient-dense which means they will nourish your body unlike other unhealthy foods with empty calories.
That said, I wouldn't eat 5 of them at a time. What you could do is divide the big square into 4 smaller squares and that would bring the calorie count down to around 100 calories per piece.
I try to go with this theory...count nutrients, not calories because lower calories foods are not always better. What ingredients come with those lower calories and are they helpful or harmful to your body and health?
Here's an example of a 100 calorie snack with 37 ingredients: Keebler Fudge Shoppe Mini Fudge Stripes: Flour Enriched (Wheat Flour, Niacin Vitamin B3, Iron Reduced, Thiamine Mononitrate Vitamin B1, Riboflavin Vitamin B2, Folic Acid Vitamin B9), Vegetables Oil (Hydrogenated, and/or, Palm Kernel Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Palm, and/or, Coconut Oil, Soybeans, Palm, and, Palm Kernel Oil, with, TBHQ, To Preserve Freshness), Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Contains 2% or less of the Following: (Whey, Corn Syrup High Fructose, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Soy Lecithin, Salt, Molasses, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Flavors Artificial
Even though it only has 100 calories, look at the horrible ingredients (GMO's, preservatives, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, and salt, etc) that will do nothing to nourish your body and will leave you needing to eat something else. Which in turn will mean more calories, because those are empty calories.
So, I hope that example helps a little and that it will help you to enjoy the Hemp and Chia Seed Bars, in moderation, guilt-free.
Thanks for your question 🙂
Justina says
Hi Karielyn,
I made your hemp and chia bars tonight with a few modifications and they look great! I chose not to use honey and just used a bit of Stevia and cinnamon to sweeten it. I also didn't have any applesauce in the house but I had a ripe banana that I mashed up instead. Yummy! I also believe the only way to lifelong weight loss is through eating healthy, nutrient dense foods. Say no to the yo-yo!
Karielyn says
Hi there Justina! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the Hemp and Chia Seed Bars and I love the substitutions you made!
One of the reasons I like these so much is because they are so versatile and you can easily make substitutions or changes based on what you like and have on hand.
Thanks for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked them...I really appreciate it 😉
Nancy says
Hey Karielyn! I featured your awesome Raw Hemp & Chia Seed Bars recipe on my Vegetarian/Krishna conscious eating blog page because they were AMAZING and to help spread the word about TheHealthyFamilyandHome.com!
Karielyn says
Hi there Nancy! You are so sweet...thank you so much! You have a nice selection of recipes on your post and I'm glad to be included on your list.
Take care 😉
steve says
Great recipe. Been making these for a daily breakfast. However, for the second batch, I did a little tweaking. I added 1/2 teas salt, mixed the almonds with pistachios, a few drops pistachio extract, currants and shredded coconut. The coconut oil needed to be slightly adjusted upward to accommodate the added ingredients.
As afar as calories, I divided the brick into 16 bars. It holds me for 4 hours in the morning. That should bring the calorie count between 300 and 350.
So far, I've dropped 3 lbs this past week. The bars have made a regular staple in our diet.
Karielyn says
Hi there Steve! I'm so glad to hear that you are enjoying the bars...AND that you are even experiencing some weight loss!! You can't beat that!
One of the great things about this recipe is that it is very flexible and easy to make substitutions.
I love how you added the pistachios, almonds and coconut. I've never tried or used pistachio extract or currents so I may need to look into that.
The other thing I love about them is because they are so nutrient-dense and have healthy fat (from the coconut oil), I, too, stay satisfied longer and don't have sweet cravings.
As a side note to your weight loss...the only time I have ever been able to lose weight is when I ate foods like these and I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and the weight just fell off. I never had to count calories or carbs, etc and I'm sure I was eating well over 2,000 calories a day eating these bars alone, but I still lost weight. But it is important to note that when I said I ate "anything I wanted", I meant clean, nutrient-dense foods (mostly raw) with healthy fats. It's like my body was saying 'thank you thank you" for finally giving me what I need to work right lol.
Anyway, I'm really glad to hear things are going good and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know 😉
steve says
one last ingredient. Bee pollen
Jeb says
Great post, nice and complete. These bars were the best I've made in a long time, thanks.
Karielyn says
Hi Jeb! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out and for taking the time to let me know you liked it 🙂
gail says
Hi, Thank you for the recipe,I share it with some of my friends they all enjoyed it. my husband and love it. but we can't do oats what can i use as a sub? can you let me know what you would use.
Thank you,
gail
Karielyn says
Hi Gail! Hmmm...I'm thinking maybe some almond flour? Or, I've made some bars before using organic rice puffs cereal with the only ingredient is 100% organic brown rice. I put them in a food processor and process them into smaller pieces and it worked really good.
I haven't tried either of those before, but if I were to make them using a substitute, that's what I would try.
I'm glad to hear everyone else loved them but hope you are able to make a batch that you and your husband can enjoy too! 😉
Nic. says
Made these this afternoon and wow! they're fantastic; not too sweet and very satisfying. (I did up the applesauce and lower the amount of honey a bit, as someone above had mentioned trying with success). I think I feel healthier already after just one little square. =) Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Karielyn says
Hi Nic! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! The last couple of times I've made them I used the reduced honey + applesauce suggestion too and actually prefer that better.
I may edit the recipe to reflect the change because I never did like that much sweetener in them to begin with.
Thanks for trying out the recipe and taking the time to leave feedback...I really appreciate it 😉
Emily says
I made your bars again and made a few changes and they turned out really yummy!
1 1/2 cups oat
Almonds= 1 cup
Brazil nuts= 1/2 cup
3/4 cup hemp seeds
3/4 cup chia seeds
3/4 cups gogi berries
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup almond butter
sprinkle cinnamon on top
Karielyn says
Emily...these are amazing! I love the addition of cinnamon (because it's good to maintain healthy blood sugar levels).
What do you do with the Brazil nuts since they are so big....do they just get pulsed into smaller pieces in the food processor?
Heading the to grocery store this morning and am going to get some Brazil nuts (for the first time!) and some more applesauce since I'm out.
Thanks for sharing your version...I'm going to make it today 😉
Emily says
Also I am sharing this recipe because I think you would love it. Just made it tonight using a little less goat cheese then recommended. I'm curious about making them vegan without any cheese at all and will try this next time.
Karielyn says
Hi Emily! Oh my...that does look really good. Looking it over, I'm thinking it would be a great way to use beet pulp leftover after making juice. The eggs could easily be substituted with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds + 2 tablespoons of water). Not sure what a good replacement for the goat cheese would be but I'm thinking it would be good without it too.
I'm going to bookmark this to try later (with a link back to the source) and see how it comes out.
It's a really good recipe...thanks for sharing 😉
Emily says
Hi! I loved making this recipe. I used almond extract instead and added some Brazil nuts (good for your hair!) and gogi berries. Yum!
Karielyn says
Hi Emily! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I think Brazil nuts are probably the only type of nuts I haven't bought yet, but I bet they were good.
Now goji berries...they are a staple in my house but I probably was out when I made these or I definitely would have added them in to get extra nutrients.
Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback...I really appreciate it 😉
Jen says
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I adopted your recipe and made it as cookies. I put slivered almonds and cranberries. YUM!
Karielyn says
Hi Jen! I love your idea of adding the almonds and cranberries...I bet that was really good!
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed them, I really appreciate it 😉
Anya James says
Hi! Are there any healthy susbstitutes for the coconut oil and the honey? I did 12 squares for a Weight Watchers recipe, and it came out at 14 points a bar! That is very high!
Also, for the almonds and flax, is the measurements for when they are both already ground or before they are ground? Thank you for any assistance you can provide! It looks great!!!
Karielyn says
Hi Anya! You could reduce the honey (use 1/2 cup organic applesauce + 1/2 cup honey) and that will work fine, I've actually used that substitution and will amend the recipe next. I never was happy with that much sweetener in them and that's way more than I normally use in a recipe.
You could reduce the coconut oil (use 1/4 cup almond butter + 1/4 cup coconut oil). The 1/4 cup of almond butter is in addition to the other amount of almond butter listed in the recipe. I haven't made this substitution, but another reader did and said it worked fine.
The measurements/amounts for the almonds and flax are ~before~ they are ground...good question!
Just throwing this out there...this is not a low calorie snack, but - they are super high in nutrients and healthy fats which is much better for you. You can sometimes have a low calorie snack, but what are you sacrificing for the lower calories? What kind of nutrition are you getting and how clean are the ingredients (are they highly processed, preservatives, additives, GMO's etc)?
My other suggestion would be to do what I do when I make these. I make the 8 x 8 pan of them, and instead of cutting them into 16 squares, I cut each of the 16 squares into 4 pieces. That way you will have 64 bite-size squares to nibble on throughout the day. Because they are so nutrient-dense, they will be more filling and satisfy you longer than a snack with empty calories. I find that sometimes I can eat only 1-2 of the bite-size squares and a cup of tea and I'm good for a couple of hours.
So if the ingredient substitutions don't work, just cut them into smaller sizes.
Also, I have another similar recipe posted that might have less WW points: https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/raw-hemp-seed-bars-with-cacao-drizzle/. You could always save points and leave off the cacao drizzle.
Thanks for the question and I hope some of the suggestions help out and that you are able to enjoy them 😉
Kim says
These were awesome! To get around using all of that sweetener, I subbed 1/2 cup organic applesauce for half the honey, and it was still super sweet. I also upped the almond butter to a full cup rather than the extra 1/4 c of coconut oil. Obviously the applesauce makes them not completely raw, but they did come out amazing. I'm sure you could try fresh raw applesauce straight from the blender or food processor, or pureed banana or zucchini for something different, but they may not stay fresh as long. Delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!
Karielyn says
Hi Kim! Wow...what an excellent idea! I would have never thought of using applesauce.
I love, love, love these bars, but I'm going to make another batch of these today using your substitutions because I would enjoy them so much more if they had a little less sweetness to them.
Thanks so much for sharing 😉
Mini says
These bars were so delicious.. we recently started using hemp, but have been using it only in salad dressings and smoothies.. will definitely be making these again.. I am thinking of substituting oats with buckwheat the next time I make them.
Karielyn says
Hi Mini! Thanks for your kind comments!
I am a big fan of hemp seeds and I do the same as you...mostly use them in smoothies and sprinkled over salads.
I love when I find different recipes to use them in because they are so good for you. I also use the hemp protein powder and hemp oil.
I've never used buckwheat before...so you soak it or sprout it first?
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Lorraine says
These are simply superb! Thank you!!!
Karielyn says
Hi there Lorraine! Thanks so much and I appreciate you letting me know you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Alicia says
Oh these bars were soooooo delicious and I am ready to make them again asap lol!!
Karielyn says
Hi Alicia! Thanks and they really are good!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them and thanks for stopping by 🙂