These healthy PB&J granola bars taste like your fav childhood sandwich but are refined sugar free, gluten-free, vegan, and out of this world delicious. They require only 4 simple ingredients, dates, oats, peanut butter, and freeze-dried strawberries.
Make granola bars at home
It’s no secret that grocery bill prices skyrocketed this past year. As a parent to young children, I’ve found the items now costing the most are healthier pre-made snack and treat options. I try to only buy granola bars that contain simple ingredients and are low in sugar but that comes at a price tag, sometimes almost $7 a box for just 4 small bars!
So, I decided to recreate my kiddos favorite bar at home. The result: an even tastier treat that requires only 4 ingredients and less than an hour to make (most of that time is chill time too!).
These PB&J bars require only 4 simple ingredients: dates, oats, peanut butter, and freeze-dried strawberries. They take about 10 minutes to whip up and an hour to set up in the fridge. Plus, they last 2 weeks in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer. My boys LOVE these bars and you and your family will too!
Ingredients in these no bake PB&J granola bars
Here’s what you need to make these bars:
- peanut butter, I use a natural kind (but make sure it’s not too runny or you may need more oats). It provides that robust peanut butter flavor plus protein and healthy fats.
- dates, add natural sweetness and also helps bind these bars together.
- oats, add healthy whole grains and helps add substance to make these bars filling.
- freeze fried strawberries, these are regular strawberries that are dehydrated without heat so they have all the fresh, ripe, summer flavor with a nice, crunch. They add a real pop of strawberry flavor without adding moisture to the bar and making it soggy.
How to make these bars
- Blend the ingredients: add the ingredients to a food processor or high spend blend and blend until all the ingredients are broken down and well-combined. It should form a sticky dough like mixture. If your PB was too runny and the mixture still too sticky, add a little more oats.
- Press into pan: Grease and line an 9×5 loaf pan. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. If you do not have a loaf pan, you can also roll the mixture into balls.
- Set in fridge: place the loaf pan into the fridge for about an hour to set.
- Cut and enjoy: lifting the parchment paper, gently remove the bars from the pan. Cut into bars (it should create about 7 large or 14 small bars).
- Store: these will last about 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer an in airtight container.
Why you’ll love these bars
- Easy: these take less than an hour to make with only 4 simple ingredients.
- Versatile: you can swap out ingredients to customize these to your liking. Not a PB fan?! You can use another nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter (even sunbutter to make these nut free). You can also switch up the freeze fried fruit and use a freeze-dried raspberry or blueberry instead depending on your flavor preference.
- Healthy: these bars pack big flavor but are refined sugar free, gluten-free, and vegan.
- Budget-friendly: these are so much easier on the wallet and budget than the overpriced and overprocessed bars you can buy at the store. Plus, they taste better and you get a bigger portion!
Enjoy!
These healthy PB&J granola bars are an easy, healthy, delicious snack perfect for you and your kiddos every day of the week!
If you make these healthy PB&J granola bars, please leave a comment below. I absolutely love to hear from you guys and your thoughts on my recipes. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or pin it on pinterest, because sharing is caring!
PB & J Bars
These healthy PB&J granola bars taste like your fav childhood sandwich but are refined sugar free, gluten-free, vegan, and out of this world delicious. They require only 4 simple ingredients, dates, oats, peanut butter, and freeze-dried strawberries.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
- ½ cup peanut butter I used Jiff Naturals
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
Instructions
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Place all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender and blend until the ingredients are broken down and well combined.
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Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and press the mixture evenly into the loaf pan.
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Let the bars set in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.
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Cut into bars and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
You can cut these into 7 large bars (or cut them in half again to make 14 small bars). If you do not have a loaf pan, you can also roll the mixture into balls.
Once made, you can store your PB & J bars in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to two months.
