These chocolate chip no bake date nut bars are the perfect healthy snack—packed with oats, nuts, and naturally sweetened with dates and honey. A quick and easy no-bake recipe your whole family will love!
It is been hot and humid in San Diego these past few weeks. And we are just not used to this kind of weather. Luckily, we do have a/c, but it doesn’t mean I’m ready to sweat it out in the kitchen if I don’t have to
There has been a lot of grilling and outdoor cooking happening over here this summer. These easy-peasy date nut bars are perfect for these hot days, or frankly any days you don’t feel like working too hard or turning on the oven.
And if you want to get school ready for a quick after-school snack, morning breakfast bar or a sweet and healthy treat for the lunchbox then these are the bars for you!
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Recipe highlights
- Sugar free snack: As a parent, we are hypersensitive when it comes to giving sugar laden foods to our kids. I use dates to sweeten these bars. Dates are high in natural sugars, but they also are full of plenty of other nutrients too.
- Date power: Dates have been long adored in middle eastern cuisine. It is common to eat a date with a cup of hot tea. Dates are high in fiber, antioxidant rich polyphenols, rich in potassium and also a great source for vitamin B-6 and iron.
- Packed with protein: These bars are also packed with protein from the peanut butter and nuts that are added to them.
- Snack to go: You can wrap these bars in parchment paper and pack them in the school lunch box. These date nut bars also make an excellent after school snack or afternoon pick-me-up.
Ingredients you need
- Pitted dates: Choose plump looking dates, not the shriveled dried kind as they are old and more sugary.
- Honey: This offers a different kind of natural sweetness and helps bind everything together. You can also use agave syrup or omit and add more peanut butter.
- Natural peanut butter: Because we are controlling the sweetness in these date nut bars, use no-sugar added peanut butter. You could also use almond or cashew butter.
- Old-fashion oatmeal: This is the whole oats, not quick oats.
- Chocolate chips: I used dark chocolate chips which has less sugar. The kids didn’t notice the difference!
- Raisins: I chose plump dark raisins but you could also use green raisins or dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped dried apricots.
- Nuts: I used almond slivers and chopped pistachios, but you can also use peanuts, walnuts, pecans or cashews.
Step-by-step directions
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- Process the dates. In a food processor with with a sharp blade, blend pitted dates until a ball is formed.
- Add wet ingredients. Transfer date ball into a bowl and mix in honey and peanut butter until thoroughly combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients until fully combined.
- Form the bars. Coat a loaf pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper. Press oatmeal mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into even pieces and serve.
Recipe tips and FAQs
These bars are a great way to get a jump start on your day or to help you power through those sluggish, even humid, afternoons. We eat them for a quick breakfast bar when we don’t have time to cook up anything more substantial.
You know, that time between 3-5pm when you are running out of steam and still have a long evening ahead of you. Cut them into rectangular bars or small squares for tiny hands, either way they make a healthy and satisfying high energy snack for you and your whole family.
If you like these bars, you should also try my No Bake Crispy Rice Bars with Raisins and Nuts. And my Apple Smoothie is another kid favorite as it is sweetened with raisins and tastes like apple pie.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store your bars in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze bars. Wrap them individually in foil or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
Sure! Add a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder (vanilla or chocolate works great) to boost the protein content.
A food processor makes it easier to break down the dates and mix everything together evenly, but you can also chop the dates finely by hand and mix with a sturdy spatula or clean hands.
Almost! As written, the recipe includes honey, but you can easily make them vegan by substituting maple syrup or agave nectar.
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No Bake Date Nut Bars with Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 8 oz pitted dates
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 1 cup old-fashion oatmeal
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup almond slivers
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
- In a food processor with with a sharp blade, blend pitted dates until a ball is formed.
- Transfer date ball into a bowl and mix in honey and peanut butter until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining ingredients until fully combined.
- Coat a loaf pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper. Press oatmeal mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Cut into even pieces and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
These bars look so good…
These bars look so good! Your photography is gorgeous, btw. I love the pot of milk in the background. 🙂
Thank you, Kristen. That means so much to me!