Chocolate Date Energy Bars (No Bake)

These chocolate date energy bars are refined sugar-free, paleo, and perfect for meal prep. This recipe will work great if you need a healthy lunch box idea for school! They are filling, nutritious, and much better for you than the store-bought snack bars.

Why you’ll love these energy bars

Quick and easy to make.

Healthy. Made without refined sugar and other questionable ingredients.

Cheaper than store-bought.

What’s in these date bars

Dates The date is a superfood. Bursting with nutrients. Potassium, selenium, and magnesium, to name a few. Dates are known to help in the prevention of cancer as well as decrease the risk of LDL cholesterol. This is the “bad” cholesterol that builds up on the inside of the blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Some Middle Eastern grocery stores carry date paste in a 13-ounce package which can be used in this recipe as well. I have used the whole package in this recipe and it has worked fine.

Nuts and nut butter The walnut is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It is high in Vitamin E which in turn helps protect against heart disease. Walnut consumption also aids  HDL- the “good” cholesterol performs optimally in ridding the body of excess cholesterol.

Almond butter acts like a “glue” and adds to the nutrient profile of these energy bars. Almonds are a source of healthy fat and are anti-inflammatory as well.

Honey Honey has powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is high in Vitamin C, iron, and calcium.

It has been shown to treat a host of diseases including those related to the gut.

Cacao As far as adding chocolate to these energy bars, you can add either cocoa powder or cacao. They are both the same but cacao is less processed. Make sure your cocoa powder is without any added sugar.

How to make these date bars

Make the oat flour Start by putting the rolled oats in the food processor and grinding them into flour. Empty into a bowl.

Grind the walnuts In the same processor grind the walnuts fine but make sure you don’t grind them too fine as they will start becoming pasty. Empty out into the bowl with the oat flour.

Add the dates Next, add the pitted dates to the food processor and chop them. Once the dates are chopped, and a small ball forms, add the rest of the previously processed ingredients and honey, almond butter, and cacao. Blend till fully incorporated.

Form into bars Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lay out the mixture. Flatten it to form a leveled 1-inch thick square. Top with some chocolate chips or nuts if you like.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting into rectangular bars. Enjoy!

Some helpful tips & substitutions

• Make sure to blend the ingredients separately so they are all uniform in texture.
• You can use other dates but they may need to be softened. Because Medjools are juicier, they don’t need to be softened. To do this, soak your dates for 10 minutes in some hot water and drain them before processing them.
• Freeze the bars before cutting into them. This will help with a cleaner cut.
• These bars can also be shaped into balls so go for the shape that works for you!

Storage

Store these date bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last at least 2-3 weeks or more.

These bars are freezer-friendly too! Make sure to separate the bars with parchment paper before freezing them and store them in a zip-top bag or airtight container. They can last much longer in the freezer.

More snack bars/bites to try

If you like these, you’ll love my ever-so-popular Chocolate Chip Granola Bites and Cardamom Date Balls!

This post was published in 2017 but has been updated with new images and details.