These delicious snack bars are my homemade spin on Lara bars or Nakd bars, and they taste so much better than storebought!
Similar to my vegan snickers and date brownies, these date energy bars are packed with wholesome ingredients and make the perfect afternoon snack with your cup of tea or coffee.
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make homemade date bars:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Medjool Dates: Opt for fresh dates that are plump and juicy for the best flavor and texture. My favorite brands are Zaytoun and The Date Project.
- Runny Almond Butter: You can also use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or light tahini!
- Lucuma Powder: Lucuma is a native South American fruit that has a biscuity flavor and is packed with iron and potassium. You can swap this out for maca powder which gives a hint of salted caramel flavor, or your favorite plant-based protein powder.
- Cashews: Since we'll be roughly chopping them anyway, you can buy cashew pieces as they can be a little less pricey than whole nuts.
- Sesame Seeds: I love the flavor of toasted sesame seeds, if you can only find raw seeds you can easily toast them at home as shown in this helpful post by Culinary Hill. Just make sure you let them cool before adding them to the date paste!
- Dark Chocolate: I use bittersweet 70% dark chocolate here, and you can opt for a sugar-free version in case you want any added sugar.
- Coconut Oil: This helps to thin out the chocolate, making it easier to coat the date bars.
🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make these easy bars with dates. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: Add the pitted dates, nut butter, lucuma or maca powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a food processor. Blitz for a few minutes, the ingredients will break down first and eventually form date paste and turn into a uniform ball.
Step 2: Transfer the date mixture to a large mixing bowl and fold in the cashew pieces and toasted sesame seeds using a rubber spatula.
Step 3: Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and use your hands to roughly shape it into a log. Place another sheet of parchment on top and roll it into a log around 10x4 inches. You may need to cut away some uneven edges, roll them back into the dough until you have a somewhat uniform shape.
Step 4: Place the log in the freezer for 10 minutes, then slice it into 10 bars and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Step 5: Dip the bars in chocolate, using a fork and a spoon to carefully lift them out on the lined baking tray. Freeze for 10 minutes to set.
Step 6: Lastly, drizzle any remaining melted chocolate on the set bars, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
💭 Recipe Tips
Sprinkle the tops of the bars with sesame seeds before the chocolate sets. As they are coming out of the freezer you will want to work quickly in this step.
If using dried dates, soak them in hot water first. Simply place them in a bowl with boiled water for 30 minutes, then drain well before use.
If you don't have a rolling pin, you can press the mixture into a loaf pan or glass pan. Just line it with parchment first, and use another sheet of parchment and a flat-bottomed glass to press it down in an even layer.
🍽 Variations
As with many no-bake recipes, this one is a little more forgiving when it comes to making modifications. Here are some ideas:
- Date Balls: If you prefer to make bite-sized energy balls for when you're on the go, simply roll the dough into balls with your hands instead of cutting it into bars.
- Date Protein Bars: If you'd like to pack in a bigger serving of protein, you can add your favorite vegan protein powder to the mix instead of the lucuma or maca powder. You could probably add double the amount and add a splash of plant-based milk if the texture is too dry for your food processor.
- Add Flavoring: To switch up the flavor, add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest, or a quarter teaspoon of peppermint or almond extract.
- Nuts & Seeds: You can swap the sesame seeds for sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or change the cashews for chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios. I reckon pecans along with the caramelly date filling would taste like pecan pie bars 😋.
💬 FAQs
Once set, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To extend their shelf life, you can also pop them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. Defrost them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.
While I highly recommend Medjool dates as they have the best flavor and consistency, you could also use sukkary, or fresh barhi dates. Deglet noor dates which are those smaller dried dates that are often found in the grocery store tend to be less sweet with a tougher texture. If you must use them, soak and drain them first as mentioned above.
🌴 More Date Recipes
📖 Recipe
No-Bake Date Bars
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 ½ cups) medjool dates pitted *note 1
- 2 tablespoons runny almond butter *note 2
- 2 tablespoons lucuma or maca powder or vegan protein powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 100 g (¾ cup) cashew pieces roughly chopped
- 35 g (¼ cup) toasted sesame seeds plus extra for topping
- 120 g (4.2 oz) 70% dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Make date paste: Add the pitted dates, almond butter, lucuma or maca powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a food processor and blitz for a few minutes until the ingredients turn to a paste and form a uniform ball.
- Mix nuts and seeds: Transfer the date paste to a large bowl and use a spatula to mix through the cashew pieces and toasted sesame seeds.
- Roll: Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and roughly shape it into a log. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the log and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 10 inches long x 4 inches wide.
- Shape: Cut away any uneven edges and roll them back into the dough until you have shaped a neat rectangle. Place the log in the freezer for 10 minutes while you prep the chocolate coating.
- Melt: Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a medium bowl and place it over a medium saucepan with simmering water (bain-marie/water bath). Melt gently, stirring often. Remove the bowl from the water bath.
- Cut the bars: Slice the log into 10 bars and place them on a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment.
- Coating: Dip the bars into the chocolate, and use a fork and a spoon to carefully lift them out of the chocolate. Place the coated bars on the tray lined with parchment and put them in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
- Garnish: Drizzle any remaining chocolate on top of the bars and sprinkle with more sesame seeds before it sets.
Notes
- Medjool Dates: Weigh dates after removing pits, I used 9 large dates but you may need more if on the smaller side.
- Almond Butter: Sub for cashew butter, peanut butter, sunflower butter, or runny tahini.
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