Vegan and Gluten-Free Energy Bars

Many of you wrote us a few weeks ago saying that you enjoyed the homemade energy bar recipes that we put up. Well we have plenty more where that came from. Some of you had asked about a Vegan and/or Gluten-Free bar so this week we will share a good option for you to consider.

Most store-bought bars are packed with ingredients that are good for you like: dried fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, and nut & seed butter. Even though store-bought bars make a delicious and convenient mid-morning snack or post workout treat, they can be costly and some have as much sugar as a candy bar. It also can be hard to find Gluten-Free or Vegan options when you are in a rush. So, why not make them yourself? It’s really easy to do and hey, food usually tastes better when it’s homemade, right? Listed below is an easy (and tasty) recipe:

Vegan, Gluten-Free No-Bake Energy Bars

These no-bake bars are thrown together in minutes and make the perfect snack to store in the freezer for a quick burst of energy. Feel free to use sunflower seed butter to make these nut-free. I used an unsweetened/unflavored protein powder, so if you are using a sweetened protein powder, you will likely have to reduce the liquid sweetener (and make up for the lack of liquid by adding some non-dairy milk). Play around with it if necessary and aim for a cookie dough texture. You can also roll the dough into balls and add in chocolate chips if you don’t wish to make them into bar form.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups gluten-free rolled oats, blended into a flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened/unflavoured vegan protein powder
• 1/2 cup rice crisp cereal
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper. Mix the oat flour, protein powder, rice crisp, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add in the nut/seed butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir well to combine. If the mixture is a bit dry, add a splash of non-dairy milk and mix again.
3. Press into pan and roll out with a pastry roller until smooth. Pop into the freezer.
4. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a small pot over low heat. When half of the chips have melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth.
5. After freezing the bars for about 5-10 minutes, remove from freezer and slice into bars. Drizzle with melted chocolate and freeze again until set. Store in the freezer for a week or longer in an air-tight freezer bag or container.

Whether you use them for a pre-workout snack, to aid in your weight loss mission, or to just provide a dose of complete protein, these healthy energy bars will keep you full. If you have a long day ahead of you (like a canyon bike tour with Escape Adventures), you definitely want to fill up on something other than multiple cups of coffee.