A super healthy mix of fruits, nuts and seeds is packed into these oven-toasted snack bars, and they are totally irresistible. Why spend money buying prepackaged snack bars when homemade bars like this are so much tastier and healthier?
There are an insane number of snack bars on the market, all of them touting healthy magical powers. I say, make your own. It's surprisingly easy to do. Pack them with nutritious ingredients of your own choosing, cut them into any size bars you like, eat them for breakfast, take them to work, use them as gifts, or freeze them for a rainy day.
I spend a lot of time thinking about and cooking food but I rarely give much thought to snacks. And yet I'm a snacker. I seem to need a little something every three hours or so.
If there isn't a healthy appealing snack in house, at the ready, I sometimes find myself dipping tortilla chips or left-over noodles into mayonnaise (please don't judge me). I have learned that when hunger strikes, especially in the afternoon, in conjunction with work-weariness, it's crucial to have something satisfying and nutritious within reach.
When I studied nutrition at Leiths school of Food and Wine in London, one of my assignments was to develop healthy snack recipes for potential clients. Snacks had to be 100-200 calories and had to contain some protein because protein helps curb the appetite and keep you feeling satisfied for a longer stretch of time.
These healthy fruit and nut snack bars were part of our cooking curriculum. After making them in class I came home and immediately made another batch. Now they've become a healthy habit.
What I love about these homemade snack bars
- It's way more economical (and ecological) than buying individually wrapped cereal bars or nutrition bars.
- I love knowing that I've loaded up my snack bars with nothing but fresh wholesome ingredients.
- Snack bars are great to have on hand for a portable breakfast or to grab when you're hungry between meals. Or even before dinner, as my husband does occasionally.
- They're fun to make!
How to make homemade snack bars
Heat your oven to 275ºF and line a small baking pan with parchment.
Measure out your dried fruits and nuts, placing them into a big bowl as you go. For the base of these snack bars, I chose dried cranberries, dried apples, dried apricots, walnuts, pecans and ground almonds. This is a great recipe to experiment with. Choose equal amounts of your favorite dried fruits and nuts.
How to design your own healthy Snack Bars:
Use these approximate measurements to make delicious healthy snack bars using your favorite ingredients.
- 2⅓ to 2½ cups of dried fruit
- 2½ cups of nuts
- 4-5 tablespoons of seeds
- 4 ounces of almond flour
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- ⅓ to ½ cup of raw honey
Whizz the fruits and nuts in your food processor until they're very finely chopped but not powder.
Pour the mixture into the big bowl and add sesame seeds, chia seeds (which have been soaked in water), pine nuts and raw honey. Use your hands to mix everything together.
Don't worry if the mixture seems dry at first. The moisture from the honey and the soaked chia seeds is enough to hold all the ingredients together.
A quick note about why you should soak Chia Seeds before eating them:
Chia seeds have loads of health benefits. They're high in fiber, protein, minerals and Omega 3s. Soaking them in water turns them into a gel, which makes them much easier to digest and their nutrients are better absorbed in your body.
Once the fruit and nut mixture is well combined, press it into the prepared baking pan with wet fingers.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until dry and just starting to turn golden brown on the top.
When cool, cut into bars. You'll get anywhere from 16 to 24 bars per batch, depending on what size you decide to cut them into.
If you like having healthy homemade snacks around, you might also enjoy these tasty No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bites.
Here's the recipe for Healthy Fruit and Nut Snack Bars. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Healthy Snack Bars with Fruit Nuts and Seeds
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16-20 bars 1x
Description
Easy homemade snack bars made with fruit, nuts and seed. Great for healthy snacking or a portable nutritious breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 5 ounces dried cranberries (1 cup)
- 2 ounces of dried apple slices (1 cup lightly packed)
- 2 ounces of dried apricots (about 7 apricots or ⅓ cup)
- 2 ½ ounces walnuts (¾ cup)
- 2 ounces pecans (½ cup)
- 120 g (4 ounces) ground almonds or almond flour (about a cup of almond flour)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ounce of white sesame seeds (3 tablespoons)
- 1 ounce pine nuts (Scant ¼ cup)
- ⅓ to ½ cup raw honey, depending on how much sweetness you like (I use ⅓ cup)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 275ºF. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper. Soak the chia seeds in 2 tablespoons of cold water.
- Place the next 6 ingredients - cranberries through almond flour - in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped but not powdered. Keep checking until you're happy with the texture.
- Pour the mixture into a big bowl and stir in the cinnamon, sesame seeds, pine nuts, soaked chia seeds with their liquid/gel, and raw honey. Mix until everything is well combined and sticks together like dough when you squeeze it. It's best to use your hands for this. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of water.
- When the mixture is uniform, push it down into the lined baking pan with your fingers, to a depth of about ½ inch or so. If it's sticky, wetting your fingers will help. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the whole surface looks dried out and starts to turn golden.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, cut into whatever size bars you like.
Notes
Fruit and Nut Snack Bars will last for several days in an air-tight container and up to a week if you store the container in the fridge. To freeze, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or in a plastic freezer bag. They'll keep for at least a month, in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: snack
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: healthy, snack, breakfast
Frieda Ryan
I didn't have chia seeds, so what can I use to add more moisture? I dont want to add anymore honey.
Lisa
if you add a few more dried apricots to the mix, that should do it. Make sure you get the fruit and nut mixture chopped finely enough to become sticky. Press it firmly into the pan. That should work well. I hope you enjoy!
Susan Green
Lisa, this recipe is delicious and so versatile. My husband says it is like the fruitcake he grew up eating in England. Hope you are enjoying your time there.
★★★★★
Maddy
As a snack addict I’m always looking for healthy options!
★★★★★
Lisa
I hope you enjoy!
Catherine
Lisa, this tastes delicious, but there is not enough moisture in the bars for them to hold... so i am eatng them with a spoon... i think next time i will put more water in the chia or add honey. What do you recommend?
Thanks for all the great recipes!
★★★★
Lisa
Oh no. I'm so sorry the recipe didn't work out for you Catherine. I think you're on the right track to add more honey or water. When you combined everything together, did you use your hands and did it seem to hold together like dough? I think I will explain it better to make sure that a doughy consistency is achieved before pressing it down into the baking pan. I wonder if perhaps you didn't chop the ingredients up enough? If the nuts were in big chunks, that would make it hard for them to stick together. Again, I'm sorry it didn't work out better for you. I hope you have better luck next time.
peter Goldfinger
Look forward to trying!
Lisa
Thanks Peter. I hope you enjoy!
nina mayer
Made a few substitutions because of what I had on hand--these are sensational and so easy!! Had to freeze a bunch so I would stop eating them!
★★★★★
Lisa
That's great to hear! 🙂