Blueberry Almond Granola Bars made with raw almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, and bursting with dried blueberries. A healthy granola bars recipe made without refined sugar. Gluten-free, vegan.
When the summer heats up like we are experiencing right now, I find myself eating smaller meals and more satisfying snacks in-between.
I am a repeat consumer of those delicious KIND bars (can’t seem to ever pass them up in the checkout aisle). But as much as I love them, making my own version at home seemed much more cost effective.
And, adding my own whole ingredients felt like an even bigger win.
With seven simple ingredients—almonds, cashews, freeze-dried blueberries, hemp seeds, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla—you get the perfect sweet, salty, and crunchy combination all in one bite.
Tips for this recipe:
Due to using an unrefined sweetener like maple syrup, it is important to let the blueberry almond granola bars set up overnight. These no bake granola bars will look set after a couple hours, but will not hold together well if cut at that point.
It is also helpful when pressing the nut mixture into the pan to pack it down as much as possible. Use an extra sheet of parchment paper for this as it will be sticky!
Other granola bar recipes:
No-Bake Granola Bars with Maple-Sweetened Dark Chocolate
Blueberry Almond Granola Bars
Blueberry Almond Granola Bars made with raw almonds, cashews, and hemp seeds, and bursting with dried blueberries. A healthy granola bars recipe made without refined sugar. Gluten-free, vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw almonds
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup freeze dried blueberries
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup (heaping) creamy salted almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
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Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Place the almonds and cashews on a cookie sheet and toast in oven for 5-8 minutes, careful not to burn. Set aside to cool. Once cool, roughly chop about half of the nuts. Place nuts in a large bowl with freeze dried blueberries and hemp seeds.
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In a small saucepan, combine almond butter and maple syrup on low heat, stirring frequently. Once thoroughly combined, remove from heat and add vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Pour almond butter mixture over nut mixture and fold with a spatula until nut mixture is evenly coated.
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Transfer mixture to the lined baking dish, and using a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, press mixture into baking dish until completely packed down (including corners!).
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Place baking dish in fridge and allow to chill overnight before cutting into bars. The bars will seem set after a couple hours, but they will not hold together well unless they are able to set up overnight.
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Once set, cut into bars and wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Anything blue berry and count me in Tessa! These look jam packed with goodness!
You know I’m a big fan of grab n go snacks and these bars are perfection, Tessa! Super simple yet packable for any road trip! I gotta get my hands on some freeze dried blueberries… cost effective and no waste to throw away after you unwrap them! A win-win!
These didn’t seem to stick together. I used flax seed instead of hemp seed but left the rest the same. Is there a way to make them stick?
I’m so sorry! I don’t think the flaxseed sub should have made a difference. Allowing them to set overnight in the fridge has always worked for me, but you could try cutting them after they’ve chilled for several hours and then allowing them to chill more in their cut form. I hope you were able to use them as a granola of sorts or protein bites!