Healthy Date Bars Recipe

This vegan Healthy Date Bars Recipe is gluten free and contains no refined sugar; these bars have sweet, nutty flavor and subtle notes of caramel and a hint of vanilla.

I recently found a huge bag of dates tucked into the back of my pantry. I’m not one to waste food if I can help it, and I wanted to find a way to use them. Crumb bars came to mind!

Dates make a delicious filling for crumb bars because they’re naturally sweet and have subtle notes of caramel. Plus, dates are packed with fiber and are a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Oats and almond add nuttiness, and cinnamon is the perfect spice to accentuate the flavor profile and pull everything together in this Healthy Date Bars Recipe.

What Are Crumb Bars?

Crumb bars typically have short, buttery base layer, some kind of fruity filling, and a crumbly top layer.

The fruity filling can be just about anything you like, but the trick is to make it thick enough to be able to cut it into bars without the filling oozing everywhere.

For these Date Bars I went with dates as the filling because they’re quite thick when pureed. I used coconut oil instead of butter in the base and topping to keep this recipe vegan.

Healthy Date Bars Recipe

These Date Bars are a delicious, nutrient-dense breakfast, snack, or dessert. They're gluten free, refined sugar free, and vegan.

And they're very easy to make!

The top and bottom crust are made from the same dough, which you can make in the food processor. For the date filling, soak dates in water and then puree until smooth. And then it's as easy as putting it all together and baking the bars!

Vegan Date Bars Ingredients:

I wanted to keep the ingredient list for these Gluten Free Date Bars as short as possible. Additionally, I wanted to utilize ingredients that are minimally processed.

• Almond flour
• Old-fashioned rolled oats
• Coconut sugar
• Whole almonds
• Golden flaxseed meal
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Pure vanilla extract
• Unsalted butter
• Medjool dates
• Boiling water

How to Make Healthy Date Bars

Get out the ingredients to make these Date Bars.

The first step is to make the crumble part. You will use the same crumble for the top and bottom crust. To make the crumble, add the almond flour, oats, coconut sugar, almonds, golden flaxseed meal, salt, and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse a few times.

You can add the vanilla and coconut oil with the motor running until it forms a dough, or pour the almond flour mixture into a bowl and mix in the vanilla and coconut oil by hand. It will form a crumbly dough.

Press ⅔ of the crumble into the bottom of a prepared 8 by 8-inch baking pan.

At this point, it's time to make the date filling. Soak the pitted dates in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Puree the dates along with their soaking liquid and cinnamon until smooth.

Spread the date filling evenly onto the bottom crust.

Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the crumble mixture on top, lightly pressing it down.

Bake until the bars are golden. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then use the parchment paper to pull them out and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the Date Bars are cool, cut them into squares.

And if you want to really gild the lily, drizzle melted dark chocolate on top and let it harden before serving.

All About Oats

Oats Nutrition

Oats are a whole grain that many people incorporate into their diet. They have a variety of different health benefits and are naturally gluten free.

Oats are a bit high in carbohydrates though, so if you’re following a low carb or keto lifestyle, be aware of your portion size and see if you can fit oats into your daily meal plan.

Oats Health Benefits

One of the biggest health benefits of oats is fact that because of a type of soluble fiber that they contain, called beta glucan, oats help reduce LDL (i.e. “bad”) cholesterol.

Fiber from oats also helps control blood sugar, helps ease constipation, and can help you feel fuller longer so you eat less throughout the day.

Read more about the health benefits of oats on WebMD, Medical News Today, and Everyday Health.

Are Oats Gluten Free?

Yes, oats are gluten free.

The biggest concern with oats is the potential of cross-contamination if they’re processed in a facility that processes ingredients containing gluten.

If gluten sensitivity is an issue, look on the product’s packaging to make sure that brand is certified gluten free.

Oats Nutrition Information

According to the USDA Nutritional Database, one serving (½ cup/40g) of old-fashioned rolled oats has the following nutrition information:

• 150kcals
• 5g protein
• 5g fat
• 27g carbohydrates
• 4g fiber

More Crumb Bars Recipes:

• Cherry Cobbler Cheesecake Bars
• Paleo Apple Pie Bars
• Blueberry Almond Streusel Bars
• Low Carb Fathead Blueberry Cobbler Bars

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic and #healthysweeteats on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith

Gluten Free Date Bars with Almonds and Oats (Vegan)

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

This vegan Healthy Date Bars Recipe is gluten free and contains no refined sugar; these bars have sweet, nutty flavor and subtle notes of caramel and a hint of vanilla.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Top and Bottom Crust:

• 1 ¾ cup almond flour
• 1 ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole almonds
• 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 10 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

Date Filling:

• 1 ½ cups whole Medjool dates (pitted)
• ⅔ cup boiling water
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F; line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with a piece of parchment paper.
2. Add the almond flour, oats, coconut sugar, almonds, golden flaxseed meal, salt, and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop the nuts and oats a bit. Pour the almond flour mixture into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla and coconut oil. Alternatively, still in the food processor with the motor running, drizzle in the vanilla and coconut oil until incorporated.
   
3. Press ⅔ of the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
4. For the date filling, let the dates soak in the water for 3 minutes, and then add the dates along with the liquid and the cinnamon to a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Pour the date mixture on top of the crust in the prepared baking dish and spread it out. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the crust mixture on top, lightly pressing it down.
   
6. Bake until the bars are golden and have set, about 35 to 45 minutes. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then use the parchment paper to pull them out and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. Cool completely before cutting. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

• If you want to really gild the lily, drizzle melted dark chocolate on top of these bars and let it harden before serving. It's a match made in heaven!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Calories: 319
• Sugar: 16
• Sodium: 155
• Fat: 22
• Saturated Fat: 11
• Carbohydrates: 30
• Fiber: 5
• Protein: 6

Keywords: Date Bars, Date Bars Recipe, Healthy Date Bars, Healthy Date Bars Recipe

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