Kid friendly, allergy free banana and date granola bars. Nut free, gluten free, dairy free.
 Today has been a day of recipe successes and failures. These banana and date granola bars = success. The banana and zucchini muffins I made earlier = failure. One of these days I will figure out how to make a grain/soy free vegan muffin rise if it’s the last thing I do! Vegan friends – what’s your secret?
But hey, that’s why recipe testing is important. I actually feel pretty bad about that failed venture for my sister-in-law’s sake. She walked into the house to the smell of banana bread only to realize that they made their way to the bin before she could try any for herself….Sorry, Kathryn! I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Next time.
These banana and date granola bars though are another story. They’re soft, they’re chewy, Â and they’re a snap to make. I really love how straight forward these are and I know you will too! There’s not a whole lot of prep involved other than boiling a bit of water to soften the dates. Then all you have to do is basically just throw everything in the blender and stir in the oats. Fast and easy – that’s my kind of recipes. Actually, fast + easy + chocolate is more like it.
There’s not a whole lot to this recipe ingredient wise. In the future I’ll play around some more with the recipe to add some almonds or dried fruit etc, but today I just wanted a simple, allergy free recipe that almost anyone can enjoy. With school back in session for a lot of people, I thought it would be helpful to share an easy, nut free treat that’s safe to pack away for school lunches.
Not only are these banana and date granola bars gluten, dairy, and nut free, but they’re also sugar free as well! Natural sugars > all other sugar, you feel me? The banana/date combo also provides not only the sweetness, but the stickiness needed to hold these bars together.
Banana Date Granola Bars
Kid friendly, allergy free banana and date granola bars. Nut free, gluten free, dairy free.
Ingredients
- 100 grams (about 8) dates with the pit removed
- 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
- 1 banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut oil + 1 teaspoon
- 2 3/4 cup (250 g) certified gluten free oats
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup (45 g) dairy free melted chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F/180°C
- Place the dates in a bowl and cover with the boiling water and leave to soak for at least 5 minutes
- After the dates are done soaking, drain the water and throw the dates in a blender or food processor with the banana, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and baking soda. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the banana/date mixture into a bowl and add the oats.
- Stir until combined, then place the mixture in a greased oven-proof baking dish measuring about 8in x 8inch or smaller or .if you'd like thicker bars
- Bake for 25 minutes until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a bit before adding the chocolate.
- While the bars are cooling, melt the chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil. Once melted,go crazy and just drizzle all over the bars.
- Allow the chocolate to set and store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
bar Calories: 161Saturated Fat: 4gSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 2gRecipe adapted from one I found in the August 2015 issue of the Gluten-Free Heaven magazine.
Linda says
what could I use instead of dates? ty
My 2nd grand baby can’t have peanut butter and she is off dairy so I am always looking for good receipes- Great article
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Linda!
If you’re on the lookout for an oat-bar type snack, I wonder if these flapjacks might be a good fit for what you’re looking for: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/gluten-free-flapjacks/#mv-create-recipe They’re pretty easy to make and you can use coconut oil or vegan butter. One thing I want to suggest though – if you’re making this for a 2 year old then I highly recommend baking the bars for 18-20 minutes at most. They’ll look quite soft still at that point, but will firm up a bit as they cool. If you bake the full length of time they might be a bit too firm for a toddler.
I also think these homemade graham crackers might be a good option for your granddaughter: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/gluten-free-graham-crackers/#mv-create-recipe The only thing that might be tricky with these is that chickpea flour is necessary for the recipe and I know that isn’t always as easy to get as gluten free all purpose flour.
These chocolate chip banana muffins might be another option: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/paleo-banana-muffins/ Again, the ingredients are a bit more specialised because they’re made with grain free and refined free ingredients, but I often get comments and emails from parents saying their little ones enjoyed them. You can also make them without the chocolate chips too by the way.
If you’re prefer a banana muffin without the specialty ingredients then I also have this basic banana muffin recipe: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/gluten-free-banana-muffins/
I hope these recommendations help! If you’d like some more recommendations please let me know – it’s always good for me to keep in mind food intolerances and ingredients specifications when coming up with new recipes 🙂
Shannah says
Have you tried carbonated water yet? It makes matzo balls big and fluffy, and if ya know about matzo is it’s bread crumbs. Try carbonated water in your muffins and see if it works out for you.
Sarah Nevins says
Ooh, no I haven’t but I love that idea! Thank you so much, Shannah – I will try that!
Antonia says
What can I use instead of oats?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Antonia! I’m afraid I can’t give any concrete advice without playing around with other alternatives first. Since this recipe uses quite a bit I’m not sure it would be easy to simply swap out the oats for another ingredient without changing things quite a bit. Sorry I can’t be more help here – I’d just hate to steer you wrong!
Tina says
Used dried apricots instead of dates and white instead of dark chocolate. delicious.
Sarah says
Oooh love the sound of that! Thanks Tina!
Jacqueline Glen says
Thank you for the recipe. They’re delicious and a healthy snack for the whole family!
Sarah says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!
Caitlin says
Are these bars freezeable?
Sarah says
Yes! Just wait until they are completely cooled and then wrap them up tight and you’re good to go!
Nicola says
These are delicious & SOO easy to make! I made a batch for pre-birth so I could have something ready to snack on while nursing that was healthy and nutritious. I added a scoop of whey protein, and crushed hazelnuts for a nuttier consistency. Thank you!
Sarah says
Oooh I love the sound of the hazelnuts! So glad you liked them! Congrats on your new family member 🙂
Lydia says
Hello! These look lovely! I’m wondering if substituting the dates for date syrup might work? Thank you, Lydia
Sarah says
I haven’t tried date syrup in this particular recipe, but I’m pretty sure it would work. I can’t say how much you would need to use. I’d suggest adding the syrup to the banana-oat mixture a little bit at a time until it starts to all stick together. Since there are no eggs in this you can always taste along the way to make sure it’s not too sweet.
If you try it let me know how it goes! Good luck 🙂