Tri-Colored Quinoa Nutty Snack Bars ~ Gluten free
Tri-colored quinoa nutty snack bars are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
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I’m super excited to share these snack bars with you. They have some of my favorite ingredients like tri-colored quinoa, dates, pumpkin seeds, and nut butter. I used almond butter in this recipe, but feel free to use any flavor of nut butter you like.
Chocolate drizzle on top of these nutty snack bars is optional, but I think it looks nice. Another option is to drizzle some warm nut butter on top.
Red and tri-colored quinoa are my two favorite types of quinoa…to be honest, the only two types of quinoa I actually cook with at this point. Maybe it’s because of the milder flavor.
Any color of quinoa is fine for this recipe except for flakes. This amazing gluten-free grain provides all nine essential amino acids as well as a good source of protein, iron, and dietary fiber.
- Medjool dates
- Old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free if needed
- Tri-colored quinoa, or any color you prefer
- Mixed nuts, I used roasted and salted
- Pumpkin seeds, raw or roasted but not salted
- Chia seeds
- Almond butter, or other favorite nut butter. I think cashew and natural peanut butter would be nice options too.
- Honey, I used raw local honey.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips ~ I used Enjoy Life Allergy-Friendly Dark or Semi-Sweet Chips
Store quinoa bars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in an airtight container at room temperature for a week. I freeze mine, but they do need to sit out for a few minutes before eating.
Enjoy!
Tri-Colored Quinoa Nutty Snack Bars
Ingredients
- 5 Medjool dates pits removed
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats gluten-free if needed
- 3/4 cup uncooked tri-colored quinoa or any color you prefer
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts I used roasted and salted
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds raw or roasted but not salted
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup almond butter or other favorite nut butter. I think cashew and natural peanut butter would be nice options too.
- 1/3 cup honey I used raw local honey.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300. Line an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. This really makes removing the bars from the pan easy.
- In a large mixing bowl add quinoa, oats, chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds. Stir to mix.
- Add pitted dates to a food processor and pulse to form a smooth paste. Add almond butter, vanilla, honey, and salt. Pulse to mix completely.
- Add processed mixture to dry mixture and mix with your hands. I used gloves; it's very sticky but much easier to mix this way.
- Press mixture firmly in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 23 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack before removing it from the pan. This could take up to an hour. Drizzle melted chocolate overall. Remove from pan and cut into serving pieces.
Nutrition
Inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction, 1 Bowl Quinoa Crunch Snack Bars.
