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by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!

If you're looking for an easy no-bake dried fruit and nut bars recipe, I'll happily share my recipe with you!

Great news: You don't need a food processor, parchment paper, or baking tins because you don't need to bake these bars.

Most "granola bars" are a type of snack bar that typically consists of rolled oats, nuts, dried fruits, and a sweetener such as honey or sugar. The ingredients are mixed together and baked until crispy and golden brown. They provide us with a mix of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fiber.

However, my Easy No-Bake Dried Fruit and Nut Bars recipe offers a simple alternative to traditional granola bars. By using just five ingredients—dates, dried apricots, mixed salted nuts, dried cranberries, and honey—you get a delicious and nutritious snack without the need for baking.

The combination of dates and honey acts as a natural sweetener and binding agent which holds the bars together. Dried apricots and cranberries provide additional sweet and tart flavors, while the mixed salted nuts add a savory crunch and a boost of healthy fats and protein.

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Fruit Variations and Adding Rice Krispies, or Natural Peanut Butter

You can add golden raisins (made from green grapes), or regular raisins (made from red or black grapes) to the homemade bars.

Another popular "binder" is Kellogg's Rice Krispies™. Instead of using honey, try using natural peanut butter! The variations are truly endless...

NOTE: To make my no-bake bars, all you need is a big glass bowl and a good stirring utensil. Mix well until they form a sticky mixture that can be easily pressed into these awesome silicone fruit bar molds (from Amazon).

Plus, you get a good arm workout!

Food Vacuum Sealer Surprise!

I didn't know if this would work or not... but it DID! Yay!

Excellent Silicone Molds Available at Amazon

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Using a spoon, press the mixture into the mold cavities with a fair amount of pressure with the back of the spoon so that you get the goodies into the corners!

This simple process makes this easy no-bake dried fruit and nut bars recipe an excellent choice if you're looking for a quick snack option with wholesome ingredients that don't require heating the oven.

Be warned: They are sticky, though. They are the total opposite of a dry hard commercial granola bar, IMHO.

What's In a Traditional Granola Bar Anyway?

Granola is a breakfast and snack food that is made of rolled oats, nuts, honey, and sometimes puffed rice. It's then baked until it is crisp, toasted, and golden brown.

During the commercial baking process, they stir the mix to keep it loose. Dried fruit, such as raisins and dates, and confections like regular chocolate (or dark chocolate) are often added.

Bear in mind when using chips and my no-bake method, the chips won't melt! They'll retain their shape.

When making homemade granola bars all you need is a large mixing bowl and a strong arm to mix the dry ingredients, oh, and the silicone fruit bar mold shown above - or you might like rolling the mix into balls.

Why Bake Granola Bars?

The main reason for baking dried fruit bars or granola bars is to achieve a specific texture and to help the ingredients bind together more effectively. Rolled oats are the most commonly used oats in granola bars and do not need to be baked - but often are.

The first time I baked my dried fruit bars I didn't see much improvement in them keeping their shape. See that recipe and bonus variations here.

I also used my dehydrator to aid in drying them out. What should have been a great snack turned into a bitty mess. Lesson learned. Which is? Don't smash the nuts to smithereens. Just break up the bigger nuts. Consider using sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (pepita seeds) as they're pretty small to begin with and don't need breaking up.

Storing: Store your bars in an airtight container. I use my FoodSaver vacuum sealer and store my bars in food vacuum-sealer bags. I cut a 6" x 10" vacuum sealer bag in half. Seal the end of the cut-off part, et voilà! Two bags from one. You can see me doing all that LIVE in the video in the middle area of the page (below the red molds).

I then put the vacuum-sealed bars in the fridge (because they are ooey gooey sticky!). You may store the vacuum-sealed bars in a freezer bag in the freezer too. 

What About Steel-Cut Oats?

Rolled oats and steel-cut oats are not the same, although they are both come from whole oat groats. A groat is another name for a grain kernel. Whole oat groats are the result of simply harvesting oats, cleaning them, and removing their inedible hulls. They take the longest to cook, though.

1. Rolled oats: Also known as old-fashioned oats, these are made by steaming and rolling whole oat groats into flat flakes. Rolled oats are commonly used in granola recipes and can be eaten raw or cooked.
2. Steel-cut oats: Also called Irish oats or pinhead oats, these are made by chopping whole oat groats into smaller pieces using steel blades. They have a chewier texture and take longer to cook than rolled oats. Steel-cut oats are not typically used in granola recipes because of their dense texture and longer cooking time.

In granola recipes, rolled oats are often baked to achieve a crispy, toasted texture and to help bind the ingredients together. Baking also enhances the flavor of the oats and nuts in the mixture. As mentioned earlier, it's not always necessary to bake the oats in a granola recipe.

Some recipes, like raw granola or no-bake granola bars, use rolled oats without baking them. In these cases, the oats are often combined with sticky ingredients like honey, nut butter, or dates to help bind the mixture together. While the texture may be different from baked granola, these no-bake variations are still tasty and nutritious.

Can I Use Quick Oats?

Quick oats, also known as "instant oats" or "one-minute oats," are a processed oat that has been pre-cooked, dried, and rolled even thinner than rolled oats. This process allows them to cook much faster than regular rolled oats, hence the name "quick oats."

While quick oats can be a convenient option for some recipes, they may not be the best choice for your no-bake dried fruit and nut bar recipe. Here's why:

1. Texture: Quick oats have a finer, mushier texture when combined with liquids because they have been processed more than regular rolled oats. You'll get a softer, less chewy texture in your no-bake bars, which may not be to your liking.
2. Binding: The finer texture of quick oats doesn't bind as well with the other ingredients in a no-bake recipe - compared to regular rolled oats. The bars will be more crumbly and less likely to hold their shape.
3. Nutritional content: Due to the additional processing, quick oats have slightly less fiber and protein compared to rolled oats.

Substitute Brown Rice Syrup or Maple Syrup for Honey if Desired

Substitute brown rice syrup and maple syrup for honey. They make great alternatives to honey in your no-bake dried fruit and nut bar recipe.

1. Brown rice syrup: A natural sweetener made from cooked rice that has been treated with enzymes to break down the starches into simpler sugars. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor and is less sweet than honey. It is an excellent binding agent due to its sticky texture, making it ideal for no-bake bars. It's also considered a vegan alternative to honey.
2. Maple syrup: Made from the sap of maple trees, maple syrup is another natural sweetener that can be used in place of honey. It has a distinctive flavor that goes well with a dried fruit and nut bar recipe. However, it is thinner in consistency compared to honey or brown rice syrup, so you may need to adjust the amount used to achieve the desired texture.

Can I Use Coconut Oil or Almond Butter to Aid in Binding?

In my other dried fruit and nut bars recipe, I did indeed add some MCT oil (coconut oil). To be honest, I didn't notice any benefit in binding the mix using MCT oil. Using something "stiff" like almond butter would have been better. Read more about how to make almond butter here.

Looking to make healthy granola bars, or energy balls shown below? They are similar in some ways but have a few key differences:

Similarities:

1. Ingredients: Both energy balls and granola bars include ingredients like oats, nuts, dried fruits, and a sweetener such as honey or maple syrup.
2. Nutritional content: Both are typically designed to provide a balanced mix of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein for a quick burst of energy.
3. Convenience: Energy balls and granola bars are both portable.

Differences:

1. Shape and size: Energy balls are typically smaller and round, while granola bars are larger and rectangular or square-shaped.
2. Preparation: Energy balls are often no-bake and can be made by mixing ingredients in a bowl and then rolling them into balls. Granola bars, on the other hand, are usually baked or pressed into a pan and then cut into bars.
3. Texture: Energy balls tend to have a softer, more malleable texture due to their no-bake preparation and smaller size. Granola bars are often chewier or crunchier, depending on the recipe and preparation method.
4. Customization: Energy balls can be easily customized by rolling them in various toppings like shredded coconut, cocoa powder, or finely chopped nuts. Granola bars are typically less customizable in terms of individual servings but can be made with a wide variety of mix-ins.

What If I Suffer From Nut Allergies?

For those with nut allergies, simply skip adding the nuts. I would add oats to take their place. Whichever type you prefer, they are still scrummy yummy!

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