Vegan no bake blueberry muffin granola bars are soft, chewy, and full of sweet, juicy blueberries. Made with 6 healthy ingredients, gluten free, and fruit sweetened!
Happy February! I love February because I love Valentine’s day – if you need some chocolate + strawb v-day recipes see here, here, and here! But I also love February because to me, it’s the last official month of winter. Yes, I live in Ohio and it’s not out of the ordinary to have one last snow in March. BUT let’s just pretend that isn’t a thing and that we’re THIS CLOSE to warmer, pretty spring days.
In honor of seeing the warm, sunny light at the end of the dark winter tunnel, let’s make something fruity! These vegan no bake blueberry muffin granola bars are a fun spin on my favorite no bake granola bar. I was SO happy when I made that original version, and have made lots of flavors since. Granola bars are seriously perfect any time of day – enjoy one as a snack to hold you over until dinnertime, or as a grab and go breakfast.
Ingredients for vegan no bake blueberry muffin granola bars
- Rolled oats:Â use old fashioned, rolled oats for the best chewy texture.
- Ground flaxseed: flax gives the bars more nutrition and helps hold them together.
- Medjool dates: you’ll blend the dates with hot water to make a paste, which naturally sweetens the granola bars.
- Nut butter: cashew butter is the best choice here, because it’s the most mild in flavor (versus something like peanut butter, that would definitely overpower the lemon). Make sure to get oil-free, unsweetened nut butter to avoid the junk added to a lot of store-bought nut butters.
- Vanilla extract: vanilla flavors the bars and goes great with the blueberries.
- Blueberries: you’ll press some blueberries on top of the bars, as well as mix some into the granola bar batter. I usually use frozen berries, but I recommend fresh here for the best texture.
Tips for making vegan no bake blueberry muffin granola bars
- Heat up the nut butter if it’s too thick to mix. A lot of natural nut butters are pretty thick, so feel free to microwave it for 30 seconds-1 minute to loosen it up and make it easier to incorporate into the granola bar batter.
- Refrigerate overnight. The granola bars need to set up in the fridge, so just set the pan in there overnight. The next morning you can cut them into bars and store in the fridge.
These vegan no bake blueberry muffin granola bars come out super chewy, soft, and perfectly sweet. They’re bursting with bluebs, and combined with the chewy oats and sweet vanilla, totally gave me all the muffin vibes.
Xo,
Sara
Vegan No Bake Blueberry Muffin Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup date paste – I blend 15 pitted medjool dates with 1 cup hot water, then measure out 1 cup paste
- 1/4 cup nut butter – I use cashew butter, but almond butter would also work. Peanut butter works too, but would definitely change the flavor of the bars
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup blueberries to mix into the batter
- 1/4 cup blueberries to press into the top
Instructions
- Line a square pan with parchment paper or saran wrap.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats and flax.
- Add the date paste, nut butter, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine. If your nut butter is too thick, heat it up in the microwave until it’s a little more loose so that it’s easier to mix in.
- Carefully mix in the blueberries.
- Press the mixture into the pan, top with the rest of the blueberries, and refrigerate overnight to set.
- Cut into bars, then store in the refrigerator. They will be pretty soft, so if you want them a lot more sturdy, I would keep them in the freezer and set them out for a few minutes before you take them on the go!
Can you dehydrate these?
Hi, Myra! These aren’t meant to be dehydrated, I keep them in the fridge or freezer. I’m not sure how it would go if you dehydrated them, but let me know if you try it out!
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