If you are looking for a naturally healthy treat, this recipe for Sugar Free Granola Bars is perfect. A little salty and a little sweet, the best thing about these Sugar Free Granola Bars is what they don’t have:
- No sugar
- No artificial sweeteners
- No gluten
- No dairy
- No animal products (Vegan)
And you want to know what’s even better? These Sugar Free Granola Bars taste delicious. Like so scrump-delicious that I have had to put the kibosh on making them since I can’t seem to stop myself from eating the whole pan. Clearly, I am an abstainer, not a moderator.
Benefits of Coconut Nectar
One of the things that makes these Sugar Free Granola Bars both yummy and healthy is that they’re sweetened with coconut nectar. If you haven’t yet heard about coconut nectar, it’s the latest darling in the natural sweetener family. Derived from the coconut blossoms, not the fruit, it tastes more like a mild molasses than a coconut. It also has a really low glycemic index so it won’t cause your blood sugar to spike, and then crash. Also, since coconut nectar is naturally sweet straight from the tree, it doesn’t need to be processed. Which leaves all of the enzymes, vitamins and minerals intact.
Sugar Free Granola Bars Are High Protein
Made with walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and flax, these Sugar Free Granola Bars are high in protein and chock full of fiber, but low in saturated fats. Which is exactly what we all want in a snack. They’re also seriously easy to make — 15 minutes prep time, tops. And they freeze beautifully.
The only drawback that I find with these Sugar Free Granola Bars (which I disovered on Goop, but have altered a bit since they had some ingredients on my Food Sensitivity List) is that they don’t really hold their shape. If you use raw flax seeds instead of toasted, they hold together a little more, but here’s the rub. I like the way they taste better with the toasted flax seeds. Your call. And if you want to substitute nuts, feel free. Just make sure that whatever you swap for the walnuts is another oily nut.
Sugar Free Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup whole raw almonds
- 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/3 cup flax seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon All Spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt like Maldon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup coconut nectar
- 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º
- Place 2 cups of the oats and all of the walnuts into a food processor and pulse until the consistency of flour.
- Combine your walnut/oat mixture with all of the other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Line a 9x12" inch sheet pan or pyrex dish with parchment paper and grease with olive oil. **
- Press your granola mixture into the pan, making certain that it is as even as possible. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into 12 bars.