I have an awesome new recipe for you all today! Introducing my new favorite granola bars – and they are vegan and gluten free, too:
I’ve been really slacking in the recipe creation department lately – I’ve still been making myself healthy breakfasts, packing healthy lunches, and throwing together healthy dinners, but it’s all been super basic, easy stuff that I make all the time. My creative juices haven’t exactly been flowing, especially since I’ve been so busy.
But then, yesterday morning I was reading my friend Gena’s blog and saw her awesome Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Snack Bars recipe; suddenly, I felt inspired to be creative again in the kitchen. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand for Gena’s recipe, so I decided to create my own variation – but I encourage you to check out her recipe as well. It looks great!
Before I knew it, I was preheating my oven to 350 and getting out my mixing bowls. Thanks for the inspiration, Gena. 
Vegan & Gluten Free Granola Bars
Makes 8-10 bars
These granola bars are a nutritional powerhouse; packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, they’ll keep you going whether you need a quick breakfast or a handy on-the-go snack. They also couldn’t be easier to make! *If you need to recipe to remain gluten free, be sure to buy gluten free certified oats and walnuts – they are both naturally gluten free but often contaminated in processing.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp flax meal + 6 Tbsp warm water
- 1 & 3/4 cups oats*
- 1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries (or raisins/cherries)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts*
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (omit if you use salted nut butter)
- 1/2 cup almond butter (or peanut butter)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or agave nectar)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Mix the flax meal with the warm water and set aside to “gel.” This is the vegan equivalent of two eggs!
2) In a large bowl, mix oats, chickpea flour, cranberries, walnuts, cinnamon, and sea salt. In a separate smaller bowl, mix nut butter with maple syrup, then add the flax/water mixture, which should now have gelled, and stir again.
3) Mix wet ingredients into dry. Pour into a greased square or rectangular baking dish (mine is 11×7 but slightly smaller would be better) and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until top is golden brown. Allow to cool, then cut into bar shapes.
Enjoy!
I sampled them immediately and they are DELICOUS – awesome chewy texture and not too sweet but with a lot of great flavor. I’m obsessed and will definitely be making these again soon!
Once the bars were cool, I wrapped them up for easier grabbing and going later this week. A few got wrapped in tin foil… but then I ran out of tin foil and had to put the rest in ziplock bags. I’ll store them in the fridge so they last longer and some might go into the freezer for later, too.
Yum, yum! Let me know how you like the recipe.
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Interested in more granola/snack bar recipes? Check out my other faves:
- 5-Minute No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars (vegan, gluten free if you use GF certified oats) – by far my most popular recipe on the blog!
- Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Granola Bars (whole wheat)
- Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bars (gluten free)