No-Bake Snack Bars for Kids Recipe Highlights
For food allergy families like us, planning school lunches/snacks is very important because we must ensure that all the food our child eats while in school is safe. Of course, I can buy many allergy-friendly snacks, but I prefer to make everything from scratch. That way, I can be 100% in control of what is in it. One of my go-to snacks is protein/energy bars. They are incredibly delicious and filling. Win-Win. When it comes to protein/energy bars, I love to try different combinations, flavors, and textures. Also, they are super easy and quick to make. These allergy-friendly protein bars are convenient, a quick little snack that is neatly wrapped and ready to go. No baking is needed! I added some M&M’s chocolate candies to make the bars fun and visually appealing for my kids. The kiddos found them irresistible and gave them plenty to ooh and aah over. They’re easy to make at home, super tasty, and much more affordable than store-bought. For on-the-go convenience, use parchment paper pieces to wrap individual bars.
Old-fashioned rolled oats: Do not use steel-cut oats since they are too chewy for this recipe. Rice puff cereal or quinoa puff Nuts: I added pistachios because they’re safe for my daughter, but if you cannot eat nuts, just omit them or replace them with roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds. Dry Fruit: I use Cranberries, but feel to use raisins, apricots, mangos, or other dry fruit of your liking. Hemp seeds: For an extra boost of protein! Unsweetened coconut flakes M&M’s chocolate candies: You can substitute them for regular chocolate chips. Honey Brown rice syrup: You can substitute it for maple syrup. Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half. Vanilla extract: Reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation for optimal flavor. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract! If you are looking for non-alcoholic vanilla flavoring, I recommend Simply Organic Vanilla Flavoring.
Want to make this extra decadent? Drizzle some melted chocolate overtop before chilling the no-bake bars. Brown rice syrup is a sweetener derived from brown rice that is gluten-free and vegan. If you cannot find it at your local stores, I have linked it in my recipe card to buy online! Don’t let the mixture sit too long after stirring together, or it might start setting, making it hard to press into the pan.
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NUT-FREE: Substitute nuts for roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds. DAIRY-FREE: Substitute chocolate candies/chips for a dairy-free alternative. My fave are these.
Storage
To store, transfer the bars to an airtight storage container with parchment paper between them. For on-the-go convenience, use parchment paper pieces to wrap individual bars. The bars will last up to 7 days. May refrigerate to extend storage. If you like less sticky bars, I recommend that you keep them in the refrigerator.
Freeze
Place bars in an airtight freezer-safe storage container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Then, wrap them individually or place parchment between each piece so you can pull them out as needed.
Recipe Card 📖
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking. This recipe was originally published in August 2015. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information were added to the post in March 2023 to make it as helpful as possible!
