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Tahini Dark Chocolate Vegan Granola Bars – Nut free, gluten free, high in protein, calcium and fiber – the perfect anytime snack!
Summer calls for lots of portable snacks as you make your way from adventure to adventure, or when you just can’t be bothered to come inside. Granola bars are traditionally an easy take along snack that everyone loves. Sure it’s easy to buy a box or two at the grocery store and there are even some decent healthy brands available, but it’s actually really easy to make your own at home, too. These nut-free Tahini Dark Chocolate Vegan Granola Bars are the perfect anytime snack and would also be a great lunchbox treat.
Tahini – it’s not just for hummus! It the perfect replacement for nut butters if you have a nut allergy or if you can’t send nut products with your kids to school. It’s made from ground sesame seeds and is high in potassium, iron, calcium, protein, vitamin E and lots of B vitamins. Tahini, with its creamy, earthy, nutty flavor, is just as delicious in sweet dishes as it is in savory ones. And trust me, it’s the perfect pair with dark chocolate just like in my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes!!
I made two versions of these. The first one had dark chocolate chunks in the mixture. The second one (pictured here) had a dark chocolate drizzle over the top. Personally, I liked the second version better because the tahini flavor was more pronounced, but both ways were excellent and I’ll give directions for both below.
We had two batches of these vegan granola bars in the house and they still didn’t last very long. They kids were all over these! They thought they were so good they wanted them as their dessert after pretty much every meal. I started cutting the long bars into smaller squares, so they could essentially have one piece at every meal and still only have the equivalent of one bar during the day. While these bars have some incredibly healthy ingredients (oats, flax, chia, sesame seeds) they do contain a decent amount of sweetener, too. It’s probably healthier than most granola bars at your local grocery store, but I still recommend limiting how many of these you consume at one sitting. 🙂
These hearty granola bars are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. If you like a really crispy bar, you can bake them for a bit longer…just watch them so they don’t burn.
I can see these bars making an appearance in my son’s lunchbox this year. They contain plenty of protein and fiber, so you can even send one of these as the main lunchbox component. Round out the lunch with some fruit and veggies and you’re done!
Tahini Dark Chocolate Vegan Granola Bars
I hope you love these Vegan Granola Bars as much as we do. If you try them, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!
Tahini Dark Chocolate Vegan Granola Bars
Ingredients
Granola Bars
- 2 cups gluten free oats
- 1 cup brown rice cereal (I like Erewhon)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup flaxmeal
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅔ cup brown rice syrup
- 1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used soy) (as needed)
- ¼ cup non-dairy dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Dark Chocolate Drizzle
- ½ cup nondairy dark chocolate chip/chunks
- 1-3 tbsp non-dairy milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper (make sure its long enough for the ends to overhang) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown rice cereal, cinnamon, flax meal, chia, sunflower seeds and salt. Mix well.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the tahini, vanilla and brown rice syrup. If mixture is really thick, add 1 tbsp of non-dairy milk at a time and whisk again until the mixture is pourable.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while continually stirring to mix well. Add the chocolate chips, if using, and mix well.
- Once everything is incorporated well, pour the mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan. Press the mixture down into an even layer with your fingers. It helps to slightly wet your hands before pressing.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes until golden on the top and starting to firm up. The bars will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes until you can lift the bars out easily by holding onto the ends of the parchment paper. Continue to cool the bars on the parchment paper on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Cut into bars or squares and continue to cool if they still feel soft.
- Once the bars are completely cool, whisk the dark chocolate chunks in a double boiler until melted. Add 1 tbsp of non dairy milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. You want it thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the bars. Drizzle onto the bars.
Nutrition
More Gluten Free Granola Recipes to Love:
No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Squares
Eliana says
Hey! Thanks for sharing! They look amazing.
Can I ask please what are the alternatives for rice syrup? Do you think molasses should work? It what else do you suggest?
Thanks for replying.
Greetings from Cyprus!
Jenn Sebestyen says
You can use molasses, but it’s a very strong flavor. I would suggest maybe 3-4 tablespoons molasses mixed with pure maple syrup to make up the difference. You can also use honey or agave syrup Both sweeter than brown rice syrup, though, so I would suggest using half the amount and increase the amount of tahini and milk called for to get the right consistency. Let me know how it goes.
Joanne says
Hi! Just wondering if you store these in the fridge or at room temp? Thanks!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Joanne. I usually keep them out for a day, but after that in the fridge. Hope you like them!
Julie Running in a Skirt says
Isn’t tahini the best??? Love what you did with it here. These look incredible.
Jenn S. says
Oh yes, love the stuff. I buy tahini 2 jars at a time!
Emily Kyle says
I can see why these didn’t last very long, they look amazing! I am going to have to try these so I can get my husband off those nasty, prepackaged ones! These look SO MUCH better!
Jenn S. says
Oh yeah, homemade is so much better than packaged. However, my hubby has a bad habit of buying them too! Thanks, Emily!
Taylor Kiser says
I love making my own portable snacks! Can’t wait to try these granola bars! Love the tahini and dark chocolate combination!
Jenn S. says
Homemade snacks are the best! Thanks, Taylor!
Sarah says
These look amazing! Way to step them up with the tahini twist, can’t wait to give them a try!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Sarah! I love the way the tahini complements the dark chocolate. Hope you love them!
Kerri Olkjer says
Drooling over here! Definitely putting these in my NEXT healthy snack roundup.
Jenn S. says
Oh, awesome. Thank you, Kerri!!
Kristina - Love & Zest says
I love granola bars, they are a constant staple at our house. These look perfect!
Jenn S. says
Here too! So perfect for grab-n-go fuel! Thanks, Kristina!
Maria says
Wow do these look good! I love tahini, and anything topped with melted chocolate 🙂
Jenn S. says
Gotta have chocolate – always! 🙂 Thanks, Maria!
Jessica - Nutritioulicious says
How fun! I’ve been seeing tahini used in more and more recipes lately, and you can’t go wrong when you have that drizzle of chocolate!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Jessica. I really love tahini paired with chocolate – it’s a fave combo of mine!
Sydney says
How long can these be stored? Not that I expect them to last long!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Sydney. We usually have them eaten in just a few days around here, but I would guess they would probably last about a week. I usually store homemade granola for a week and it’s fine. I hope you enjoy!