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. Â 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!
- 2 cups gluten free oats
- 1 cup brown rice cereal (I like Erewhon)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup flaxmeal
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 1-2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used soy) (as needed)
- 1/4 cup non-dairy dark chocolate chunks (optional)
- 1/2 cup nondairy dark chocolate chip/chunks
- 1-3 tbsp non-dairy milk
- Pinch of salt
- 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.
More Gluten Free Granola Recipes to Love:
No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Squares
Isn’t tahini the best??? Love what you did with it here. These look incredible.
Oh yes, love the stuff. I buy tahini 2 jars at a time!
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!
Oh yeah, homemade is so much better than packaged. However, my hubby has a bad habit of buying them too! Thanks, Emily!
I love making my own portable snacks! Can’t wait to try these granola bars! Love the tahini and dark chocolate combination!
Homemade snacks are the best! Thanks, Taylor!
These look amazing! Way to step them up with the tahini twist, can’t wait to give them a try!
Thanks, Sarah! I love the way the tahini complements the dark chocolate. Hope you love them!
Drooling over here! Definitely putting these in my NEXT healthy snack roundup.
Oh, awesome. Thank you, Kerri!!
These look awesome!! I never would have thought to use tahini just like PB when it comes to baking. Can’t wait to try these!!
You’ve gotta try it, Rebecca! Tahini is so good in baking…especially paired with chocolate. Enjoy!
I love granola bars, they are a constant staple at our house. These look perfect!
Here too! So perfect for grab-n-go fuel! Thanks, Kristina!
Wow do these look good! I love tahini, and anything topped with melted chocolate 🙂
Gotta have chocolate – always! 🙂 Thanks, Maria!
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!
Thanks, Jessica. I really love tahini paired with chocolate – it’s a fave combo of mine!
How long can these be stored? Not that I expect them to last long!
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!
Have never used tahini with chocolate..this is seriously innovative!! yum!
Thanks, Pragati! It is such a great combo! You definitely need to give it a try!
Chocolate and tahini in bar form.. I’m in love. I need these NOW!!
Yes, yes you do! HaHa! Thanks, Megan!
I love these granola bars. They are great for a snack or a quick breakfast. That extra chocolate drizzle will definitely make my day better. That Tahini is such a wonderful touch to a granola bar. I would never have thought of putting it in a granola bar.
We never say no to chocolate around here. And dark chocolate is actually good for you! Thanks!
Tahini? Dark chocolate? GIMME 😀 They sound delicious!
Right? What could be wrong with that combo? Nothing!
I really REALLY want these now Jenn! Look sooooo dang good!
Do it, Brandi! They are so quick an easy!
And chewy on the inside!! Woahh, I never made granola bars but it really looks easy to make. Super tasty too!
Super easy, Howie! You should definitely give them a try!
These look great – can’t wait to give them a try 🙂
Thanks, Emma! Let me know if you do!
These look just perfect! I’d love to munch on them and that also without any guilt, knowing that they’re healthy!
Thanks, Madiha!
I am a big fan of granola bars and take one to work with me for afternoon snack most days.These look so good and will be joining me at work very soon!
Thanks, Mel! I just ate ANOTHER one. I think I may have an addiction to these now. 🙂
Absolute perfection! Looks absolutely delicious!
Aw, thank you, Byron!
Love these! YUM! Any healthy snack for my kiddos is a win with me!
Oh yeah, gotta keep those kiddos happy, right?!
Yes! Or else all hell breaks loose…LOL
YUM!! These look amazing!
Thanks so much! I hope you give them a try!
These look amazing, Jenn! I can see why they didn’t last long in your house. I’d have a hard time not eating all of them.
Thanks, Linda! My kids love anything with chocolate (and so do I)…pair it with tahini and OMG!
These look so good! I once was gifted chocolate tahini and it was one of the tastiest things everrrrr. I need these bars in my life! But I’m a little worried they might all ‘go missing’ very quickly lol!
Oh my, chocolate tahini….how perfectly delicious is that?!
I’m crying these are so perfect! Chocolate and tahini….everything I want in life! Haha! Fabulous bars! For real, you need to try Soom’s chocolate tahini…sooo good!
Crying from joy? Now that’s good feedback!! 🙂 I have never heard of Soom’s but I will definitely check into it! Thanks for the tip!