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Home » Recipes » Bars and Candies

Date energy bars

Updated: Apr 17, 2026 · by Famidha Ashraf · Leave a Comment
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These no-bake date energy bars with lots of nuts and dried fruits are a perfect sweet snack with your morning coffee or a pick-me-up for a late afternoon. Loaded with nuts, seeds, dried fruits and granola, these energy bars are packed with nutrition.

date paste bars with almonds and chocolate

These energy bars are easy to make with store-bought date paste packs. It usually comes as a 1kg pack, but don't worry, there are ample recipes to use up, like these batheeth or truffles.

All you need to do is mix in your choice of nuts and flavours, shape, chill, slice and eat! I have included a few ideas, but there is no end to variations!

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to make it?
  • Substitutions
  • Equipment
  • Storage
  • Top tip
  • FAQ
  • Related
  • 📖 Recipe Card
  • 💬 Comments

Ingredients

With just 3 main ingredients and a variety of add-ons, you can make several different batches of these date paste bars.

  • date paste
  • whole oats
  • nuts
  • dried fruits
  • desiccated coconut
  • seeds
  • ground spices
  • oil - to grease hands

How to make it?

It cannot be simpler than just adding everything in a chopper or food processor to crumbs and then pressing the dough into a lined pan. Chill and slice to serve. But I am here to tell you what not to do so that you don't end up with greasy jars to clean up.

You don't have to add the date paste to the processor. Use it only to crush the nuts, seeds and dried fruits if making a large batch. Most of the time, I just use a rolling pin and smash the nuts in a ziplock bag. The dried fruits are roughly chopped or added as is.

If you are planning to use pitted dates instead of date paste, then yes, add them to the processor and grind them to crumbs. A little coconut oil will help bring everything together easily in the processor.

date paste bars with peanuts

Substitutions

Date paste: You can use any kind of soft dates like sukary, mabroom, mejdool, etc. instead of the date paste. You will need a cup of tightly packed pitted dates for each batch.

whole oats: You can use any kind of granola. To make this gluten-free diet friendly, use gluten-free oats.

Equipment

  • A rolling pin and a ziplock bag will do the job. But a food processor or a chopper can make it better and easier.
  • A square pan for uniform-sized pieces

Storage

Store them wrapped individually using a cling film, wax or parchment paper and place them in a fridge-friendly container. These date-paste energy bars lasted in the fridge for a week. You can freeze them too, and they do not require thawing.

Top tip

The best way to slice these date paste bars is to use a sharp knife and cut top to bottom by pressing down with the other hand. Don't try the sawing motion.

no bake energy bars with cashews

FAQ

How do you wrap homemade energy bars?

Energy bars are best wrapped individually with a cling film, wax paper or parchment paper, aka baking paper.

Is it cheaper to make your own protein bars?

Yes, it is cheaper and safer, as you know what goes into it.

How long do homemade energy bars last?

The energy bars will last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge or a month in the freezer.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

  • kaak el eid cookies
    Ka'ak el Eid | Date Paste Cookies
  • a plate of chocolate date balls
    Chocolate Date Balls
  • algerian cookies
    Algerian Brâdj | Diamond Cookies
  • batheeth recipe
    Batheeth | Emirati Sweet Date Balls

📖 Recipe Card

date paste bars with almonds and chocolate

Date Energy Bars

Loaded with nuts, seeds, dried fruits and granola, these energy bars are packed with nutrition.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 225.46kcal
By: Famidha Ashraf
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Ingredients
 

  • 500 grams date paste, (approx. a cup of date paste)
  • ½ cup almonds, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dried fruits, chopped roughly (raisins, cranberries, goji berries, apricots, figs, etc.)
  • 2 tablespoons seeds, chia, sunflower, flax, sesame, pumpkin, etc.
  • ¼ cup rolled oats, toasted (or use granola or desiccated coconut)
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips, crushed
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract , (or cardamom or cinnamon powder)
  • coconut oil, to grease your hand while mixing

Instructions

  • Add date paste, chopped nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and toasted oats into a large mixing bowl. You may choose to chop the nuts and dried fruits in a food processor or chopper. You may add any flavour like vanilla extract cinnamon or cardamom. Mix everything well with greased hands ensuring even distribution of nuts to date paste.
  • Line a square cake pan with baking paper and transfer the mixture into it. Press with the back of a measuring cup or spoon to get a smooth surface. If you do not have a pan to use, you may choose to roll the mixture between two plastic sheets to the desired thickness and fix the edges to form a square and refrigerate.
  • Make sure to chill this for at least two hours.
  • Unwrap the chilled dough and use a sharp knife to cut with a top-to-bottom press motion and make equal-sized bars.
  • You may choose to wrap each bar with wax paper but always keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. For longer shelf life, you may freeze them.

Notes

  1. If you plan to make a variety of energy bars like me, then divide the date paste and mix each portion with the planned ingredients.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 225.46kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.64g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6.67g
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

Recipe inspired by my friend, Rafeeda at thebigsweettooth.

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Mr.F and Famidha

Hey, I'm Famidha

As a passionate food blogger, I share a diverse collection of recipes spanning the Middle East and South Asia. With each dish, I aim to spark your culinary curiosity and encourage you to try new flavours and cooking methods. He is Mr F, my unpaid taste-tester.

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