I've been in a bit of a recipe rut lately. That is until I came up with these Puffed Quinoa Oat Bars. They're really easy to make and a perfect healthy snack on the go. I've never really made my own granola or oat bars before. A week ago I picked up a box of organic granola bars at the store. When I got home and looked at the ingredients I was a bit mortified. OK yes, I know, ALWAYS look at the labels at the store, and don't EVER assume just because it's organic and vegan that it's healthy.
So, obviously, I had to make my own. The recipe I made is a very basic oat bar recipe which leaves optimal room for adding whatever ingredients you want and like. I used pureed bananas to bind everything together instead of relying on a sugary mass. Mix all the ingredients together...
...and spread them on a baking sheet. This is where you can be "creative". The puffed quinoa oat bar mixture can easily be formed into any shape you like. If you like square oat bars, make a giant square. Want them as circles? You can do that too :) I'm boring, so I just like plain rectangular oat bars that were about an inch thick.
Bake them in the oven and eat. On the other hand, you could also turn these into a real treat! Dip them in some melted vegan chocolate chips or drizzle them with chocolate. You could also take it to a whole other delicious level by dipping it in melted coconut butter. Might sound a bit weird but it's not. Coconut butter will harden back up in the fridge or on your counter, depending on how warm it is in your house, leaving a delicious coconut butter shell on your oat bars. They remind me of those yogurt-dipped granola bars, just that these taste better :)
These were a big hit with both of my boys. They helped me make these but mainly just loved eating them. They're great for toddlers too. I did have to make a separate batch without the whole almonds for my 1yr old though. Either way, I dare you to have fun with this :D
Puffed Quinoa Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas Pureed - 1 cup
- 2 cups Quinoa puffed
- 1 cup Oats Rolled
- ½ cup Almonds whole raw
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
- Vegan Chocolate Chips melted , optional
- Coconut Butter melted, optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 355F (180C).
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In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients with a spoon.
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Spread mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using your hands, form a rectangular that is roughly 1 inch high.
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Bake in oven for 20 minutes until golden.
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Remove from oven. Once cooled, cut into 10 bars using a sharp kitchen knife.
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Drizzle with or dip in melted chocolate chips and coconut butter and allow to fully cool. (optional)
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Store in airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
1) This is a very basic puffed quinoa oat bar recipe. Feel free to add other ingredients to your liking. One that I found worked well are; chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruits, chia seeds, flax seeds, and nuts.2) Make sure the bananas are thoroughly pureed. Chunks of bananas will cause the oat bars to fall apart.
Want to try a different puffed quinoa recipe? Try my Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars or Puffed Quinoa Protein Balls.
Never heard of puffed quinoa before? It's quinoa that has been popped (think popcorn kernels into popcorn but much smaller). It still has all the same nutritional value as cooked quinoa and makes a great addition to cookies, muffins, cereal, and oat bars like these. You can make your own or buy it here.
Love coconut butter but think it's too expensive? Learn how to easily make your own!
Browse through some of my other Vegan Quinoa Recipes below!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
these look great Vanessa! pardon my ignorance but what is puffed quinoa? I mean is it a cereal like puffed rice ? sounds interesting!
Vanessa says
Hi Manali,
Puffed Quinoa is amazing! It's very similar to puffed rice but the texture is more like that of popcorn. To me they taste the like tiny popcorn balls :) They still have the same health/nutrition benefits of cooked quinoa.
Manali @ CookWithManali says
Thanks Vanessa...will look out for them!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
These granola bars sound so perfect! I love that you dunked some in chocolate and sprinkled some coconut on top! Yum!! :) Pinned!
Anna Brewer says
I love this recipe! Packed full of good stuff but really tasty - I love the texture, sort of like a flapjack, and the banana sweetens it just enough for me. I like mine with dried cranberries added in, or of course chocolate chips, but I basically vary it each time. Sometimes I make these in silicone muffin cases to make easier portions.
Maria G. says
These look simple and healthy, and we have lots of bananas! I just wanted to know if they are cruncy or soft or chewy or what the texture is like? And how sweet are they? Thanks for sharing!
Vanessa says
Hi Maria,
These are definitely not overly sweet oat bars. Most of the sweet taste you get is from the Bananas. If you do dipp them in chocolate then it will obviously become sweeter. As for the texture... They are chewy with a crunch thanks to the almonds :)
Maria G. says
OK, thank you! Might try them out if I can find a substitute for puffed quinoa.
Julia says
How about puffed amaranth?
Vanessa says
Hi Julia, Yes! Puffed Amaranth works really well with this too :)
Jesse says
I just found this via foodgawker, looks yummy!
Vanessa says
Thanks Jesse,
It's really yummy :)
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love making my own snack bars.. so this recipe is just perfect for me! Thanks for the idea!
Ellie says
Is there an alternative to puffed quinoa? Would regular quinoa suffice? Also, are they quite firm once cooked? Want to taken them on a long cycle, which means a few hours in my pockets.
Vanessa says
Hi Ellie, regular Quinoa won't work. Though you can puff it yourself. I think the link is in the post. Alternatively, you can use most other types of puffed cereal (puffed rice, puffed Amaranth works really well, puffed Kamut..etc. ) as long as they are on the smaller size, so no popcorn. How warm does your pocket get? :) If you think a regular piece of chocolate will melt in your pocket on your bike ride then these will too. I'm sure if wrap them correctly and don't put them in a backpack or so then they should hold together for several hours. Enjoy! They're really delicious :)
Gisela says
Oh my gosh, these are awesome! Found your recipe through tumblr (can't remember who linked it though .. sorry!) and tried them out today. I added some mini chocolate chips since I'm a choco-holic and used these spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Great little snack before my workout. The only problem now is that my fiancé is going to love these ... probably a bit too much (none left for me boooo). Oh well, anything to get him to eat healthier snack options than chips I guess! :)
Thank you so much for sharing! :)
Vanessa says
Thanks for your sweet comment, Gisela. The spices you added sounds like such a delicious combination. I'll have to try it out the next time I make these. Oh and the best advice I can give you is: HIDE THEM! :)
Trinity Bourne says
These ingredients are awesome. Healthy, tasty and all my favourite ingredients. Yum!
mC says
Hi!
Sounds stupid but... can I use previously frozen bananas ? thx!
Vanessa says
I'm sure you could as long as you let them thaw completely :) You don't need pretty bananas for this recipe.
Marilyn says
I love these! I never knew what to do with my puffed quinoa and this is just perfect. Plus, I like the fact that it is a good source of protein. :)
Vanessa says
Thanks Marilyn, These really are great and you can customize them with different nuts, chocolate, or whatever else your heart desires :) I also made some other puffed quinoa recipes you might be interested in as well :)
Meg says
Would steel cut oats work as a replacement to the rolled oats? Has anyone tried this?
Vanessa says
Hi Meg, I don't see why not. I just had rolled oats on hand for these oat bars but using steel cut oats shouldn't make a difference.
Jenine Opp says
I can't wait to try these, do you think chai seeds pop?
Vanessa says
HI Jenine, As far as I know I don't think you can pop chia seeds. How amazing would that be though? I think they might just be too small and dense for that to work.
Jennifer Glave says
Thanks for posting your recipe, I'm anxious to try it. I've been looking for an alternative to sticky sweetners to bind my bars together. Your puréed banana idea is genius.
Vanessa says
Thanks Jennifer, I think the bananas give it the right amount of sweetness plus if you add chocolate chips to these bars it won't end up tasting like pure sugar. Hope you like them :)
Anne @ artygreeninparadise says
This looks like a fabulous recipe - healthy and tasty - I'm looking forward to trying it!
Aimee says
Hello. Thanks for the recipe. Love it. My only problem is they seem to fall apart rather easy. Some I can cut into nice bars but most crumbles. Any suggestions?
Vanessa says
Hi Aimee, I haven't run into the problem of them falling apart. Did you bake them long enough? Maybe if your bars were thicker they might need to be in the oven a bit longer to help them bind together a bit better. Or you can try adding a bit more puréed banana next time.
Aimee says
Will try that. I definitely cooked them long enough. But will try more banana puree. My boyfriend and I still really enjoy them. So happy to have found this recipe. I have wanted to make my own granola bars as we are cutting down sugar. Thank you
Cindy says
Where do find pop quinoa? I make my own bars also but I have been using agava to bind them and I was looking for a different recipe to try and get away from agava. I'm so confused they say agava is ok for u then u read where it's not good for u, I'm trying to cut down on all processed foods and eat healthy !i enjoy ur site! Thanks!
Vanessa says
Hi Cindy, I try to stay away from agave as well. There's a lot of misinformation on the web but as far as I can tell agave is highly processed. I like to stick to pure maple syrup or just sweeten with fruit when I can. I'm so glad you're enjoying my site :) Also lovely to hear! You can sometimes find puffed quinoa at health food stores. I usually just buy it through amazon. It's usually cheaper. Alternatively, you can also make your own using regular quinoa. I haven't had a chance to make it myself but have heard of other doing so successfully.
Tracy Carr says
Hi could I substitute the oats with something else? Would love to make these but my daughter is coeliac so can't have oats
Thanks
Vanessa says
Hi Tracey, You could try substituting them with a gluten-free flour mix. I can't tell you for sure how that will turn out as I haven't tried it. If you do, let me know :)
Cattina says
You can buy gluten free oats. Try looking for Bob's Red Mill. They have a rather large selection of gluten free items and baking products...Hope that helps!
Carol says
I am wondering if you use the quick oats or the long-cooking oats - thanks.
Vanessa says
Hi Carol, I used regular rolled oats for this recipe, not quick oats :)
Courtney says
Great recipes, 5g of sugar per bar - although natural is still a little much for me. Can you leave out the male syrup at all? I know that would help bird the mixture though :(
Vanessa says
Hi Courtney, Some of the sugar is from the Bananas as well. You can definitely omit the maple syrup. It won't affect how they bind together. The banana and oats help with that :)
Ruby says
Hey these look so yum. I have exams coming and am planning on making some in advance as in-between-exam-fuel. Any idea on how long they last?
Vanessa Croessmann says
I would keep them in an air tight container or at least plastic wrap in the fridge and eat them within 5 days. Good luck on your exams!
chloe hodgson says
is it possible to freeze these? x
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Chloe, I haven't tried freezing them but I don't see why not. Let me know if you do ;)
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
These look delicious! I need to find some puffed quinoa so I can try them. Love the GIF!
Kim says
Where do you get puffed quinoa. I have been searching all over for quite sometime. The store clerks look at me like I'm crazy when I ask.
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hey Kim, They used to sell them in bulk on Amazon. I just checked and I only found these ones there now --> http://amzn.to/28ZiSdE Occasionally, I see them at some health stores. Otherwise, you can always make your own which will be much cheaper and isn't too hard. Just keep a close eye on them in oven since they can burn quickly if forgotten. Here's a step by step on how to make puffed quinoa. Hope that helps.
JRF says
What is the shelf life on these? Do they need to be refrigerated because of the banana?
Vanessa Croessmann says
Yes, definitely refrigerate these and eat within a week :) hope that helps!