Bars & Balls Recipes Snacks Vegan Whole30

Banana Bread Date Nut Energy Bars [ copycat recipe ]

Name: Banana Bread Date Nut Energy Bars [ copycat recipe ]
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup mixed nuts (I used 1 cup almonds, 1/2 cup walnuts. Cashews also work here.); 6oz dried baby bananas (1 heaping cup); 10 medjool dates, pitted; 1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional

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New favorite snack bar alert –> Banana Bread Date Nut Energy Bars. This copycat recipe tastes identical to the store-bought version. Just three ingredients, vegan, paleo and no sugar added.

Do you know what makes me really excited?

When you can make one of your favorite store-bought snack bars at home, and they taste identical 😀

I discovered the Banana Bread Larabar flavor during my Whole30 and could not get over how amazing it tasted. I’m a sucker for anything banana bread, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when I became obsessed with that flavor. And the when I read the label to see only three ingredients listed–dates, dried bananas, almonds– it was mind-blowing. Okay, maybe that’s just me? I immediately thought “There must be a way to make this at home… I just need to find some dried bananas.”

I remembered that Trader Joe’s is like a mecca for all dried fruits. They have EV-ERY-THING. If you’re familiar with TJ’s you know what I mean. When I was up in Grand Rapids last month (the closest location to me) I of course had to scope things out in the dried fruits section. I found the beloved dried baby bananas* and I knew that this copycat recipe could happen.

ingredients for copycat banana bread date nut energy bars dried baby bananas, dates, almonds, walnuts

Yes, they look a little funny. Just trust me.

What you need

medjool dates
dried bananas
nuts

YEAH. Just three ingredients are needed for this recipe. The Larabar recipe calls for almonds but I threw some walnuts in there for funsies. Walnuts are actually really good for you too. Great for your heart and your brain. 😀

Just like my other date energy bars / ball recipes, I use my Breville food processor*. I honestly can’t recommend this food processor enough. We received it as a wedding gift and it is the BEST. If you’re looking to up your homemade snack game, a food processor (or heavy duty blender) is definitely a must. I remember scrolling through Pinterest several years ago and pinning lots of different energy ball and snack bar recipes, only to realize I needed a food processor to make the recipe… and I didn’t have one. *womp womp* I would get so frustrated! So if you find yourself in that boat, seriously just get the food processor. It is life-changing. You can make tons of homemade snack bars, nut butters, shred veggies, make scones, and you can even use it for preparing cake batter.

But back to these Banana Date Nut Energy Bars

They take less than 20 minutes to throw together from start to finish.

You start by pulsing the nuts until they reach a coarse meal. Then add in the dried bananas and pitted medjool dates. I also added cinnamon, but that is optional.

Keep pulsing the ingredients together until mixture is sticky enough to where the nuts aren’t too crumbly.

Then transfer the mixture to a lined pan and pop in the freezer for 10 minutes to set. You can also place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Once the pan has chilled, all that is left is cutting the energy bars into desired number of servings. I went with 12 energy bars here.

Oh yes, you could also roll these into little balls and would get about 24 rounded tablespoon sized balls if going that route. Either way, they taste delicious and just like rich banana bread in no-bake form! New favorite homemade energy bar recipe for sure.