Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars [Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain Free]

These Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars are a simple, yet flavorful blend and so easy to make! Once you try your hand at homemade nut bars, you won’t want to go back to store-bought! Wholesome ingredients, vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free.

About time I get around to sharing these Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars with you! Not that you knew I was holding out, but I’ve actually had these bars planned for months!

One of the reasons it took me so long was the need to buy brown rice syrup. You see, the first time I made these bars (again, months ago at this point), I used honey and they didn’t turn out quite right.  I thought I could beat the system and use the honey I had in my pantry to make copycat “KIND” bars, but I was wrong.

The bars didn’t hold up properly, and the honey wasn’t enough to keep them together. I’ve put these bars on the back burner for such a long time, and then my friend Emilie inspired me to give this recipe another try when she shared her almond granola bars.

Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars

My favorite KIND bar is the Vanilla Blueberry Cashew. I’m obsessed with the true vanilla flavor in those, so naturally I also set out to buy vanilla beans specifically for this recipe. Because I am lazy and didn’t feel like searching for them at the store, I bought mine on Amazon*. (Here is an affiliate link to the ones I bought). This was the first time I’ve used a vanilla bean in a recipe, and let me tell you…I’m obsessed. SO MUCH FLAVOR. I only added one bean to these bars because I wasn’t 100% sure if two would be too much. But now that I think about it, the idea of only adding one vanilla bean to these bars was just silly. What was I thinking? Please use two for this healthy granola bar recipe. 🙂

Ingredients for Vanilla Blueberry Snack Bars

• chopped cashews
• chopped almonds
• dried blueberries
• almond meal
• flax seed (chia seed or hemp seed can be subbed)
• pink salt
• vanilla beans
• brown rice syrup

How to Make These Vanilla Blueberry Homemade Granola Bars

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper hanging over edges. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add chopped cashews, almonds, dried blueberries, almond meal, flaxseed, vanilla beans, and brown rice syrup. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir together ingredients until fully combined. Mixture will be VERY sticky and thick.
3. Transfer mixture into lined pan and press into even layer, making sure to get into all four corners. I used a thick rubber spatula and the pressure of my other hand on the back of the spatula, to evenly press the mixture down into the pan.
4. Bake bars for 18-20 minutes, then allow bars to cool in pan at room temperature. Transfer pan to fridge for 1 hour and allow bars to set entirely. Remove bars from pan using parchment paper edges, and cut into 10 even bars. Wrap bars individually and store in container in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Healthy Granola Bars with Brown Rice Syrup

And like I said before, the brown rice syrup is KEY in getting these snack bars to hold together. This stuff was SO sticky, and a little tough getting into the pan, but that is exactly what you want! I actually used the back of my rubber spatula, then applied pressure with my hand to spread the mixture evenly and push into all the corners. Work those muscles.

How to Use a Vanilla Bean

If you’re new to using vanilla beans, all you have to do is slice open the bean lengthwise, open it up and scrape out the seeds using a spoon or sharp knife. I used this little guide here, from The Kitchn.

How to Store Vanilla Blueberry Snack Bars

I like to wrap my snack bars individually for easy grab-n-go lunch packing. 😉 Store wrapped, in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.

For longer storage, you can also place them in the freezer! Individually wrap each bar in parchment paper and place in a plastic freezer storage bag. Tightly seal, label, date, and freeze for up to 1 month. Simply grab-n-go from the freezer to enjoy as an afternoon snack!

If you make this Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing  from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

How to Make…

Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars

These Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars are a simple, yet flavorful blend and so easy to make! Once you try your hand at homemade nut bars, you won’t want to go back to store-bought! Wholesome ingredients, vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup roughly chopped cashews
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 2 TBS flaxseed (chia seeds or hemp hearts may be subbed)
• 1/8 tsp pink salt
• 2 vanilla beans, sliced & seeds scraped
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup*

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper hanging over edges. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add chopped cashews, almonds, dried blueberries, almond meal, flaxseed, vanilla beans, and brown rice syrup. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir together ingredients until fully combined. Mixture will be VERY sticky and thick.
3. Transfer mixture into lined pan and press into even layer, making sure to get into all four corners. I used a thick rubber spatula and the pressure of my other hand on the back of the spatula, to evenly press the mixture down into the pan.
4. Bake bars for 18-20 minutes, then allow bars to cool in pan at room temperature. Transfer pan to fridge for 1 hour and allow bars to set entirely. Remove bars from pan using parchment paper edges, and cut into 10 even bars. Wrap bars individually and store in container in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Recipes Notes:

You may sub 2 tsp vanilla extract if you don’t have vanilla beans. But the beans definitely bring out extra flavor!

Total time does not count time for cooling in fridge. Total time before bars are ready is about 90 minutes.

This recipe inspired from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 190
• Sugar: 12
• Fat: 10
• Carbohydrates: 21
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 5

Category: Snacks Method: Baking Cuisine: American Author: Ashley Yield: 10 bars 1x

Keywords: Vanilla Blueberry Cashew Almond Snack Bars, Copycat Kind Bar, Blueberry Cashew Bars, Healthy Granola Bar Recipe

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