Packed with protein and healthy fats, this recipe for Quinoa Breakfast Bars is easy to prep ahead of time and makes the perfect grab and go breakfast on a busy morning.
*Photos updated 10/1/15*
Hi Friends!
I have another hubby-approved breakfast to share with you guys! They’re a staple in my Sunday Food Prep every week.
Quinoa Breakfast Bars
These bars come together quickly, especially if you have leftover quinoa in the fridge like I usually do. However, you can easily make a fresh batch of quinoa for use in these bars. Just let it cool slightly before mixing up the batter.
Here’s the recipe:
PrintQuinoa Breakfast Bars
A grab ‘n go breakfast that’s tasty and a cinch to make, without all of the added sugar found in store bought bars.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 c whole wheat flour (or chickpea flour to make GF)
- 1.5 c cooked quinoa
- 2 c oats
- 1/2 c nuts, chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 2/3 c peanut butter
- 1/2 c honey
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 c applesauce (or mashed banana)
- 1tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt (if desired)
- 1/3 c craisins
- 1/3 c chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, applesauce, vanilla, eggs, peanut butter and honey in a small bowl and mix well.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just mixed.
- Spoon into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 375 for 20 min or until golden brown.
- Let cool and cut into bars.
- Store in the refrigerator.
I cut these into bars and put each one in a snack size Ziploc bag before putting them in the fridge. That way they were ready to go and hubby could just grab a bag on the way out the door to work. I’d recommend letting them cool completely before cutting.
These quinoa breakfast bars are chewy and delicious- perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They can easily be made gluten-free and are easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins! For variety, make them in an edge pan like this one! (aff link) I often use mine and people always ask where I got it!
You can also halve this recipe and make them in an 8×8 pan!
I make a batch of these every week during my food prep sessions so my hubby has an easy breakfast option during the week. If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!
Looking for more protein-packed breakfasts? Check out some of my favorites:
- Sweet Potato Protein Cookies (no protein powder required)
- Baked Scotch Eggs
- Paleo Breakfast Casserole with Chicken
- Microwave Oatmeal with an Egg
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
I’m just going to come live in your basement and you can cook for me… I want every single recipe you post!!!!
sounds like a plan to me!
Where is the nutritional information
I don’t provide it…but if you’re interested you can always plug the recipe into a free recipe calculator like my fitness pal or spark people!
I used the Spark People recipe calculator with this result (includes chocolate chips): Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 326.5
Total Fat: 13.9 g
Cholesterol: 31.0 mg
Sodium: 188.9 mg
Total Carbs: 46.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.4 g
Protein: 9.9 g
this looks tasty! however when I go to print it only has a few lines not the actual receipe.
so sorry! i’ve been having trouble with the print function.
Yah! Another use for my giant bag of quinoa from Costco!
i buy the same bag 🙂
oooh
these would be MY hubby approved too.
(add yer name to shareholic :-))
which button are you using? the one at the top of the screen or below. bc when i use the one at the bottom, it does have my name!
As I look down at the plain bowl of oatmeal I’m eating for breakfast now ….
This looks WAY better!
These look awesome! I love quinoa but would never think to bake with it!
yep! it’s easy to throw some in stuff for added protein!
Love these– going to make them with honey!! Great snacks for work!
awesome! let me know how you like them!
Oh no only have a couple tbs of honey! what else can i use
you could try with regular sugar….or maple syrup!
I am allergic to peanuts and peanut butter. What would be a good substitute. Thanks
you can use another nut butter if you can have other nuts, or sunflower seed butter, or soynut butter
i’m a big fan of quinoa in the morning – and i agree with you, i think my hubby would like these too!
Yum yum. I need to make these when my sister comes for a visit! Definitely pinning this one. Thanks for sharing!
thanks girl! enjoy!
Is there a healthy sub for brown rice syrup? Sounds delicious, but I don’t exactly own that…
you could use honey! or agave nectar
Yum! Is garbanzo bean powder tough to find? I have a couple of great natural food markets around here, so I’m guessing I might find it there.
i use the bob’s redmill kind and can find it in a few stores…but also check online. or just sub regular flour, or almond flour or oat flour and it should work pretty well!
also called basan flour, available at east indian stores
YUM! Sub for garbanzo bean flour? I’m allergic 🙁
i know i answered this already but just in case others are reading, try regular flour or almond flour or oat flour!
Can you use rice flour?
i’ve never tried! I’ve only used white whole wheat and chickpea flour
This is just what I needed! I’m doing an 8 hour adventure race next weekend and was looking for a bar recipe. Do you think they will hold together well on a trail?
they hold together pretty well but are a bit crumbly. should really matter if you’re eating them outside though!
mmmmm these look divine!
these look so good! i am working on making some big batches of things to freeze for when the baby arrives..adding these to the list!
woohoo!!! let me know how they do in the freezer!
Looks awesome! Yum Yum!
These look great and I love that they only make 6! Sometimes my hubby isn’t on the same healthy eating page as I am so the snacks that make 24 will literally take me forever to eat. LOL!
same! i’m always making half recipes and scaling down to a more reasonable amount!
Yum! I’m always looking for a healthy, yet filling, easy breakfast! This totally looks like it would fit all of the above.
it definitely is!!! enjoy!
I keep on wanting to try quinoa for breakfast, but still haven’t. Thanks so much for this recipe! Now I can make my quinoa breakfast dreams a reality. 😉 Hehe.
yay! love dreams come true 🙂 i also have a recipe for breakfast berry quinoa! https://www.theleangreenbean.com/berry-breakfast-quinoa/
I”m so glad you posted this! I have my own Quinoa breakfast recipe and was pretty bummed that it didn’t come out in more of a “bar” consistency. This looks perfect, and I can’t wait to make it! 🙂
woohoo!! let me know how they turn out for you!
Yum! Pinned and soooo making!
enjoy, love!
I must must must show this recipe to my brother’s girlfriend! My brother was just diagnosed with celiac disease and she is having issues figuring out what she can cook for him (or bake)… Well, her questions are now answered with this recipe! Thank you!
you’re quite welcome! hope she likes!
I don’t know how you always come up with such GREAT recipes! Another wonderful one!
hehe thanks lady 🙂
Quinoa and cranberries! Win-win!
Question, can you make your own garbanzo bean flour? I’ve never seen it in the stores…
i know i tweeted you the answer to this but just in case other people are reading, i buy bob’s red mill and can find it in a couple stores. you can also find it online. and if you can’t, regular flour or almond flour should work!
A busy mother’s dream come true right here!
anything to help a mama out 🙂
when i saw these on instagram, i was smitten. they sound so good! love!!
thanks girl! enjoy!
Quinoa and cranberries?! Omg what a great mixture. This sounds delicious
I think this is gets a hands up, I want more approval! Yum!
hahah love it!
I’m making them right now!!! I used real flour instead of gorbanzo flour so well see! I also added chocolate chips too 😉
yay!! let me know how they turn out!
Looks yummy!
I made these tonight and they came out so delish! I used honey and flaxseed instead of brown rice syrup and chia. I also used 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup chopped almonds…aaaaaand maybe some chopped dark chocolate 🙂 Can’t wait to have another one for breakfast!
yay!!! love the sunflower seed addition!
These look lush! I will have to give these a try this weekend as I have been looking for a quick breakkie to take on the train. Thanks for sharing!
you’re welcome! let me know what you think!
A recommended sub for the egg to make these vegan??
you could try a flax egg?
Silly question…is it one cup of quinoa before or after it has been cooked? I made these using one cup pre-cooked. The bars were yummy, but holy quinoa!
i use one cup of leftover quinoa…so it’s one cup of already cooked quinoa! if it was too much for you you could try cutting back next time and they should still work just fine!
I had the same question!! 🙂
your bars look delish! i’ve recently been diagnosed w/ type 2 diabetes. are these ok for me to eat? know of any good, SIMPLE cookbooks for small recipes. just me and my mom to cook for. thanks!
I just made these 🙂 Cant wait to taste!
yay! how were they?!
I just made these and they are yummy but I made some substitutions I used millet instead of Oats, and Almond Butter instead of Peanut butter. Finally Maple Syrup (local amber. so good) instead of the brown rice syrup.
awesome!! glad you liked them!
Campy, I’ve never cooked with millet before…did you just throw it in raw or did you cook it in water first? I’m going to substitute it for the oats. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try these. Gonna try raw pumpkin seeds for my daughter and pomegranate craisins.
LOVE pumpkin seeds!
I have been meaning to make this for a while and finally had a chance this week. I subed the flour with Oat Flour and then used a combo of pumpkin seeds and almonds. The only issue I had was they are very dry and fall apart. The picture doesn’t appear to do that. Did I do something wrong?
hmmm i’m not sure! i’ve noticed that when i make them with chickpea flour they are much more crumbly than when i make them with whole wheat flour. i think it’s because they’re gluten free….so you might have had the same issue with the oat flour. i’ve also started using a whole egg instead of just the white.
I have been dreaming about these bars for a while and finally made them (so easy!) and we love them! Two questions, do you put the yolk in (with the rest of the ingredients) or omit it entirely. Also, do you have any idea about the protein content per bar? Thanks!
These look amazing! Just a quick question, is there a non-nut substitute for the peanut butter? I want to make them for my stepmom and me but she’s allergic to nuts 🙁
can she have sunflower seeds? you could use sunbutter!
Thanks for the recipe, Lindsay! I loved these! I added choco chips and blueberries. Will be making by the dozen from now on!
I forgot to ask in my previous comment..have you ever tried freezing these? I would love to make many at once, but I don’t know if they lose their good consistency when frozen. Alternatively, any suggestions on how long they can be kept in the fridge? Thanks!
Hey Lindsay. Just wanted to update you to let you know that I successfully froze these bars after making a huge batch. I put half in the fridge, and defrosted the others the night before and they were still great for breakfast!
do you happen to know the nutritional breakdown for these?
i don’t. but you can put the recipe into the spark people free recipe calculator real quick to find out!
Thanks for this recipe! I made these yesterday using crunchy PB, pumpkin seeds, and dried cherries (that I got in a foodie pen pal box 🙂 ) and they turned out awesome. I ate one before working out this am and it was a good amount of fuel to get me going but not too much where I got sick while running. You rock Lindsay!
Awesome recipe! I followed it exactly. DH just couldn’t wait for them to cool so we inverted them out of the pyrex dish and cut them up while they were warm. Lots of soft yummy crumbs – next time will let them cool completely to make less of a mess.
Wow, these are sooo good! I batch cooked some things yesterday so I froze all but 2 for this morning. Hubby commented, I can’t believe these are so good for being healthy. I ate mine after my workout and was in LOVE! They are def going to be part of my weekly routine and are coming out of the freezer now. :). Thanks Lindsay.
i’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
Hi Lindsay, My teen boys and I always seem to be racing out the door in the morning so I definitely needed a ‘grab-and-go’ breakfast. I have been looking for a recipe for a healthy AND tasty breakfast bar… this is it!! I can’t thank you enough for sharing. The only thing I did differently was cook the quinoa in water and apple juice for a little added sweetness.
How do I print a recipe with out the comments? I do not see a print button.
If you go to the recipe tab and search for quinoa breakfast bars you’ll find a printable recipe!
Saw these on NBC4 today. Will have to try (I am a quinoa newbie!)
Awesome! Let me know how they turn out!
What kind of oats? steel cut? quick cooked oats?
i just use regular rolled oats.
Are the Oats cooked or uncooked?
uncooked!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made them with a flax egg to make it vegan, and the substituted sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter for the nuts and peanut butter to make it nut-free. They tasted great! I did end up with strange looking dark green splotches, which I think is from the sunflower seed butter reacting with the baking soda, so I’ll try mixing it more thoroughly next time.
Thanks for posting your results Jen! I was hoping that someone had tried them with a flax egg to veganize. I am planning to make these soon. 🙂
we double the cranberries, use half walnuts and half pecans, and substitute almond butter for the peanut butter — divine.
★★★★★
OMG! I just made up a batch of these and they’re so amazing. I was a bit nervous thinking that they wouldn’t have much flavor, but they really taste great. I used quinoa flour, toasted almonds and goji berries in place of the craisins. So tasty! This is going to be my new afternoon snack!
I’m so so happy to hear you liked them Jackie!
I was tripling the recipe and totally didn’t triple the honey. I did wind up adding some chocolate chips in, so they do help sweeten it up. They are still good, and we have already ate almost half of what I kept out, as I did freeze a bunch. So next time I make them, I am sure they will be 3x as good! lol
haha excellent 🙂
They are so easy to make and I like that they are not too sweet. I didn’t have peanut butter so used almond butter. I also used reduced sugar craisins. This is definitely going into my recipe box.
★★★★★
awesome! i’m so glad you liked them!
I have one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, known as my nine year old son. I made these today. I cut off a small slice for everyone to sample before packaging them up. My son reluctantly took the small bit from me and took a bite, then shoveled the rest of the piece into his mouth! He along with everyone in the house loved them! I packaged them up for the week and he has been begging for more. I am now making another batch after dinner so he can have a whole bar. Thanks for sharing your recipes! The Bayne household thanks you !
I love these! I make them on Sunday night and then don’t have to worry about breakfast all week!
One question, though – Does anyone have a rough idea of the nutritional information for these bars? I know it will vary depending on what you’re making them with, but I’m just curious to see what they might be. Thanks for any help!
glad you like them! you can plug the recipe into my fitness pal or spark people to calculate the nutrition info!
Perfect! Thanks!~
Any alternative for the oats? I’m super sensitive and I still can’t have the GF oats. Maybe more quinoa?
:-/
hmmm not sure. you could maybe try a little more flour?
Hi Lindsay, quick question: baking soda? I have never used it for cooking before so im kinda scared to put it if you meant baking powder?
★★★★★
you can definitely use it for baking! i use both baking soda and baking powder in a variety of baked goods!
I’m also allergic to oats which is a huge bummer. I feel ya! A couple dozen comments above, I read that someone substituted millet for oats. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s a good thought!
let me know if you try it!
Do you have the nutrition facts on this recipe?
I don’t. But you can always put it into the recipe calculator on my fitness pal or spark people to find out!
Made these yesterday and topped with almond butter.. SOO good for breakfast today. Very filling!!
What is the nutritional information for this?
This is great – these quinoa breakfast bars sound super tasty. I am obsessed with quinoa and have recently replaced it as a morning staple.
I am eating one of these as we speak and I love them! I used diced up organic gala apple instead of the craisins… these are SO GOOD!
★★★★★
that sounds amazing. must try soon!
I also used chopped walnuts as the nut. They are really good 🙂 I take them out of the fridge, put them in toaster oven for like 2 minutes and voila!
Do you have the nutritionals for this? I put it into a calorie calculator and it came up at 461 calories, 59 carbs, 20 grams of fat and 16 protein. Is this right?
I don’t have them. That sounds pretty close…maybe a bit high…but it depends how many servings you cut them into.
I am not a fan of quinoa, so made these with the quinoa flakes (1/3 cup flakes, 1 cup water, microwave for 2 min) and fell in love with the dough. Next time, going to try these without the egg and baking soda to make them less like a cookie.
Love love love these! My kids and I are alike are huge fans. I tried one version with applesauce, craisins and almonds and another version with bananas, peanuts and a few mini chocolate chips . Both were fabulous!! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hello, I made a huge batch of quinoa and have a big batch in the oven now, I made it in a larger 9×13 pan and it seems to be taking a bit longer to cook…
I charged a few things to make them more a PB and Jam feel subbing jam for apple sauce (sugar free of course) and adding some shredded coconut on top…
Waiting for them to cool a little , And they are delicious thank you
★★★★
glad you liked them!
What is the calorie count for these bars?
I don’t have it but you can upload the recipe into my fitness pal to get it!
Hi Lindsay, I’d like to try making these breakfast bars. However, my fiancé really has an aversion to peanut butter. Do you think Nutella as a substitute would be a good alternative?
Thank you,
Marcy
After doing the calorie math, I don’t think this would be a good option for my family, if I were to keep it at 6 bars a batch. It comes out to about 350 calories, which is a whole lot for one person, even if that’s all they were having for breakfast. If it’s cut into 12 bars, it would be closer to 175 which is a little better but you’re not getting much to satisfy. All the ingredients are healthier than the junk companies put into breakfast bars, but again, not sure the calories make it great. I’ll try to make it sparingly though!
★★★
Totally up to you. I cut into 8 bars and it works great for a breakfast for my husband. That’s all he eats so I don’t consider it to be too many calories…but if it doesn’t work for your family, hopefully you can still enjoy them as an occasional snack!
I absolutely LOVE these bars! I’m reactive hypoglycemic and they keep my sugar very steady and full for 3 hrs! I cut into 9 bars and more than enough for me with a piece of fruit. Yum yum!!!!!
★★★★★
glad to hear it!
Made these for breakfast prep before clinicals! One bar and 1/2 an apple keep me going till break! I added maple syrup instead of honey and hulled hemp hearts instead of chia. No chocolate in these (saved it for the sweet potato bites 😉 but added craisins! Very good! Second week making these! Thanks for the recipe!
awesome! glad you like them!
Love these they taste great! I think next time tho ill use more oats and less quinoa…mine also didnt turn out very moist, they seem to crumble easily but still taste great!
hope that fixes the problem!
I just made these and they came out a bit bland. I would definitely recommend adding the chocolate chips. I found the mixture very difficult to mix as well since it was so thick…not sure if this was because i used flax eggs instead of regular eggs.
★★★
thanks for the feedback. i like them with the chocolate chips as well. the mixture is definitely thick…but i think real eggs would add a bit more liquid than flax eggs.
Lindsay I made these last night. It took me a little while due to all the ingredients. Turned out soooo delicious. They remind me of a cliff bar but BETTER! Thanks so much!!
so glad you liked them!
Hey new Mama! I just made these and they smell divine!! Thank you for the recipe! Can’t wait till they are done cooling so I can cutg them!
hope they turned out well!
i am always browsing recipes but find I never have the exotic ingredients….dried newt powder and seaweed syrup anyone? But I had every ingredient for this in my fridge and pantry and whipped up a batch with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.
They are awesome and a new fave for me to fuel my crazy days. Thanks so much!
yay! so glad you enjoyed them!
Do these have to be refrigerated because of the egg? I like to keep goodies on the cake stand on the table because the family sees them better and will scarf them down.
★★★★★
They’re fine on the counter for a few days. They’ll just last a bit longer in the fridge.
Hi,
I love the bars. Could you please let me know where you found your baking form….. I especially like the crust 🙂
Thx, Daniela
★★★★★
it’s not available anymore but there are links in my recent food prep post to similar ones!
Hi Lindsay,
How do I find the posts that contain that info… as there are so many. Any tips?
Thx, Daniela
here you go: https://www.theleangreenbean.com/sunday-food-prep-inspiration-103/
I can’t have any nut butters, boo hoo, was hoping you would have a suggestion for a substitute. Thanks
hmmm i don’t really have any other ideas besides something like a seed butter like sunflowerseed butter
These are great! Do you have the nutrition facts? My husband and I both had a similar portion this morning (the 8 pieces you suggested) and it was big for me. I’m 5’0 and 115lbs (trying lose 5-10) so i want to make sure I’m not over doing it.
They are fairly calorie dense. You could always cut into 12 bars instead.
I tried to read through most of the comments so I didn’t repeat a question. I know you said Garbanzo bean flour can be used (or oat, whole wheat, etc). I am new to GF cooking so I had a question. If I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All purspose Flour would I have to add xantham or anything? Thanks!
i don’t think so? but i’m not sure. i don’t do much gluten-free baking. i do have a guest post about gluten free baking that will be published on wednesday so you might want to check that out in a couple of days!
i don’t think so? but i’m not sure. i don’t do much gluten-free baking. i do have a guest post about gluten free baking that will be published on wednesday so you might want to check that out in a couple of days!
Hi these sound awesome but I’m allergic to nuts 🙁 is there something i could substitute for the peanut butter and pecans????? Please help!!
you could leave the nuts out. can you have sunflower seed butter or soynut butter? you could substitute those
I am new to your blog – saw it yesterday for the first time via FB. I am eager to try the quinoa breakfast bar recipe, but can’t seem to get the print button to work – it only prints the prep time, cook time etc. I suppose it is user error, but wondered if anyone else has had this problem. Thank you!
i have had a couple people have this issue. i apologize. i’m working on getting it fixed but it’s not done yet.
These look delicious! I don’t like paleanut butter or anything similar to it however. Can I leave it out or use anything as a substitute? Would a syrup or normal butter work instead?
i’m not sure. the only substitutions i’ve made are to make with different types of nut or seed butter. you could try with regular butter but i would cut back on the amount and maybe add more applesauce?
Love these! Any ideas on how to make without nuts/peanut butter? There are nut allergies in our family. Thanks.
you could try sunflower seed butter? or soy nut butter and mix in some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds!
Somehow I managed to leave out the flour. I was thinking as a put it in the oven how strange it was that this recipe didn’t have flour, then I realized it was supposed to. It turned out delicious it just doesn’t stick together so if you don’t want to use flour and you don’t mind using a fork you’re good!
OMG! I did the same thing, just made these amazing breakfast bars for the first time(it will definitely not be the last). Once the pan was in the oven I was going over the recipe when I realized I didn’t add the flour! No worries, they baked up perfectly, and taste delicious! Only one substitute, no applesauce so I diced and stewed a med. apple (unpeeled)
Are these quinoa breakfast bats 21 day fix approved?!
i’m not sure what the requirements are for that program
I love these first thing in the morning, they make for a fantastic breakfast treat, and what’s more, all the family enjoy them too (even the kids!) – perfect! 🙂
so glad you like them!
How long will these keep in the refrigerator?
about a week!
Can I substitute the flour for oat flour?
You can try. They may be a little crumbly, I haven’t tried it.
These taste so much better when you eat them out of the fridge! I ate the first one out of the pan and it was just okay, but out of the fridge they are great!
Can these be made without the chia seeds?
★★★★★
yep!
I was wondering if the Quinoa needs to be cooled before putting this recipe together? Or is it OK to make while still warm? This is my first time making Quinoa. lol
Thanks so much for this recipe, I am excited about trying something new!
i wouldn’t use it super hot, but i don’t think it has to be fully cooled.
Just wondering if I can’t get chickpea flour if these will work with simply gluten free flor?
it should!!
How long can these keep for not-refrigerated?
I’d say maybe 4-5 days?
these sound fantastic, pinned to make soon!
I want to add a little pumpkin puree to these, how much would you suggest I add?
you could try subbing some of the applesauce for pumpkin!
Another Lindsay & RD!
Made this last night and was surprised as to how tasty it was! Love that it’s packed full of protein, whole grains, omega3’s, & fiber. SO wholesome and healthy, healthy, healthy! Thank you for this great recipe!
Can you omit the chia seeds? I have everything else, but they are hard to find where I live.
yep! that would be fine!
Just delicious! I am a mommy to a one year old and a commuting student. Which means I needs something full of good nutrition and fast! These freeze really well too might I add. I love them and so do my husband and little one.
glad you guys like them!
I want to veganize these. They look like a great take along for the week!
So I made these last night and they are starting to turn green today? Has anyone else experienced this?
did you use sunflower seed butter?
Yes, as my son has a nut allergy. Is that why? They taste fine just a very odd color.
yep! it often turns things greenish when used in baking. totally normal and safe to eat!
I made these but they were kind of crumbly – didn’t hold together really well which made it messy to eat. Is that how they are?
Mine always crumble a little bit when I cut them but typically hold together pretty well as a solid bar.
I’m allergic to oats. Any suggestions for a substitute?
No really. You could try just leaving them out…or mixing in something like shredded coconut?
I made these and we just had them for dessert. I think they will be good for a quick breakfast or even mid-afternoon snack. It’s a great way to get your whole grains. I used raisins instead of craisins & went with the applesauce with no added sugar. I also let the batter set after adding the chias so they would gel. The ingredients aren’t listed in a logical order. i didn’t use the chocolate chips. Only because if I open the bag for 1/3 c the others seem to disappear. I think next time I will modify and cut back on the honey and use a little stevia. Apple slices would be good too.
Could I make these with a flax egg? My sweet baby is allergic
i haven’t tried but i think it would work!
I think I may have misunderstood the definition of “cooked quinoa”. I bought the dry ready to eat kind rather than boiling it in water to cook it. When I made these today and they came out dry (kind of like over cooked brownies) is that how they usually are? Or did I just mess up?
by cooked quinoa i just meant you cook the quinoa first before you use it in the recipe, not put it in dry!
I love these. They are so easy to make and I get 20 bars from one batch. I switched out peanut butter for almond butter and I always use bananas. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
I just made these and although the batter was finger licking good, the bars after they came out of the oven were very bland. I’m so disappointed that I just wasted all the ingredients. Just curious, but how sweet are the bars supposed to be? The batter was really sweet but after baking them, they were extremely bland.
So sorry you were disappointed. They’re not designed to be overly sweet…I rely on the cranberries and chocolate chips to add some sweetness.
Hi! Thanks for the great recipe! My toddler loves them and I would like to be able to give them to my 11 month old as well. He cannot have honey until after a year–any suggestions for honey substitute?
you could use maple syrup!
I make these every other week, but mine are not chewy. They’re more like cake. I follow the recipe as it is published, and I have tried decreasing the applesauce, but the bars are still cakey. Any thoughts, suggestions?
They definitely won’t be chewy. Mine are always more cakey!
Was looking for a recipe to use up some over ripe bananas and quinoa languishing in my pantry. Followed the recipe except forgot to add the 1/2 cups of nuts (oops). These are very hearty and not too sweet. My teenager likes them…very convenient, self-serve breakfast. I cut mine in smaller bars to have along with some yogurt in the morning. Pretty likely that I’ll make again, maybe with applesauce next time.
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Could you make these without nuts for little ones that can’t chew them well yet? Or would it require an ingredient substitute?
yep! you can leave them out!
Your recipe is amazing. I always found quinoa’s taste weird when I substituted for rice. I guess protein bars are perfectly made with quinoa. 🙂
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Woops! I am not spam 🙂 For some reason my link wasn’t working, but I fixed it. Thanks for this recipe, it was super easy, healthy, and yummy!
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