Protein Fruit & Seed Bars (2024)

A hearty snack bar – these protein fruit & seed bars also make a great on-the-go breakfast on busy mornings. Packed with seeds & dried fruit all topped off with a decadent layer of smooth dark chocolate!

I use nuts and nut butters in a lot of my desserts, baking and snack recipes. Every time I post a recipe I can guarantee I’ll get at least one person asking for a nut-free alternative. Nuts can easily be replaced with seeds and nut butters with tahini or sunflower seed butter.

I thought it was about time I created a recipe that’s completely nut-free, but still packed with healthy fats & fibre. I also added in some protein powder to make it a more balanced and well rounded snack.

Fruit & seed bars like these make a great nutritious snack. They’re a great source of plant goodness like fibre and antioxidants. They also have added protein to bump up your daily protein intake with each serving containing 9g of protein! Not bad for something that tastes like a dessert 😉

Plus, they’re vegan and gluten-free, so they’re perfect for those with dietary restrictions/allergies/intolerances. You can easily double the recipe to make a bigger batch. You can also freeze leftovers to enjoy later on.

What you’ll need to make these protein fruit & seed bars:

Tahini – A sesame seed butter/paste (like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds). A great source of minerals (copper, phosphorus and zinc) as well as unsaturated fatty acids and some protein. Runny tahini works best as it makes everything easier to mix. I always use Middle Eastern tahini (preferable Lebanese like this brand) as the quality is so much better than those found in your local supermarkets.

Seeds – High in fibre, vitamins & minerals (like vit E, zinc & magnesium) and unsaturated fatty acids. They’re also a source phytochemicals – a form of antioxidant. I like to use a mixture of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc.), but you can use what you have available in your cupboard.

Dried fruit – a great source of fibre and phytochemical. I used dates and dried apricots, but again you can use whatever dried fruit you have available.

Protein powder – I always try to add protein powder to my snacks to make them more balanced. It’s also an easy way to make sure I’m getting enough protein into my diet. You can use vegan or whey protein powder. Flavours like vanilla, caramel and chocolate work best, but you can also use unflavoured.

Chocolate – a dark chocolate coating makes these bars feel a little more indulging and help satisfy a sweet tooth! You can omit if you want a healthier, lower in sugar snack.

Why you need to try these protein fruit & seed bars:

These bars are:

• Nut-free
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• No-bake
• Easy to put together
• Make a great snack or on-the-go breakfast
• Taste delicious
• And you only need 6 ingredients to make them!

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23 Comments

1. 

   Kim PhillipsJanuary 16, 2023 at 10:54 pm - Reply

   These look great! Could I sub chickpea flour for the protein powder?

   • 

     NadiaJanuary 17, 2023 at 4:26 pm - Reply

     Hi Kim 🙂 It should work. I know ground oats/oat flour will definitely work, so in theory chickpea flour should work too. Although I haven’t tried it myself for this recipe.

2. 

   AgnesJanuary 18, 2023 at 5:58 pm - Reply

   
   I really liked it a lot. I followed your recipe almost to the letter, only litle less dates, and apricots became cranberries . But mine did not set well. When I slice it it will fall apart.
   What can I do better next time.

   See Also

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   Groetjes Agnes from The Netherlands

   • 

     NadiaJanuary 19, 2023 at 4:58 pm - Reply

     Hi Agnes 🙂 I’m so glad you like them! Oh how strange! I’ve had a few people send me pics of their bars on Instagram and they held together well. The only thing I can think of is the tahini you’re using may be too thick? A runnier tahini works best. If your tahini is thick you may need to add a little more or you can add a tbsp of melted coconut oil to help the mixture hold better. Let me know how you get on when you try it again! x

     • 

       Bernadette MartinJanuary 20, 2023 at 6:53 pm - Reply

       Hi.
       It’s 244kcal for one bar or the whole recipe

       • 

         NadiaJanuary 21, 2023 at 7:50 pm - Reply

         Hi 🙂 the nutritional information is calculated per bar.

       • 

         CharmsAugust 2, 2023 at 7:18 pm - Reply

         Hi Nadia
         Will the bar hold its shape if I avoid using the chocolate

         • 

           NadiaAugust 3, 2023 at 3:05 pm

           Hi Charms 🙂 The chocolate is optional, so you can omit if you don’t want it.

3. 

   MeeraJanuary 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm - Reply

   
   They’re so tasty and love how healthy they are! They reminded me a bit of halva (because of the tahini), which I adore. Thank you 🙂

   • 

     NadiaJanuary 20, 2023 at 4:27 pm - Reply

     Hi Meera 😀 So glad you liked them! Tahini desserts always remind me of halva too ? add cardamom next time to make them even more halva like 😀 xx

4. 

   KarenFebruary 28, 2023 at 2:40 pm - Reply

   Hi what can replace Tahini with if it doesn’t have to be Vegan? Also, could I use almond meal instead of protein powder?

   • 

     NadiaMarch 1, 2023 at 12:05 pm - Reply

     Hi Karen 🙂 You can use any runny nut butter, or you can use melted butter if you prefer. Almond meal should work, but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t give you exact measurements. You may need to add a little at a time until you get a mixture that hold well together. Would be great to know how it turns out with almond meal/ground almonds, so please let me know if you try it! x

5. 

   MaryanneApril 30, 2023 at 8:44 pm - Reply

   
   Super good. I used my mini food chopper for the dried fruit and about 1/2 the seeds- then it was easy to stir in the rest of the ingredients to get it to stick all together. With some parchment paper on the bottom of the pan – they were a breeze to lift out. Now I need to freeze some so I don’t eat them all at once! Thanks !

6. 

   amelieMay 11, 2023 at 9:08 pm - Reply

   I’m planning on trying the recipie soon, but wondering would it be possible to substitue tahini for greek yogurt?

   • 

     NadiaJune 7, 2023 at 9:45 pm - Reply

     Hi Amelie 🙂 I haven’t tried using yoghurt to make them, so I can’t really say for sure. Let me know if you do decide to make them with yoghurt and let me know how they turn out!

7. 

   Maria MilberMay 15, 2023 at 4:20 pm - Reply

   
   Hi there, would like to try it out! I don’t like protein powder? what can I use ? Thanks so much ?

   • 

     NadiaMay 16, 2023 at 10:10 pm - Reply

     Hi Maria 🙂 You could try oat flour/ground oats instead. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t give you exact measurements. You may need to add a little at a time until you get a mixture that hold well together. Let me know if you try it with oat flour and how you get on 🙂

8. 

   MaryanneMay 28, 2023 at 10:55 pm - Reply

   
   Love these – I put about 1/2 the seeds, the apricots and the dates in a food processor – then stir in everything else. Makes them stick together. 2nd time making them, Yum.

   • 

     NadiaJune 7, 2023 at 9:44 pm - Reply

     Hi Maryanne 😀 So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for your feedback x

9. 

   MichelleJune 18, 2023 at 10:40 am - Reply

   
   Amazing recipe I made it twice and used vanilla protein powder so yummy before and after a workout! Super easy to make as well.

   • 

     NadiaAugust 3, 2023 at 3:09 pm - Reply

     So glad you enjoyed them Michelle 😀 they really are a handy snack to have on busy days ? Thank you for your feedback! xx

10. 

    AndreaJuly 24, 2023 at 6:04 pm - Reply

    Dried or fresh apricots?

    • 

      NadiaJuly 25, 2023 at 3:06 pm - Reply

      Hi Andrea 🙂 I used dried apricots

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