Sugar free and vegan puffed quinoa bars made with raw cacao, dates, and nut butter. These no bake snacks are a healthy gluten free riff on a prairie classic, puffed wheat squares.
A midweek pick-me-up! I’m bringing a prairie classic, puffed wheat squares, over to the healthy plant based world today with some chocolate puffed quinoa snack bars. You know what? I love them even more than the corn syrup laden version I grew up (obsessively) eating. You can find puffed quinoa online and in most grocery/health food stores.
This version is sugar free, made with dates to hold everything together and adding that much needed caramel flavour. Using puffed quinoa makes these gluten free and a little healthier than puffed rice.
I think quinoa has a nicer texture as well – I don’t usually buy it but Graham brought a bag home from work and this recipe has been on my list for a long time!
The bars take about five minutes to make, then half an hour in the freezer – sorry! – before they’re ready, but still, no bake and so simple. Not eating the whole thing before it makes it to the bar stage is the hardest part.
I usually choose peanut butter for these but other nut and seed butters will work the same way, and if you ever have hazelnut butter around, make sure to use that. These are oil-free as well.
If you like rice crispy squares, you’ll like these puffed quinoa bars. They’re not super crisp but have the same kind of idea behind them – definitely on the softer side, but so is puffed quinoa to start with. If you have had puffed wheat squares, they’re pretty spot on. Same goes for if you like chocolate, nut butter, and eating several bars in one sitting and feeling good about it.
We finished this batch in two days, mostly me, but I blame it on hormones. As if that would’ve made a difference, hah. So good!
I know I’ve been on a bit of a chocolate snack kick lately – these healthy brownies and flourless chocolate cookies are some examples – but it’s what’s happening in my kitchen right now. I’m starting to feel a bit desperate for warm weather and chocolate is always a good idea, especially when it’s so good for you.
There’s an older recipe I shared a few years ago for peanut butter puffed wheat squares made with kamut puffs, but I used honey or brown rice syrup there to sweeten them. I think these are even better and definitely prefer the date-sweetened version these days.
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via email, facebook, and pinterest.
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Snack Bars
Sugar free and vegan puffed quinoa bars made with raw cacao, dates, and nut butter. These no bake snacks are a healthy gluten free riff on a prairie classic, puffed wheat squares.
Ingredients
- 100 grams / 3 cups puffed quinoa
- 130 grams / 1/2 cup soft dates, packed
- 130 grams / 1/2 cup nut butter
- 125 ml / 1/2 cup nondairy milk*
- 20 grams / 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt**
Instructions
- Line a 20cm / 8 inch square baking tin with parchment paper and place the quinoa into a large mixing bowl.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the dates and nut butter.
- Blend on high until smooth, then add the milk, cacao, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until fully combined.
- Add the date mixture to the quinoa puffs and mix until combined, then press into the lined baking tin. Use damp hands to really press it in and try to make it as even as possible.
- Place the tin in the freezer for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for a couple of hours, before cutting into 16 squares. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container.
Notes
* Any non-dairy milk can be used here. I usually use oat milk.
** The amount of salt can be reduced here if your nut butter includes salt or if you prefer a lower amount.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 90mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g
This data is provided by a calculator and is a rough estimation of the nutritional information in this recipe.
Yvonne says
Hi Alexandra, I made these yesterday but had to use puffed millet (I also added some puffed amaranth and some cornflakes which I thought might deliver some crunch). I liked the taste, chocolaty and not too sweet, but mine were soft, so they were not like the rice crispy squares. Could this be because I used puffed millet instead of puffed quinoa? I followed the recipe and kept them in the freezer.
Anonymous says
Hi! Is there any substitute you'd recommend that can be used instead of dates?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi there! If you're looking for a date-free alternative, you might want to try this recipe instead: https://www.occasionallyeggs.com/2014/12/peanut-butter-puffed-wheat-squares.html and sub puffed quinoa for the wheat.
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Yvonne, in my experience millet tends to be quite soft and suck up a bit more moisture, that might be the problem. They are on the softer side than rice crispy squares but not crazy soft, more chewy.
Heidi says
Sorry to burst you bubble on this one. Watch out with dates. There is 93g of sugar per serving. Otherwise these sound yummy.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
I wouldn’t say there’s a bubble to burst, Heidi, but thanks for your comment! Dates actually have 63g of sugar per 100g, and I wouldn’t say 100 grams is one serving of dates. It certainly isn’t in this recipe, and unlike other sources of sugar, dates also contain a significant amount of dietary fibre (32% of daily requirements in 100g), which helps to process the sugars, and some other nutrients like magnesium and vitamin B-6. So while they’re certainly not something you should eat in excess, or every day, but are a better option as a treat than something like highly processed corn syrup.
Lauren says
Yum! I didn’t have any puffed quinoa, so I used a quinoa cereal that I had (ingredients are just quinoa and they are shaped like cheerios). I used sunflower butter too and they turned out delicious! A perfect afternoon treat 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I needed something sugar-free and the dates are perfect in this.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Sounds delicious! Love the idea of using a cereal like that.
Anenid says
Hello,
I used puffed quinoa and everything else that was required but still ended up with soft not crunchy at all bars. Kind of disappointing…
I usually have a much simpler and less sweet way of making them but I was intruigued by the dates in this recipe. Just mixing melted dark chocolate with maple syrup, salt and a little tapioca with puffed quinoa is enough. Pop in the freezer and then you have a crunchy snack!
Thanks for the recipe anyway and for the nice blog!
PS:it is maybe worth saying the bars won’t get crunchy to avoid disappointment
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Anenid, sorry you didn’t love the recipe! The post mentions that they’re not really crisp, partly from the dates and partly because puffed quinoa usually is a bit softer to start with. Yours with melted chocolate sound great.
Johana Cordero says
The flavour was nice but yes it made the quinoa puff taste almost a bit stale unfortunately, I also found them really salty : ( so I’m not sure about 1/2tsp of salt, I think I would do more of a sprinkle really. Did anyone else find them salty?
Also is there any way to make the quinoa stay a bit crispier or do I just have to use rice crispis
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Johana! It sounds like your quinoa might have been stale to start with, which can certainly happen! As the post says, these aren’t crispy as puffed quinoa isn’t really crispy to start with. Of course you can always reduce salt to your personal preference : )
Diane Z says
Hi, there are two ingredients in the list that have * after them, but I can’t find anywhere as to what the asterisk might mean. Could you clarify please.
Thanks.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Diane, this must’ve been lost due to a recipe card error when I updated. The milk is noting that you can use any preferred non-dairy milk, and the salt amount should be changed to your preference based on whether your nut butter includes salt and also how much salt you like in baking.