10 Energy Bar Recipes to Help You Power Through Your Day

Energy bar photo by H is for Home via Flickr/Creative Commons

Sometimes, we’re all just a little too busy (or lazy) to fire up the stovetop and cook an elaborate meal.

Enter energy bars. While these compact snacks may be convenient, the most popular brand names often pack in more than a meal’s worth of sugar and other artificial ingredients. Luckily, it’s easy and inexpensive to whip up a batch in your own kitchen.

Below, 10 healthy energy bar recipes you can make yourself.

1. Pomegranate Quinoa Bars
via Vegan Ann

In addition to healthy staples pomegranate and quinoa, this vegan, gluten-free bar also includes flax seeds and sunflower seeds for healthy fats and protein, and dates for natural sweetness.

2. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Protein Balls
via Pop Sugar

Get your fall fix of pumpkin spice with these easy-as-pie (but way more nutritious) protein balls. They only require a few minutes and a food processor. You could even go without chocolate chips to make them extra healthy.

3. Vegan PB&J Energy Bars
via Nutritionist in the Kitch

This kid-friendly oat bar is a far more nutritious alternative to the classic sandwich. Better yet, there’s no white bread—this recipe is all about dates, all-natural peanut butter, and cranberries.

4. Homemade Granola Bars
via What’s Gaby Cooking

Why mess with a classic? There’s nothing like that traditional combo of nuts, toasted oats, dried fruit, and chocolate chips to keep you going from the office to the campground. Though the recipe calls for brown sugar, the fruit and honey lend enough natural sweetness to leave it out.

5. Healthy Matcha Green Tea Fudge Energy Bars
via Desserts With Benefits

Don’t be put off by these bars’ funky green color. Matcha, an organic green tea powder, is full of natural protein, caffeine, and theanine, which helps you wake up and maintain focus.

6. Chocolate Fig Bars with Sea Salt
via Shape

These fig bars might not look like the healthiest option on this list, but they are truly guiltless post-workout treats. The bars’ vegan chocolate chips, creamy fig, and pea protein promise to satisfy both your stomach and your sweet tooth.

7. Pineapple-Coconut Energy Bars
via Tasty Yummies

A quick trip to the dried fruits section of your grocery store will get you ready to whip up this recipe. Throw a few in your bag for a taste of the tropics on a colder fall day.

8. 3-Ingredient Energy Bars
via The Kitchn

This recipe can be your go-to for when you’re really crunched for time. Just add nuts, dried fruit, and dates to a food processor, and you’ve got instant energy in a pinch.

9. Sweet Bean Energy Bars
via Livestrong 

Don’t worry: The cooked black beans in these bars won’t overpower the natural sweetness of the bananas or cocoa powder. Instead, they’ll pack in extra fiber and protein for a nutritious, no-bake option to start your day.

10. “Friend” Bars
via Women’s Health

These healthier alternatives to pre-packaged granola bars use brown rice cereal and toasted seeds as primary ingredients. Be sure to use the suggested brown rice syrup in place of regular corn syrup to keep them virtuous.