These 6-ingredient Cherry Vanilla Power Bars are a fabulously healthy snack. Because they’re a great source of energy, we like to take them on long walks and hikes, or as a healthy team snack when the boys have sporting events. They also pack very well for travel!
Because they contain so few ingredients, just almonds, flax, cherries, cranberries, vanilla stevia, and water, you can whip up Cherry Vanilla Power Bars in a few minutes. Fans tell me that they love my recipes because they couldn’t be easier! Life is complicated, that’s why I keep my recipes simple!
I use far more nuts and flax than fruit in this healthy power bar recipe in order to reduce the sugar content. Still, the amazing flavors of cherry and vanilla shine through in this no-fuss snack bar. We think this Cherry Vanilla Power Bar recipe is a fantastic homemade Larabar recipe. We also love that this paleo snack does not require any baking. It’s great for those hot summer days when you simply can’t bring yourself to turn on the oven!
Cherry Vanilla Power Bars
Ingredients
- 2½ cups slivered almonds, I used unblanched
- ⅓ cup golden flaxmeal
- ⅓ cup dried cherries
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 10 drops vanilla stevia
- 2-3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Place almonds, flax, cherries, cranberries, and stevia in food processor
- Pulse until well ground, then pulse in water until mixture begins to form a ball
- Press into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Serve
Lately, we’ve been making a lot of my paleo vegan recipes. Yes, if you can believe it, such a thing exists! Here are some of my other no-bake paleo vegan recipes:
pam says
can I use agave? If so,how much? how long will these last . and how wrapped> can I make on Monday for next sunsay? HELP??
Elana says
Pam, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Feel free to try your substitution and share the results in the comments. Thanks!
Ellen says
Can these be made without stevia? If yes, how? I have a stevia allergy and my daughter has a gluten allergy. They would be perfect without the stevia.
Jane Hunter says
Have you tried xylitol…? Total Sweet is probably the easiest to get in the UK in the sugar aisle in the supermarket. It is safe and natural but too much may have a laxative effect.
Jan says
You could try Monk Fruit sweetener.
Elana says
Thanks Jan! If you try it in this recipe I hope you’ll let us know if it works :-)
Danielle says
Elana, thank you so much for this post. I’ve never been tested but if I don’t have celiac I have an extreme sensitivity to gluten. I have a degree in nutrition and am an acupuncturist and I tell people often that if they think they’re having a reaction to gluten then stop eating it. I tell them to change there mindset completely and instead of substituting w an expensive tasteless unhealthy food to think outside the box and put a vegetable in its place… I love your recipes!
Elana says
Thanks Danielle!
Perpetua says
Has anyone tried use unhulled sunflower seeds to replace the silvered almonds in this recipe? I’m allergic to nuts but I REALLY want to make bars again. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Elana says
Perpetua, here’s a link to my Nut-Free Recipes page for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/nut-free/
Enjoy!
Elana
inspiretransformation says
I’m gluten-free also…. even though I’ve never went through testing, I know I have an intolerance too. I break out in bad rashes on my elbows when I eat it. :(
Anyways, thank you for this beautiful recipe. I’m probably going to make it this week to replace some of my spending on larabars!
Elana says
You’re welcome!
Julie says
I’ve really enjoyed checking in here for GF ideas, and even grain free options. My only real complaint about the GF life (I’m not celiac that I know of but gluten bothers me and there is a history of a variety of auto-immune problems in my family) is that it is not easy when there are true food allergies in the family. I currently adapt recipes in three ways to accommodate the needs of the 8 members of our family; it’s a pain but simple GF subs like nuts and seeds would kill two of my kids and half of the family can’t tolerate eggs.
Elana says
Julie, I’m happy to be of help with my recipes!
Cathy Oloo says
Has anyone used dates for sweetening for things like bars? I did a “rum” ball without the rum using date, ground almond flour, pecans. They are a no cook food processor recipe. Any ideas on using whey protein?
Elana says
Cathy, here’s a link to my Paleo Raw Chocolate Bites which are date sweetened:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-raw-chocolate-bites/
Enjoy!
Elana
laurie says
I have used them in smoothies and it helps my stomach feel much better than pyure , stevia and other sweeteners. I have used date butter that can be used in replace of any sugar. I am diabetic so I have to always use less sweetner in all my recipes or I put it on the top before baking and that helps make every bit e sweet without it tasting bad.
Adrienne Simpson says
This sounds yummy… except for the stevia. There’s a small percentage of humans that actually do not like the taste of stevia (it isn’t sweet to some of us), especially those with blood type O and sometimes A. My roommate, his oldest son, and I can all taste it. Do you have an alternate option for this? Something like Xylitol or coconut syrup or something? Any suggestions as to a substitute for the substitute sweetener? Thanks.
Elana says
Adrienne, feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes!
laurie says
i did not like it at first too….so I had to play with the different ones. Have you tried Pyure it taste great to me…and Truvia I think is to help you go half sugar half stevia to make the change away from the sugar.
Hope this helps
cathy o says
I made these and they are great, easy, and super fast.
I didn’t have vanilla stevia, so I added regular stevia (one packet) to the water, and then added 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (homemade).
I also had to add about 2 more tablespoons of additional water to get my almond mix to bind. Great snack for skiing! thank you for the recipe.
Elana says
Cathy, so glad to hear these were great, easy, and super fast!
Christy says
Awesome blog. I did change the recipe up a bit. I added cashews and pumpkin seeds, replaced stevia with honey, and a dash or two of cinnamon. Super yummy.
Elana says
Christy, so glad to hear these were super yummy!