Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

paleo breakfast bars

Paleo Breakfast Bars

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Paleo breakfast bars made with almond flour, coconut oil, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins.

This recipe for Paleo Breakfast Bars is an amended version of a recipe I posted in 2009. I have rewritten this recipe for several reasons.

First, although a number of people swore by it, others commented that the bars came out crumbly for them. Second, although the original recipe was grain-free, it was not Paleo as it contained grapeseed oil and agave.

In any event, this simple gluten-free homemade breakfast bar recipe is a favorite in our house as it is easy to pack for a hike and delicious enough to serve as a healthy dessert. I also serve it to the boys as a Paleo after school snack –their friends love it and eat a whole dish at a time, however they refer to these as granola bars or power bars.

Print Recipe
Paleo Breakfast Bars
Serves:16
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a food processor combine almond flour and salt
  2. Pulse in coconut oil, honey, water and vanilla until combined
  3. Pulse in coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almond slivers and raisins until combined
  4. Press dough into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish, wetting your hands with water to pat dough down
  5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
  6. Cool bars in pan for 2 hours, then serve

Last week I had the good fortune to pop into New York to do some pre-publicity for my new book, Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry. I met with several magazine editors and appeared on Fox News Live with the very engaging interviewer John Hunt, and I spoke extensively about the Paleo Diet. Here is the video.

Just a reminder, my book Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry will be published early this summer, on June 18th, 2013.

Here are some of other healthy snack recipes:

Comments

  3. Elaina I love your recipes. I recently discovered your cookbooks and web site. A silly question for you, in this Paleo Breakfast bar recipe, do you melt the coconut oil? Thank you for all the inspiration!

    Reply

  4. Thanks, Elana! I L-O-V-E your recipes. So, I discovered your website yesterday via FB recommendation. And, I dashed to store for almond flour and then made the coffee cake and breakfast bars! Yum. Honestly, I’m not great at baking but your recipe was easy to follow. Also, the MyFitnessPal app has a feature where I could import your recipes and it calculates calories etc. Very useful!

    Reply

  5. Made these today and they turned out beautifully, stuck together really well. I did blend mine up well in my thermomix…similar to vitamix….so there are no chunks really. Didn’t need extra coconut oil or any butter and had to try hard not to eat the ‘dough’ before I got it all pressed in the pan, yum!

    Thanks for all your hard work which we benefit from Elana!

    Reply

  6. has anyone tried adding more coconut oil or even grass fed butter to make them more moist and less crumbly? I find it annoying that Elana won’t answer any of these questions. It’s like a teacher giving her students one lesson and then when they have questions just saying figure it out. I know she’s busy but we all are, and she’s the one making a living off of cooking with these expensive ingredients. It’s kind of her responsibility to tinker for the benefit of her fans–which I am–I’ve made many of her dishes, she’s pretty awesome, but this is one detail that I find a bit annoying.

    Reply

    • Melissa, Please stop being so self-centered. If the recipe does not work for you, fix it yourself. I want Elana to spend her valuable time making new recipes, not answering every single variation on a recipe. Examples like yours, plus “I don’t eat X, what can I substitute?” I feel sorry that Elana has to keep reminding her readers to experiment THEMSELVES, and then share their results here. Please do the same yourself. Oh, don’t assume she gets rich off her publications and owes you personal answers either. She does not owe you anything. If you use a recipe of hers, you owe her thanks. Get it?

      Reply

  8. Hi there! These are delicious! But what is the binding agent? I made them and they don’t hold together- I kept looking for “egg” in the ingredients :)

    Reply

  9. bh
    Just made these bars again, but this time I added a beaten egg, and they slice much better. I also left it baking a bit longer than the recipe says. I took a tip from one of the posters here, and only used a bowl and spoon to mix it all together, not the food processor. Love the crunch! Thank you and Shana Tova!

    Reply

  10. I made these as a raw version. Made the recipe exactly as is, then rolled very thin, dehydrated for about 6 hours one side, then flipped and dehydrated a few more hours. Perfect snack with some peanut butter on top. Next time I might use less honey, they are fairly sweet. (this coming from someone who consumes very little sugar)

    Reply

  11. Terrific! Made these last night and they came out great. I was looking for a quick non-gluten breakfast bar and I love that they are so quick to come together. I baked them in a parchment lined pan and once they were out of the oven, sliced into them so they would not crumble after fully cooled. I’m not following Paleo and so calculated the calories based on the raw ingredients for a batch yielding16 pieces to be approximately 175 calories each. Thanks!

    Reply

  13. I love these bars! I do wish that they weren’t quite as crumbly as they are. Anyone know of a way to adjust the recipe for that?

    Reply

  14. Elana,
    I make these bars every weekend. We have them with a smoothie before walking the dogs early every morning. This week I added another 1/2 cup of cranberries because my mate loves cranberries. I baked it 5 minutes more because I like the color. It was great. You can modify this one.
    Thank you for your very good work.
    Best,
    Bradley

    Reply

  15. What great recipes. Just came across you and these wonderful ideas looking for gluten-free muffin ideas. I am counting points for Weight Watchers and wondering if you’d have the nutrition info. for your Paleo protein bars and your lemon blueberry muffins?
    I plan on visiting your site for other great ideas. Thank you for being for generous in sharing.
    Thanks.

    Reply

  16. is this and the other bread/muffin recipes freezer friendly? I am new to this way of eating and don’t want to waste the ingredience trying to freeze if it doesnt work. Almond flower is pricey. yikes.

    Reply

  17. A friend brought these over one day and I couldn’t believe how delicious they were. I’ve now made two batches myself. Simple and quick to make, and although Elana doesn’t provide nutrition data, it’s easy enough to get. But with 100% real food, you can be sure it’s nutritious in all sorts of ways.
    I love them, thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  19. I have been making these for about a month now and I didn’t realize you were supposed to put the ingredients in a food processor! Well, I have one, but I don’t plan to use it. This recipe works wonderful if you just toss the ingredients in the bowl and mix with a spatula. I actually like the whole seeds and would miss the added crunch factor if they were processed. Besides that, it’s very pleasing to the eye!

    Most people who taste this bar love it as much as I do.

    Reply

  22. I tried to post a picture of my perfect bars, but I couldn’t! Two things that I think are necessary to make it work: 1) As others have said, you need to do more than pulse, you need to let it run until the seeds and such have broken down into much smaller granules. And 2) Your hands must be continuously wet as you work it into the pan. The water really makes it bind together, to the point that it is a bit squishy/not at all crumb-like before you put it in. Good luck, hope yours are as delicious as mine! :)

    Reply

  24. OK – just edit this – some of us are morons OR have our kids let loose on these recipes and the kitch. I used regular sunflower seeds – umm.. salted… and the 1/4 tspn salt. Uggh! Be sure to write UNSALTED RAW sunflowers for all of those of us kitch challenged. I just suggested raw, because they are even better for you – and duhh – they are never salted… so it’s rather redundant.

    Your cookbook just says sunflower seeds.

    Keep rocking the great recipes! These were gone so fast – next time we will triple the recipe and SO easy to make

    Reply

  25. Can anyone explain how almond flour is paleo? I keep seeing it in paleo recipes but it’s full of phytic acid isn’t it? It is a grain of sorts is it not?

    Reply

  27. I just made the walnut and date bread. It was delicious but did not rise as much as the others. It seemed a lot flatter. It was a great tasting sweet bread.

    Reply

  29. Well, I made these. Never know if my family will like my healthy goodies. My 17 year old daughter loved them!!! In fact she almost ate the whole batch by herself. I’d say they were a hit! Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper at our house!

    Reply

  30. I made these yesterday and they were GONE by the end of day. Delicious, flavorful, healthy, not too sweet! I added an egg because I was worried the bars would be too crumbly. Next time, I’ll use parchment paper to be able to get them out of the pan in one piece. Definitely a keeper of a recipe.

    Reply

  31. I just tried these and the flavor is great. However mine was crumbly too. I took a close look at your photo and I think I see the problem. I don’t think I “pulsed” them long enough. The seeds and nuts are still recognizeable in mine and yours looks more like dough. I just put in a second batch that I “pulsed” more and hope they turn out a bit less crumbly. If not, as others said, it will make a great granola. Thanks for the great recipe. I have pre-ordered your new book and can hardly wait to see all the new recipes.

    Reply

  32. I have been using the blanched almond flour and this recipe still comes out crumbly and not formed. I have made it a few times trying different things (less coconut, a bit more almond flour..) but nothing works. That said, I don’t mind using this as a granola recipe. Much rather have my children snacking on anything that isn’t sugary and processed.

    Reply

  33. Made this last night and it was wonderful – not too sweet but very flavorful. I think it is important to firmly press the mixture into the pan (I used a smaller roller. Next time I will use parchment paper so I can lift it up and slice it cleanly after cooling. Not crumbly but it’s delicate. Great recipe – thanks!

    Reply

  34. Those having trouble with it being crumbly – are you sure you are using Almond flour and not almond meal? Almond flour is much finer and I would assume it would bind much better than meal.

    Reply

    • Yep! I used blanched almond flour from Honeyville. I am going to try another commenter’s suggestion next time and try pulsing longer to see if that helps. I might also add in a little gluten free flour since I am not on a Paleo diet.

      Reply

  35. Awesome interview! You are super cute!

    Although I am a little confused. Why is grapeseed oil not paleo? And shortening is? I’m a little new to this.

    Reply

    • Neither are paleo. I’m not even kind of new to paleo. Grapeseed oil is high in inflammatory omega 6 and shortening has some of that plus potential trans fats. Cavemen certainly did not have vegan shortening. While the paleo diet includes some foods not available to cavemen (modern varieties of fruit, vinegar etc), one must weigh up the health pros and cons. For me and most paleo people i think that coconut oil, lard, ghee (a lot of dairy free people can tolerate) are far better options if you want a firm fat to cook with. Macadamia oil is a great semi neutral tasting liquid fat you can use instead of grapeseed oil- even light olive oil is a pretty good option (though not as buttery as macadamia oil).

      Reply

  36. Wow, These are delicious and packed with good ingredients. I’m amazed at how you can come up with so many good ideas and recipes to get all these different food sources in your diet. Very creative and great tasting. I wish I had that talent.
    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  37. Alas, my bars didn’t form either. Instead I have what could be called granola.

    I am disappointed as I was hoping to be able to transport these. I followed the directions exactly with the only difference being that I had sliced almonds instead of slivered and used cranberries instead of raisins. I can’t imagine either of those making a difference.

    However, they taste good. Next time I might try adding in a little gluten free flour and see if that helps bind it. Since I am not Paleo that’s not an issue for me.

    Reply

  39. Delightful interview! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. I follow your blog, and so far have one of your cookbooks, but someday I will have all three. :) Blessings and joy to you. You are a blessing to so many people.

    Reply

  41. Thanks Elana – I can’t wait to try these at home. This may be the next perfect addition to our traveling food bag. Questions – do they travel well and how long would you say they last?

    Reply

  42. Just made these this morning for breakfast. LOVE them! My little guys would not go for the nuts/seeds/raisins, so I added 1/4-1/3 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips in lieu of the nuts/seeds/raisins and left in the coconut-tasted a little like Almond Joy bars! Thank you for another great recipe to work in to our morning rotation!

    Reply

  43. Made these tonite, and although they came out a little crumbly, they tasted delicious! Other than using cranberries in place of raisins (personal preference) I followed the recipe as written. I will definitely make these on a regular basis.

    Reply

  44. I made these bars and they did not turn out. They did not turn into bars. They were just as crumbly when I took them out of the oven as when I put them into the oven. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong or what may have happened.

    Reply

  45. Delicious but still crumbly. I wasn’t able to pull them out of the pan as bars and am thinking I’ll turn the resulting heap of yumminess into granola.

    Reply

  46. i JUST made these and my kids are gobbling them up as we speak. they’re 4 & 6. i was pretty skeptical because of the amount of nuts since my 4 year old “doesn’t like nuts” (tough being a paleo kid). anyway, glad i took the chance!

    thank you!

    Reply

  47. I’ve tried a number of your recipes since I’ve discovered your website about a year ago. I’m not celiac but gluten intolerant and have found that I feel better when I don’t eat a lot of grains.

    I would love to try these bars but my oldest daughter does not like coconut. What could I use instead to make sure there is enough ingredients?

    Reply

  48. Elana, you were so great during that interview (and explained paleo so well; some people make it so complicated)! Well done. These breakfast bars sound perfect for our family. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  49. [scream] You are soooo cute!!!

    You are SO modest…you didn’t tell me you were just in NYC and on TV! Nice job!

    Love the term “gluten-free Dark Ages” and I loved it how he said they tasted “naughty” ahahaha

    Reply

  51. Hi Elana,
    I love receiving your recipes and I try out most of them and some turn out well and others do not….. Until today, while reading someone else’s comment, I realised why most of the things that I made did not turn out like your photo’s of scrumptious food. I had no idea that your cup measurements are all different for different dry ingredients/wet things. Here in the UK a cup measurement is a standard cup 8oz or 225g. So everything I have tried to make from your ingredient list has been using the 8oz cup. Hence the disasters in some of my cakes/bread etc. I am sure that this is why there are so many people with the same problems and comments.
    Would it be possible to write the ounces and fluid ounces or even grammes and millilitres, for each item that you use in your recipes, so International people can have the same success as you have in your baking as most countries can use ounces or grammes etc.
    Thanks Elana :) I am really grateful for all the work you have put in helping others and creating this web site for the world to share.

    Reply

    • Elana is already doing so much…I think asking her to convert all of her recipes for people in other countries is not right. Surely, there are websites that can assist you with this.

      Reply

  52. Elana,
    I’ve followed your blog for a few years and don’t know if I’ve ever commented. I just have to say that I watched your interview and you did such a great job. It must’ve been pretty unnerving to be on television but you handled it perfectly while keeping it light. I always have a hard time explaining the paleo lifestyle because people don’t believe that you can lose weight or that its healthy eating so much meat.
    Anyway, you rock! You did terrific.
    Sara

    Reply

  55. Congratulations on your interview! I’ve been eating GoodGreens bars, but even those I’ve found too sweet. I think I’ll try a little (real) maple syrup – about half the amount of honey because it’s thinner — and because I have maple syrup and not honey, lol. These look great! Looking forward to baking a batch :)

    Reply

  56. This recipe sounds delectable and I’m looking forward to making these this weekend. Definitely going to add in some 100% cacao to satisfy my chocolate addiction! Love all the use of coconut oil and flakes: good fats, low sugar and tons of health benefits!

    Reply

  57. Anyone have an idea on what could replace the honey? I’m doing a candida cleanse and can’t have anything sugary/sweet. Maybe apple sauce?

    Reply

    • Maybe try vanilla creme stevia. I don’t know the conversion amount to use and you’d have to add some additional liquid but would be a good sugar free option.

      Reply

    • I made a batch last night omitting the honey and raisins to “fit” a candida cleanse I’m doing. They turned out super crumbly (I think these are the most delicate gf/paleo item I’ve made!). I love the flavour of the crumble and I’m thinking of using a few tablespoons of melted coconut butter in my next attempt. Who knows if that will work, but I thought I’d throw it out as a suggestion!

      Reply

  60. Don’t you just love it when you read a recipe and realize that you have all of the ingredients in your pantry? I’m so excited to go home and try this!

    Reply

  61. I am a huge fan of these bars, and have been making the modifications above since I first discovered the recipe. My decidely un-healthy friends pout if I show up to a weekend event without a batch of “Hippie Bars” with me. Luckily, they’re ridiculously easy to make, so its rare that I show up empty handed.

    Delish.

    Reply

  62. Elana–such a wonderful interview on Fox! You’re very poised and articulate. I’m going to look up those cookies now & see if they will work for Pesach.

    Reply

  63. I just printed off this recipe and can’t wait to try it. We will be going on a road trip in the next couple of weeks and I think these would be great to bring along for the car and hotel room. Thanks!

    P.S. Great interview by the way!

    Reply

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