I've been toying around with a lot of nut and seed bars lately, and after making these sesame chia seed bars last week I was feeling like trying an alternate version with coconut sugar, a higher temperature, and a slightly shorter baking time. The result was: sweeter bars, with a hint of caramel taste, and a good balance between chewy and crunchy. I loved them.
So besides being sweet and lightly crunchy, these bars are obviously perfect for a snack, as a quick breakfast bar or a power bar, or as a simple homemade lunchbox treat -- brownie points for lunchbox-friendliness especially, as they're nut-free! :) .
They come together easily, thanks to the binding property of the the chia seeds, and with only a few ingredients they make a tasty and filling simple treat.
They're already quite allergy-friendly (nut-free, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, etc.) and alternative diet-friendly (vegan, paleo, and gf), but see the notes in the recipe on how to make these coconut-free as well, if you're not a coconut lover.
Sunflower and Chia Seed Bars
These sweet and lightly crunchy sunflower and chia seed bars make a wonderful breakfast bar, power bar, or lunchbox treat (they're nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and oil-free).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 large bars
- Category: snacks and dessert
- Method: baked
Ingredients
- 1 cup sunflower seeds (shelled)
- 1 cup coconut sugar*
- ½ cup white chia seeds**
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp ground chia seeds
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375F. Line a small baking tray (I used one that’s 7″ x 10.5″, but anything of a similar size will do) with some parchment paper and set aside.
- Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir everything together to combine. Let sit for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
- After the 15 mins have passed, give the mixture another stir to make sure it’s well-combined. Then transfer it into the prepared baking tray. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 55 mins. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for about an hour. Once completely cooled, cut into bars and enjoy!***
Notes
*If going for a coconut-free alternative, can use date sugar, sucanat, maple sugar, etc. Or brown sugar if not refined sugar-free.
**I used white chia seeds because I liked their color and because that's what I had on hand, but black chia seeds would work fine too.
***Storage notes: the bars can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container, if consumed within 2-3 days. Otherwise they can be stored in the fridge for a longer shelf-life, or frozen for later use.
Keywords: Sunflower and Chia Seed Bars (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Bea says
Hello,
Could I use Monkfruit (with Erythritol) instead of the coconut sugar? I don't use any kind of sugar so hoping this will work?
Thanks
Audrey says
Hi Bea. I haven't tried this with monkfruit unfortunately (erythritol upsets my tummy big time). So can't comment from experience. But I think it's worth a try. I suspect it should work just fine.
Johanne says
What a yummy recipe! My friend and I scoffed quite a few today. They are not too sweet and the texture is chewy and lovely. I made some changes, adding half a cup of sunflower seeds and a quarter of sesame seeds and a quarter of pumpkin seeds. Also, a quarter cup of chia seeds and a quarter cup of ground chia, only because I didn't have enough of the whole chia. I also added two tablespoons of almond meal. Will definitely make these again as they are so healthy and a great way to eat more seeds.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Glad you're enjoying the recipe, Johanne, and thanks so much for sharing your swaps -- always love to hear what works for people! :)
eileen says
Would adding some peanut butter make these great bars even greater?
★★★★
Audrey says
Hey Eileen, not sure as I haven't tried, but I think it's worth a try -- peanut butter tends to improve everything, doesn't it? :) If you give it a go, would love to hear how it worked out for you.
Robin North says
I really wanted something like this after perusing the ingredients to some expensive seed bars at the health food shop recently and noting that the binding agent was primarily coconut sugar so did a search. Surely you could do that at home.
I made these according to directions (but with the addition of a handful of pepitas and some roughly chopped raw cashews) and overall the result was good - particularly the 'binder' of the coconut sugar which gave them such a delicious, deep golden sweetness.
I was also a little concerned about them burning so lowered the temp to approx. 340 (170C here in Australia) around the half-way point but they didn't burn. While the tops were nice and firm the bottoms were a little moist so perhaps I might try a little less water than 1/2 cup next time.
But overall I have to say what a great recipe this is and how much I enjoyed it! Delicous. Thanks very much.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Robin. So glad these worked for you! :)
Lynn says
I’m getting the ingredients together to make these bars and wanted to know if you used raw sunflower seeds or soaked/dehydrated sunflower seeds? Thank you and I can’t wait to try these!
Audrey says
Hi Lynn. I used raw, but either should work fine here.
Kerri says
Hi looking forward to trying these. I dont have powered chai seeds can I leave out?. Thank you
Audrey says
Hi Kerri. They're important for binding in this recipe. You could always grind some of the whole ones you have in a coffee grinder or magic bullet type blender though :) Or use ground flax seeds if you prefer instead.
Melissa says
I made this and at 40 minutes found my oven smoking and it was burned to a crisp. Is the 55 minutes correct? I know I followed the recipe!
★★★
Audrey says
Hi Melissa. Sorry these didn't work out for you this time around. That is the correct amount of time for my oven. But oven temperatures can fluctuate from oven to oven (I use an inexpensive oven thermometer for that reason), so sounds like this temp and time might be a bit too hot for your oven. If you give it another try, I'd lower the temperature and maybe keep the baking time shorter -- just keep an eye on them in the baking process.