Skip the packaged snack bars with the ingredient list you can't pronounce. These come together in 15 minutes with no oven required, and every ingredient is doing something for you: dates bring soluble fiber and steady natural sweetness, almonds add prebiotic fiber and healthy fats, oats round it out with beta-glucan. It's the snack you keep in the fridge for whenever hunger hits between meals.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted (about 12-14)
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp almond or peanut butter
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- Desiccated coconut, cacao powder, or crushed nuts to roll in
Instructions
- If dates are not soft, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Add almonds and oats to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped — not flour; you want texture.
- Add dates, nut butter, chia seeds, cacao powder, vanilla, and salt. Process until the mixture comes together into sticky dough. If too dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time.
- Roll tablespoon-sized portions into balls.
- Roll each ball in desiccated coconut, cacao, or crushed nuts.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts (per ball)
| Calories | 138 |
| Total fat | 7g |
| Total carbohydrates | 18g |
| Dietary fiber | 3g |
| Protein | 3g |
| Sodium | 20mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
Dates contain sorbitol and soluble fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria. Almonds are a prebiotic food shown to increase Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in clinical trials. Oat beta-glucan adds further prebiotic fiber. Chia seeds contribute omega-3 fatty acids and mucilaginous soluble fiber.
Keep a batch in the freezer too. They thaw in about ten minutes, so a gut-friendly snack is never more than a short wait away.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.