Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Easy Homemade Energy Bars That Actually Taste Great

homemade energy bars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Energy bars are a great way to replenish the calories and nutrients you burn through during exercise. They are also a great way to keep yourself fueled up and ready to go during a long commute, a busy day at the office, or while you ride a boxcar across the rolling plains.

But aren’t you tired of choking down store-bought energy bars with names like Macadamia Coffee Butternut Waffle or Apple Maple Cranberry Fish Flake? Or maybe you’re fed up with paying $36.95 for each bar you consume? If so, then you need to seriously reevaluate your eating and shopping practices, because no one should be eating bars with a fruit and fish blend, and that price tag is wildly inflated.

Anyway, whether you’re looking for an alternative to mass market energy bars for taste, cost, or dietary purposes, or if you’re just looking for a fun culinary project that can give you fuel to burn on your next adventure, it’s not that hard to make energy bars at home. And the best thing about homemade energy bars? You don’t have to give them some name dripping with pretension like The Chocolate Marshmallow Journey Bar or Peter’s Pure & Pompous Peanut Protein Punch. On the other hand, maybe that’s the best part of the process …

The Classic Granola Bar

granola bar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s plenty to be said for the good ol’ granola bar — you know, the one with dried fruit, chocolate, oats, and more. Right, that one. A good granola bar has plenty of carbohydrates for a lasting energy supply, simple sugars for a quick boost, and a tantalizing taste that people of all ages enjoy. This homemade take on the granola bar can be played around with as you’d see fit: swap the cranberries for dried blueberries or dried cherries, for example, or add chia seeds for a dose of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 cup rolled oats
  • 0.5 cup nuts, choped (almonds and hazelnuts FTW)
  • 0.5 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 0.3 cup honey
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup chocolate bits
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • Dash of vanilla extract

Method:

  1. Heat that oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and coat the inside of a pan with cooking spray (coconut cooking spray works great here).
  2. Bake the nuts and oats on a separate tray for 10 minutes, then set aside.
  3. Mix butter, honey, vanilla, and sugar in a sauce pan over moderate heat. Cook and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Mix together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate and mix. Then let everything cool for a while (maybe 20 minutes).
  5. Add the chocolate and mix again. Mix well, dammit!
  6. Spread the mixture out into a pan, creating a uniform layer of granola bar. Chill it all in the fridge for several hours.
  7. Cut the sheet into bars and start enjoying homemade granola goodness.

The Two-Ingredient Energy Bar

Two-Ingredient Energy Bar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You read that right — this tasty, energy-rich snack bar is made with just two ingredients. Sort of. See, you could make it with two ingredients, but in fact you’ll probably want to use more like four. Or seven or eight depending on how you look at things. On its face, this bar is made with nothing more than dried fruit and nuts, and you could absolutely choose just dried cherries and pecans, for example, thus cleaving faithfully to the two-ingredient thing. But a better idea is to use a range of nuts including walnuts, almonds, and more, and to opt for a blend of dried fruits like cranberries and raisins and such. Also you should add a pinch of salt and, if you need to change up the flavor, some cinnamon or cocoa powder. These easy bars will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks and in the freezer for at least two months. Hooray.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup nuts (mixed)
  • 1.5 cup dried fruit (also ideally mixed)
  • Spices and flavors, if you want ’em

Method:

  1. Grind the nuts in a food processor until they have broken down into crumbs.
  2. Add the dried fruit and keep on processing.
  3. Once the fruit and nut blend sticks together when squeezed, dump it out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Place more plastic over the top and press it down into a sheet of uniform thickness.
  4. Refrigerate the concoction for about two hours, then cut it into bars. You’re done!

The DIY PB&J Bar

pbj energy bar
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Anyone who says they don’t like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can go home right now. If they want to. He or she is also welcome to stay here or to go anywhere else as well. In fact, I have to admit that given the choice between a PB&J sandwich and a sandwich made with just peanut butter, I’d take the latter.

Oh, but these bars? These bars are a different story. The “jam” flavor here comes from dried fruit and the blend of flavors is divine. Eat these for breakfast, a snack, or for fuel when you’re on the go.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cup dates (pitted and soaked in warm water for 10 minutes prior to use)
  • 0.5 cup dried cranberries
  • 0.5 cup oats (cooked)
  • 0.25 cup peanut butter (unsweetened and organic, ideally)
  • 0.25 cup peanuts

Method:

  1. Put everything in a food processor and grind it all together.
  2. Put that mixture in a pan and flatten it out.
  3. Chill it for about an hour, then cut your PB&J slab into bars.
  4. Keep the bars in the fridge until shortly before you enjoy them which, FYI, you will.

My Wife’s Seed and Nut and Oat Bars

seeds nut oat bars
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In my house, food is a pretty big deal. We eat it basically every day, and I find it really helps to keep us alive. While I do most of the cooking when it comes to meals, my wife and our son do most of the baking. And they bake batches of these homemade seed and nut energy bars quite often. These bars, which are actually energy discs as they are baked in a muffin tray, are tasty and filling and have plenty of carbs and protein. And once you have all your ingredients gathered, they’re pretty simple to make. Especially when “making” them usually involves getting out of the way while the other members of the family do the work …

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cup oats
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • .5 cup pumpkin seeds
  • .5 cup roasted sunflower seeds
  • .3 cup brown rice syrup
  • .25 cup hemp seeds
  • .25 cup flax
  •  4 tbsp melted coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • .5 tsp cardamon
  • .25 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Blend the walnuts, oats, and coconut flakes in a blender. Or a food processor. Give ’em 15 or 20 seconds.
  2. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Dump all the wet ingredients into the bowl (make sure the coconut oil is fully melted and in fluid form).
  4. Stir all that stuff together vigorously, mixing it well.
  5. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray, ideally with a coconut oil spray, and then fill each cup in the pan with the mixture.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes (less bake time means a more chewy center).

Editors' Recommendations

Steven John
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
How to make cold brew coffee (plus, our 3 favorite grounds for cold brew)
Cold brew coffee: Making this popular drink is easier than you think it is
Cold brew ice coffee

I grew up in a house where iced coffee was made by pouring the hours-old leftovers from the coffee pot over a glass of ice. Maybe a little milk was added, or if you were feeling extra fancy, a splash of flavored creamer. Embarrassingly far into adulthood (before Keurig came along and cramped my style), that's how I made my "cold brew." For years, this was how I drank my warm-weather coffee. But oh, did I have it wrong.
But what is cold brew coffee? In case you're unaware, cold brew, real cold brew, is made using an entirely different method than hot coffee. While hot coffee is generally made by running hot water through finely ground coffee beans, cold brew is made more like our grandmothers made sun tea -- set to steep for a while, becoming flavorful and delicious on its own with nothing added but love, water, and time.
The result is a much smoother, silkier, bolder, and more flavorful cup of morning magic. When coffee is steeped this way, much of the bitterness smooths to be much gentler on the palette, allowing you to really taste the flavor of the beans in a whole new way. So how do you make cold brew at home?

How to cold brew coffee
There are plenty of gizmos out there, like cold brew coffee makers, jugs, and infusers, but there's no need for these. Like many needless kitchen tools, these accessories end up being shoved into the back of the pantry, never to be seen again.

Read more
This weight loss chart may be the secret key to a slimmer physique
Reference this chart as often as you need for achieving your weight loss goals
Closeup view of man with slim body in oversized jeans on grey background. Weight loss.

Let's picture it: a world where you enjoy your favorite foods, savor every bite, and inch closer to your dream physique with each meal. Although it may seem like a distant dream, it is within your reach. It's not a fantasy; instead, it's a powerful tool with tantalizing potential. That tool? The food satiety index. 

Knowledge is the most valuable asset in your quest to a healthier you. The food satiety index holds the key to unlocking your slimmer physique. Making informed food choices that satisfy and nourish you is much more effective than counting calories or depriving yourself of foods you love.

Read more
Kick off Hispanic heritage month with these 2 incredible tequila drink recipes from mixologist Javier Ramirez
These recipes are great all year, too
Cantera Negra

September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. There’s no better way to kick off this month of celebration of the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans than by imbibing some well-made, delicious tequila. There’s no spirit more entrenched in Hispanic history and one that deserves not only a month of celebration, but a whole year of celebration.

For those unaware, the spirit must be made in Mexico to be referred to as a tequila. It can’t be made in Milwaukee and then listed as a tequila. That’s a major no-no. As Walter Sobchak states in The Big Lebowski, “There are rules.” But, while bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, tequila has more specific geographic rules. It. can only be made in the state of Jalisco (where the town of Tequila is located) and a few areas in the states of Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, and Guanajuato.

Read more