Tahini and oat bars are one of those incredibly easy, very obvious ‘when-you-know-how’ recipes that can easily become a staple food.

They have very few ingredients. In fact, there are only 5 ingredients in total…

• oats (get gluten-free if needed)
• pitted dates
• tahini
• pumkin seeds (can swap for something else)
• almond essence (or vanilla)
• optional chocolate to drizzle

What’s good about these bars is that they offer a well-rounded balance of plant-based nutrition.

Tahini and date bars to sustain you

One of the great things about these tahini date oat bars is that I’ve designed them for a slow release of energy. This means they are likely to help you sustain your energy levels over a period of time. That’s much better than that sudden blast of energy you get from eating refined carbohydrates and refined sugars.

Oats give a slow release of energy

You get a slow release of complex carbohydrates from the oats, which means that you shouldn’t get a spike in blood sugar. This is preferable to simple or refined carbohydrates, for anyone looking for a healthy balance.

Oats are also a great gluten-free option. Read: Are oats gluten-free or not?

Dates for a slow release in natural sugar

Then you’ll also get a slow release in sugar from the dates, given that they contain a fair amount of fibre.

Dates help to keep your blood sugar levels fairly consistent. This makes them an excellent sweetener for a healthy snack for active people. That said, they also happen to be an excellent snack for pretty much anyone.

Tahini is an excellent binder and healthy fat

Tahini is a seed butter made from sesame seeds. This works as an excellent binder for these super healthy bars. Tahini also brings the benefits of adding more seeds into the mix.

If you want an alterantive to tahini, simply use peanut butter, almond butter or cashew nut butter.

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Tahini and Date Oat Bars

Yield: 12 bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Super healthy oat bars using tahini and dates.

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Ingredients

• 350g quick oats
• 200g pitted dates
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 50g pumpkin seeds
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Optional chocolate to drizzle

Instructions

1. Please watch the video below for a quick visual guide on how to make these.
2. Soak your dates ahead of time for about an hour. You need them to be squishable. If you are using chopped dates, then soak time might be only 10 to 15 minutes. Harder dates will take longer. 
3. Once soaked, drain the water off your dates. 
4. Blend your soaked dates with a hand blender to get a date pulp/puree or simply squish them with your hands. It’s fine if there are a few rustic chunks of dates still remaining.
5. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and squish together with your hands until everything is evenly combined. 
6. Line a baking dish with parchment paper. I used a rectangular dish measuring around 10 inches x 6.5 inches (25cm x 16cm).
7. Pack your mixture into the parchment-lined dish as compactly and evenly as you can.
8. Put your bars into a pre-heated oven at around 180C (375F) and bake until the top has a little tan. This should take around 12 to 15 minutes, but will vary from oven to oven.
9. Once baked, allow them to cool before chopping into bars. 
10. Melt a little vegan chocolate and drizzle on top when cool... entirely optional.
11. Enjoy! And let me know what you think in the comments below.

Notes

Swaps for tahini...

• Almond butter
• Peanut butter
• Cashew nut butter

Swaps for pumkin seeds...

• Chopped walnuts
• Cashew nuts
• Sunflowe seeds
• Shelled hemp seeds

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More tahini recipes…

Blackberry smoothie with tahini

Beetroot slaw with tahini sauce