Best Energy Bar Recipes | Get Your Groove On! (2024)

Readyto get your groove on? The energy bar recipes on this page feature healthy ingredientsthat maximize caloric and nutritional density.

First, we’ll cover thenutritional profile of Chef Glenn’s best energy bar recipe, followed by fivemore homemade energy bar recipes shared by backpackers.

Ingredients for Homemade Energy Bars

Include healthy ingredients that taste good, and combinethem for optimal caloric and nutritional density.

• Dehydrated fruits provide calories for quick energy. Driedfruits also contribute fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

• Nuts and seeds provide calories from fat—theseare considered endurance calories to last you through the day. Nuts and seedsare also high in protein and fiber.

• Rolled oats provide protein and complex carbohydrates. Oatsare also high in soluble fiber.

It is sometimes said in backpacking circles, “Acalorie is a calorie.” Such reasoning elevates the status of a 200-calorie PopTart to that of a handful of dried figs, which also provide 200 calories. Whileboth provide calories in the form of carbohydrates, Pop Tarts are full of highfructose corn syrup and sugar—andmostly void of nutrition.

Carbohydrates

Oats are high in complex carbohydrates, which take longerfor your body to convert into energy—energy that will stick with you.

Dried fruits are high in carbohydrates in the form ofnatural sugars that provide quick energy. In addition to calories, dried fruitsare full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Valley Fig Growers state, “The fiber in figs is both solubleand insoluble, meaning the natural sugars in figs break down slowly over time.Fiber not only helps keep us full, but helps stabilize our blood sugar levels,while also helping maintain healthy bowel movements.”

Fats

The only thing worse than a constipated backpacker is atired backpacker. Slaying mountains day after day requires double or triple thecalories we need compared to when we’re sitting at our desks researching energybar recipes. Since we don’t want to flood our blood streams with high fructosecorn syrup and sugar, a healthier way to boost calories in homemade energy barsis to include nuts and seeds, which contribute calories from fat.

USADA states, “Fat is a valuable metabolic fuel for musclesduring endurance exercise and performs many important functions in the body,although it does not provide quick bursts of energy needed for speed.”

According to Cleveland Clinic, “Fat has more than twice asmany calories per gram as carbohydrates and proteins. A gram of fat has about 9calories, while a gram of carbohydrate or protein has about 4 calories.”

Proteins

The third source of calories for energy bar recipes isprotein. Gram-for-gram, protein contains the same amount of calories ascarbohydrate. Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, but homemade energybars need another ingredient to hold all the goodies together. Rolled oats aregreat at binding the fruity parts of energy bars with the nutty parts.

Rolled oats have 13.4 grams of protein per 100 grams.According to Healthline, “Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth.They’re a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins,minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.”

Vitamins & Minerals

Inaddition to high caloric density and fiber, all of the energy bar ingredientsmentioned—driedfruits, nuts and seeds, and oats—providea healthy combination of vitamins and minerals to keep your bodily systemshumming along.

Chef Glenn’s Best Energy Bar Recipe

The figs and oats in this energy bar recipe are what bindall the healthy ingredients together. These dehydrated energy bars are chewywith a little crunch in them. They are slightly bendable, but stiff enough tospread peanut butter on top if you want to really go wild.

Servings: 6energy bars

Ingredients:

• 7 dried figs (100 g) *
• ½ cup toasted rolled oats (50 g)
• ¼ cup pecans (25 g) **
• ⅛ cup toasted sunflower seeds (15g)
• ¼ cup grated dark chocolate (25 g)
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp. coarse sea salt
• Optional: ¼ tsp. ground espresso
• ½ cup water (118 ml)
  

* Dried dates can be used in place of figs. They pairexceptionally well with peanuts.

** Any kind of nuts may be used: pecans,peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc. Reduce nuts to smaller pieces or theenergy bars won’t hold together as well.

Homemade Energy BarIngredients: Figs, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds, Oats & Dark Chocolate.

Instructions:

Toast rolled oats in a pan by heating them over medium-highheat for just a few minutes, stirring continuously.

Toast sunflower seeds in the same way.

Break nuts into smaller pieces.

Grate dark chocolate, or use small pieces. It’s going tomelt either way.

Cut dried figs into small pieces.

Add fig pieces to a pot with ½-cup water. Bring to a boiland then turn off stove. Let figs sit for 10 minutes.

Reduce figs to a slurry with a potato masher.

Dump all the other ingredients into the pot and mix well.Let mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the oats to absorb moisture.

Dehydrating EnergyBars:

Spread mixture about ¼-inch thick on a nonstick sheet orparchment paper. Shape into a big square. Because the mixture is thick, it’seasier to spread it around over a solid surface like a counter top beforeplacing it on the dehydrator tray.

If using a round Nesco dehydrator, press mixture into fruitroll inserts. When the energy bars are firm, transfer them to the mesh(clean-a-screen) inserts to finish drying.

For Excalibur dehydrators, double the recipe to fill onetray.

Photo: Energy barmixture spread ¼”thick on nonstick sheet.

Dehydrate at 145°F (63°C) for approximately 8hours. After 3–4hours, flip mixture over onto another tray to expose the other side. After 5–6 hours, slide mixture onto a cutting board andcut into 6 individual energy bars. Continue drying for another 2 hours directlyon mesh sheets.

Photo: Energy barsdrying on mesh sheets.

Dried Yield

Dried weight: 192 grams, or 32 grams per energy bar. Sizeapprox. 4” x 2½” per bar.

Recommended servings: 2 bars per snack break for 278calories.

Storage & Packing

Store homemade energy bars in an airtightcontainer for longest shelf life. When you hit the trail, place a piece ofparchment paper between each bar.

Homemade Energy Bar Recipes

The following energy bar recipes were shared by BackpackingChef readers. If you would like to share your best energy bar recipe, fill inthe form at the bottom of the page. Thank you!

• High-Carb Peanut Butter Energy Bars
• Banana-Granola Energy Bars / Trail Cookies
• Apple Jerky Energy Bars

Toasted Oat & Almond Energy Bar Recipe

Shared by Clarence Odbody

Servings: 15–20energy bars.

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup packed dates (pitted)
• ¼cup maple syrup, date molasses, or honey… something sticky sweet
• ¼cup peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1½cups rolled oats (pro tip: toast the oats!)

High-Carb Peanut Butter Energy Bar Recipe

Shared by Kyle Branin

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup Karo syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 6-8 cups breakfast cereal such as Cheerios, granola, or aprotein cereal.

Instructions:

Mix first 3 ingredients over medium heat until sugar isdissolved. Pour over cereal and mix well, then press into a cake or sheet panand let set. You want to use enough cereal that once cooler the bars will holdtogether and not be too sticky or soft. Cut into bars and pack in sandwich bagsor plastic wrap.

Experiment with different nut butters, sugars,cereals, and syrups. Mix in all sorts of nuts, dried fruit; even proteinpowder. Delicious and customizable.

Low-Carb Nuts & Seeds Energy Bar Recipe

Shared by April Miller

I eat low-carb to control my blood sugar, so I make my ownsnack bars. It's the only way to control the ingredients. Flavoring is whateverI feel like at the time. Results are variable, some bars are more crumbly thanothers, but they taste just fine if I pour them out of the bag into my mouth.

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cup nuts and seeds (flax, pumpkin, sunflower, almond,hazelnut, walnuts, chia, sesame, etc.)
• ½ medium apple (fresh = softer bar, dehydrated = crispierbar)
• Flavoring or extract of choice (apple, cherry, banana,hazelnut, almond, etc.)
• Spices of choice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.)
• Sweetener to taste
• Enough egg white to bind it together

Add-ins as desired: chocolate chips are good with cherryflavoring, diced dehydrated fruit, dehydrated olives, rosemary, and parmesancheese.

Instructions:

Mix in food processor, flatten on baking sheetwith parchment paper, score bars, bake for 25-30 minutes at 320°F to 350°F(160°C to 175°C). Flip and bake longer as needed. Cool in oven to help withcrispness.

Banana-Granola Energy Bars / Trail Cookies

Shared by Bill D.

These dehydrated trail cookies can also be shaped intoenergy bars.

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Quaker Oats Simply Granola Cereal
• 2 large bananas
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. water

Instructions:

Using a food processor, grind the cereal coarsely to acrumb-like consistency. Pour into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Next, put the peeled bananas, cinnamon, and water into thefood processor and blend into a slurry. Pour this mixture into the bowl withthe cereal, and mix well using a spatula. The cereal soaks up moisture so addwater as needed to keep the mixture moist and pliable.

Scoop out rounded portions of the mixture using a teaspoon,and evenly place them on a silicone sheet or pre-cut parchment paper for yourdehydrator. Using the back of the spoon or the spatula, flatten out eachportion into the shape of a cookie approximately ¼" thick.

You may have to dip your spoon or spatula into a cup of warmwater to prevent the mixture from sticking while forming the cookies.

Dehydration:

Dehydrate the cookies at 135°F (57°C) for approximately 8-10hours.

For chewier cookies, dry for less time. For crisper cookies,dry longer.

About halfway through the dehydrating process flip thecookies over and remove the silicone sheet or parchment paper. Continue todehydrate on the mesh tray until done.

When finished, store the cookies in a zip lock bag in thefreezer or the pantry. Each batch makes about a dozen cookies.

Variation: An alternate drying method is to takethe entire mixture and spread it out on the sheet to the desired thickness.When finished cut it into bars using a pizza cutter.

Apple Jerky Energy Bar Recipe

Shared by Al Rutherford

Ingredients:

• 1 jar apple sauce 28 oz. (796 ml)
• 1 banana
• 6 dates, chopped
• ⅓ cup flax seeds (79 ml)
• 2 Tbsp. honey (30 ml)
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar (15 ml)
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon (15 ml)
• ½ cup orange juice (118 ml)
• 2 apples, shredded
• 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked (236 ml)
• ½ cup shredded coconut (118 ml)
• 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal (708 ml)

Instructions:

Add apple sauce, chopped dates and bananas, flax seeds,honey, agave nectar, and cinnamon to blender. Let this sit to soften up thedates while you get the other things ready.

Peel, core and shred apples. Combine with orange juice in alarge mixing bowl. Mix it around a bit to keep the apples from turning brown.Add oatmeal, coconut and Rice Krispies to the mixing bowl and stir.

Turn the blender on for about two minutes or untileverything is well blended.

Dump blender contents into mixing bowl and mix well.

Pour mixture into a large bag or jerky gun. Ifusing a bag, cut a ½ inch hole in one corner.

Top photo showsmixture being applied by squeezing it through a hole in the corner of a bag. Bottomphoto shows mixture being applied with a jerky gun.

Dehydration:

Cover dehydrator trays with Excalibur Paraflexx sheets orparchment paper. Make lines of apple jerky on trays. Should make three trays ifusing an Excalibur Dehydrator.

Dry at 135°F (57°C) for about nine hours. At five hours,take off the paraflexx sheets and continue drying. Will dry similar to fruitleather.

Let cool and cut strips in two or three pieces.

Doyou have an energy bar recipe to share? Use the form below to send it toChef Glenn.

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