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I’ve been making Ellie Krieger’s Easy Low Fat Energy Bars for years. The recipe is from her first cookbook, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life (affiliate link), which dates back to 2008.
Sweetened with maple syrup and brimming with oats, nuts, seeds and a variety of dried fruit, these bars bake up delicious, soft and chewy. I was hooked after the first batch. Everyone I have made them for has loved these. Try them once and I think you’ll want to make them again, and again, too.
Better than any store-bought energy bars, these are great for breakfast-on-the-go, a mid-morning snack or post workout treat.
Even though store-bought bars can be delicious and convenient, many have as much sugar as a candy bar.
So, why not make them yourself? It’s really easy to do and most always tastes better when it’s homemade.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Energy Bars?
According to my calculations, each energy bar has just 133 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
How do you make healthy fruit, nut and seed energy bars?
These easy healthy energy bars are easy to make provided you have a food processor (affiliate link). Just combine your ingredients, give them a quick blitz and press them into a pan.
After a short bake and cool, they are ready to cut into bars and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Don’t overbake these bars or they can get dry.
- Use whatever combination of dried fruit and nuts that you like best.
- I sometimes add a mashed banana or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for a little extra moisture.
- If you have a hard time with self control, like me, you’ll be glad to know that these freeze well. I like to wrap individual bars in plastic wrap, place them in a zipper lock bag and toss them in the freezer. Then I pull them out one at a time so I’m not tempted to overindulge.
Recipe Variations
These bars can be modified in lots of ways depending on the nuts, seeds and dried fruit you like best, and have on hand:
Different Nuts
Substitute walnuts, peanuts, pecans, for the almonds.
Different Seeds
Substitute sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or a combination.
Different Fruit
Dried plums, pineapple, apples, mango, blueberries, cherries, etc.
Gluten-Free
Substitute ground flax for the wheat germ and gluten free flour (affiliate link) for the whole wheat.
No Maple Syrup
Substitute honey or brown rice syrup.
No Wheat Germ
Substitute ground flaxseed.
Spicier
In addition to the cinnamon, add some dried ground ginger and/or cloves.
Vegan
Substitute 1/2 cup applesauce for the eggs and PB2 (affiliate link) for the dried milk powder.
No Dried Milk
Substitute protein powder or PB2 (affiliate link) or skip it altogether.
Additions
Unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, vanilla.
If you like these healthy energy bars, be sure to check out my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Low-Fat Cranberry Bars, Oprah’s Healthy Apricot Oat Bars, Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola Bars, Nigella’s Breakfast Bars and Chocolate-Topped Peanut Butter Oat Bars
If you’ve made these Energy Snack Bars, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Ellie’s Easy Energy Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup dried apricots
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried pitted dates
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, flour, dried fruit, almonds, dry milk, and cinnamon in a food processor (affiliate link) and pulse until everything is roughly chopped.
- Add maple syrup and eggs and pulse until everything is well blended.
- Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared pan. If you find the batter sticky you can press it into the pan with your slightly wet hands.
- Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack on for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cut bars into 20 bars.
- Once they are completely cool, you can store these fruity, nutty, chewy, healthy granola bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or wrap them individually and store them in the freezer for a quick grab and go breakfast or snack.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 5 SmartPoints (Green plan) 5 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 4 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life (affiliate link) by Ellie Krieger
This video demonstrates how easy it is to make your own low calorie granola oat bars at home:
More Weight Watchers Energy Bar Recipes
- Homemade KIND Bars (TheYummyLife)
- Banana Split Power Bars (SkinnyTaste)
- Banana Oat Energy Bites (RecipeDiaries)
- Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bars (SnackGirl)
- Morning Maple Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars (SkinnyTaste)
- Salted Turtle Energy Bites (OrganizeYouselfSkinny)
When do we add the dried fruit?
In step 2 with the seeds, nuts, flours, etc. ~Martha