Cranberry Date Quinoa Breakfast Bars are a hearty on the go gluten-free breakfast bar bursting with the sweetness of dates and warm tart cranberries in every bite.
Cranberry Date Quinoa Breakfast Bars
This post was originally posted back in 2014 and was in bad need of a photo update. Back in the day, I was OBSESSED with quinoa breakfast bars, I ate them almost every day and loved coming up with new flavors all the time. (see Banana Walnut, Pumpkin Apple, Cinnamon Apple, and Carrot Cake Muffins varieties).
I know you may be out of cranberries by now, but I had a few bags of frozen cranberries left over from the holiday season so I decided to make these. If you are out of cranberries, I’d use the same process but substitute in frozen berries like blueberries or raspberries for the cranberries, that would be just as delicious.
Since I can’t follow a recipe, even my own, I tweaked this recipe a bit from the original version. As you can see from above, I really liked topping mine with peanut butter for the ultimate breakfast.
Therefore, I took the peanut butter out of the actual recipe, because I’d rather it melt on top. If you follow me on IG, these are the bars I’ve snapped a picture of with CRUNCHY peanut butter on top almost every single day this week!
You can bet that you will be seeing them again too because I made TWO batches of these. I ate one last week and froze the other, which I will be eating this week! BOOM! Breakfast Done!
I also upped the flaxseed in these to make them friendly for hormone balancing seed cycling. The last change I made was that cut out the honey, I figured the dates would be sweet but I was a still a little nervous about the result. Turns out I really loved how they came out (obviously or I wouldn’t be posting them), but that being said, they aren’t sweet AT ALL, if anything they are a little tart.
I think this balances out nicely when I top them with peanut butter but you could always leave the honey in if you are concerned they will be too tart for you. It made me think how much my taste buds and preferences have adjusted even in the last couple of years.
I mean I knew they adjusted a TON from my junior year in college to when I became an RD (read I actually eat vegetables now) but I didn’t realize they’ve kept on adjusting. Just proof that healthy eating is and will always be a fun journey!
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Cranberry Date Quinoa Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin or mashed banana
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
- ¼ c honey optional
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 c cooked quinoa
- 1 c rolled oats or mashed banana
- 1/2 cup ground flax
- 2/3 cup unsweetened frozen cranberries
- 4 medjool dates chopped
Instructions
- Combine canned pumpkin or mashed banana, vanilla, cinnamon, egg, almond milk, honey (optional) and baking powder in a small bowl and mix well.
- Next add in the quinoa, oats, flax and cranberries. Mix until just combined but do not over mix!
- Spoon into a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes.
- Let cool completely (at least 30 minutes) then cut into six bar. You can wrap them individually then freeze them for up to three months. A quick freezer to microwave breakfast!
- Store in refrigerator for up to one week. Serve cold or hot, by themselves or topped with jam/jelly, almond or peanut butter, or drizzle with a bit of honey.
Nutrition
Question of the day:
Whats the most exciting thing you’ve found in your freezer recently?
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Hi there! These look delicious but I’ve always found when I cook with quinoa/oats/canned pumpkin, my baked goods come out chewy and rubbery. Does this ever happen to you too?
I can’t believe I’m just seeing this comment! Yes that has happened to me a bunch of times, ESPECIALLY with pancakes! I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but these bars definitely escaped that problem!
I found a dead grasshopper for my friends daughters bug collection but didn’t want to write that in the comments ! For you only!!! Love ya
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I have a bag of cranberries in my freezer that I don’t know what to do with! Hah. This recipe is perfect!! 🙂
use those babies up!
These look like my next breakfast for sure! Could I sub the almond milk for regular milk??
yes that should be fine!!!!
I LOVE cranberries in baked goods. I put them in oats all the time!
yummmmmmmmmmmm
These look so yummy! I’m a Registered Dietitian in Phoenix as well! Excited to look through the rest of your page! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
That’s awesome! So nice to meet you!!! What part of the valley are you in?
Looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. I’ve been meaning to try quinoa bars but haven’t really found some recipe online that actually took my heart away. But your recipe looks so yummy that I will be trying this dish real soon. I am just wondering if I can add more vanilla syrup and use nutmeg instead of cinnamon?
I thinkthat would be fine! sounds delicious!
Hi! So excited to try these. Do they require baking powder or soda? There’s a reference to each. Thanks!
I see the typo, thank you! Honestly either will work, but I typically baking powder. I’ve updated the post so that it doesn’t say both! Thank you!