Quinoa Breakfast Bars

Introduction

These hearty quinoa breakfast bars are an excellent way to use leftover quinoa or include more of it in your diet. Quinoa offers plenty of nutritional benefits and it makes a nice alternative to oats for breakfast.

These bars make a great snack too, at home or on-the-go, especially topped with your favourite nut butter or jam.

You’ll need just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time and they make a great base for add-ins like chocolate chips, walnuts or coconut. You can swap out the berries or any other fruit as well, or mix and match your favourites.

They’re also made without eggs, dairy, or gluten, can be made nut-free, and have no added oil or sugar, so a great choice for those with allergies or other dietary restrictions.

If you’re looking for more ways to use quinoa at breakfast, try this 5-minute breakfast quinoa, or for baked oatmeal bars, try these blueberry oat cups, carrot cake baked oats or simple banana baked oatmeal.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

• Banana: Just ripe banana is perfect. They don’t need to be overripe or super spotty but it’s okay if they are too! The riper they are, the sweeter the bars will be.
• Nut or Seed Butter: Any nut or seed butter works. Peanut butter is delicious but almond butter or sunflower works too for nut-free bars.
• Plant-Based Milk: Almond, cashew, soy or oat milk all work. Use whatever you prefer.
• Flax: Ground flax helps to bind everything together. Make sure you use ground flaxseed and not whole flaxseeds.
• Quinoa: You’ll need cooked and completely cooled quinoa so it’s perfect for using up leftovers. I would recommend making quinoa the day before if you’re making it specifically for this recipe.
• Oats: Rolled oats or large flake oats are best.
• Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work best in this recipe, or any other fresh fruit like chopped strawberries, peach or raspberries. You can use frozen but since they add moisture, you may need to bake the bars a bit longer.

Optional Add-In Ideas: Add up to 1/2 cup any add-in you like such as chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.

Step-by-Step Instructions

You will need cooked and cooled quinoa for this recipe. If you’re making quinoa specifically for this recipe, I recommend making it the day before or in the morning and then letting it cool in the fridge for a few hours before making the bars.

If you have leftover quinoa ready to go, that’s perfect!

Step 1: Mash the banana up in a bowl using a fork or immersion blender until it resembles a paste.

Step 2: Add the nut butter, vanilla, milk, flax, baking powder, cinnamon and salt mix until fully combined into a smooth mixture.

Step 3: Add the quinoa and oats and mix well to combine. If you’d like to add any extras like nuts, chocolate chips or coconut, add those now as well.

Step 4: Gently mix in the blueberries.

Step 6: Firmly press the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes until firm.

Let the bars cool in the pan for at least one hour to allow them to firm up. Slice and enjoy!

Notes and Tips

• It’s important to let the bars cool in the pan if you want them to be firm. You can slice and enjoy right away but they’ll be a bit soft and may fall apart. Once they cool, they’ll be solid bars.
• They’re really good warmed up and served with yogurt, berries, banana and peanut butter (or nut/seed butter of choice).
• Try them warm or cold, spread with peanut butter, jam, vegan butter or other nut or seed butter of choice.
• Since they have no added sugar, the bars aren’t very sweet as is. For a sweeter bar, add 1/4 cup coconut sugar, cane sugar or maple syrup and/or up to 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life or Camino. They can also be sweetened with a sugar-free sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit.

Storing Instructions

• Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 6 days.
• Freezer: Let cool then store individually wrapped or in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge or microwave.