Quick No Bake Date Oat Bars

Date Oat Bars are a wonderful snack for the whole family, from toddlers on up! Made with nutrient-rich dates, oats, peanut butter, oat flour and chia seeds, and topped with freeze-dried strawberries, these oatmeal date bars require no baking and are easy to freeze!

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We’re all suckers for different types of muffins and homemade bars in our house – we love them as after school snacks or snacks on the go!

These no-bake oatmeal date bars have been a staple in my selective eater’s lunches. She’s not into sandwiches anymore, and I’m working on getting some fun protein and fiber in, and these bars are it!

I really think the freeze-dried strawberries worked so well – such a fun add-in to these chocolate date bars.

I wanted to use fresh berries at first, but wasn’t sure how they would fare after a few days (ie- get soggy), and when I tested with the freeze dried strawberries, I loved them immediately!

I also thought about making a strawberry chia jam to spread on top, but I settled on the idea of keeping these date oat bars as easy as possible (less steps)! Simplicity for the win.

stacked oatmeal and date bars with milk in background — *Enjoy these filling chocolate oatmeal and date bars as a fun snack any time of day!*

Why You’ll Love These No Bake Date Oat Bars

No oven needed – These oatmeal and date bars come together quickly without an oven and have a wonderful taste and consistency! We love no bake snacks as summer snacks or to add to summer lunches.
No added sugars – The dates offer natural sugars, so these no-bake bars are a great option for babies and toddlers with no added sugars (if you omit the chocolate chips).
Balanced snack – Whether you’re feeding kids after school, a snack before sports, or a bedtime snack, these date bars with oatmeal are a nice balance of complex carbohydrates (fiber!), protein, and healthy fats. If you’re serving younger kids, these date and oatmeal bars are a moderate protein source for kids, clocking in 5 grams of protein per bar.
Freezer-friendly – I love freezer friendly snacks because when I forget to buy something for the lunchbox, into the bentgo box they go! Plus, they last longer. You can enjoy them thawed or frozen, like our frozen cookie dough bites.

toddler holding homemade oatmeal date bar — toddler eating no bake date and oatmeal bar

stacked date and oatmeal bars with drizzled chocolate and strawberries — Date oatmeal bars are naturally sweetened with dates, and full of heart-healthy fiber.

Key Ingredients and Notes

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe, along with some important notes.

labeled ingredients in white bowls for oatmeal and date bars

dates – I prefer pitted dates to save you some time and mess. If your dates aren’t already soft, put them in hot water for about 20 minutes before blending to soften them up quickly.
oats – I like rolled oats here. Quick oats also work, but the bars will be slightly less textured and a little mushier (which would work great for younger eaters)!
peanut butter – Or almond butter, sunflower butter…any nut butter of choice.
strawberries – If you don’t have freeze dried strawberries, you can use another freeze-dried berry or try fresh. If using fresh, I would dice them into small pieces since they will carry more liquid.

How to Make No Bake Date Oatmeal Bars

Grease your 8×8 baking dish or line it with parchment paper (I love these individual ones). Fold over the sides to save time removing.

baking sheet with parchment paper folded over

Add your softened dates to a food processor for 3-5 minutes, until a thick paste forms.

Dates in food processor — Add your softened, pitted dates to your food processor.

medjool dates in food processor — When processing the dates, they will start to form into a sticky ball, and at that point, its almost done. Spread it out if you need to continue to keep processing.

Quick Tip for Softening Dates

If your dates aren’t softened, you can place them in a bowl of hot water for 15-20 minutes before blending to soften them up.

Then, add in your remaining ingredients (oats, oat flour, peanut butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, chia seeds, coconut oil, salt) and mix until it reaches a dough-like texture.

All ingredients for date oat bars in food processor — Add the rest of your ingredients (except chocolate chips and strawberries) to the food processor.

Oat Date Bars in food processor — Process until it forms a thick, batter-like dough texture.

freeze dried strawberries on date oat bars batter in 8x8 baking pan. — Remove the batter from the food processor and press evenly and firmly into your 8×8 baking dish. Press your freeze-dried strawberries on top of the date batter.

If you want to add the optional chocolate coating, microwave your chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second increments.

Stir until the chocolate is melted.

date oat bars with drizzled chocolate and freeze dried strawberries — Drizzle the melted chocolate over the freeze dried strawberries and date bars.

no bake date and oatmeal bars out of the freezer — Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes and enjoy right out of the freezer!

Other Fun Topping Ideas

You could also opt for coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, sprinkles or chocolate chips. Let your kiddos pick!

Storage

I prefer to enjoy these right out of the freezer. If I put them in school lunch, they are thawed by the time lunch starts.

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Servings bars