These nut-free trail bars are everything a granola bar should be! They are delicious, nutritious, hearty, and super easy to make! I love that they are allergy friendly and that they contain simple ingredients that are healthy for you and delicious! I always make these trail bars whenever I need a quick snack recipe to whip up. Nut free trail bars are the perfect low inflammation, gluten free granola bar substitute!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
The early pioneers did not have handy little pre-packaged granola bars to with them on the trail. However, as a modern pioneer, we can have that luxury, with a healthier, modern pioneer twist! Make your own granola bars, which is what this trail bar recipe will help you do!
I came across this trail bar recipe when I was flipping through my mom’s cookbook and came across a recipe for Alexa’s trail bars (I didn’t know I had trail bars named after me!). I scanned through the ingredients and found out that I could easily make them with only a few substitutions. After I ate the first bar, I was hooked! These nut-free trail bars have quickly risen to one of my must-make snacks!
It can be hard to find a granola bar recipe that does not have nuts in them and are not high in sugar. That is one reason why I love these bars so much! I do not know exactly why these bars are called trail bars and not granola bars. One reason could be because my family loves to hike and these bars would make a perfect high energy, nutritious snack for on the trail!
Being allergy friendly, these trail bars are….
- tree nut free
- gluten free
- peanut free
- can be made dairy-free
- low sugar
- corn free
These high-energy bars are perfect for camping trips, day hikes, and more! I especially like these bars frozen, plus it makes them last longer. They can be a bit crumbly when served fresh out of the oven, so freezing them or refrigerating them helps keep them firmer.
Hit the Trail!
If you have ever been hiking or exploring, you know that a hearty, nutritious snack is excellent to have in your backpack. I love these trail bars because they are not only delicious, but they also contain some nutritious ingredients that give you energy.
Here are just a few of the benefits contained in some of the key ingredients in these trail bars. Nutritious, healthy, and beneficial for you, these trail bars cover everything for your health!
Gluten-free Whole Oats
- high in soluble fiber which helps with digestion
- contains more protein then most grains
- very good source of manganese
- rich in antioxidants
- low inflammation
Sunflower Seeds
- healthy source of essential fatty acids
- very high in Vitamin E
- good source of copper and B vitamins
- helps balance blood sugar levels
- improve skin health
- support thyroid function
Bananas
- helps improve digestive health
- contains powerful antioxidants
- rich in potassium
Ground Flax Seeds
- richest plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids
- rich in fiber and protein
- contain vitamin B1, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium
- anti-inflammatory
- great source of antioxidants
- improves digestive health
I love how these trail bars use low inflammation grains and seeds which help keep inflammation low in our bodies. They also use natural sugars that metabolize slowly and don’t give you that sugar high associated with the processed sugars in other high sugar granola bars. I hope you give these healthy snack bars a try!
Trail Food
I love hiking, camping, and exploring. I also love all the food prep that goes along with those activities! Food prepared and eaten in the great outdoors always tastes better! Whenever I am preparing to go camping or on a long hike, I like to make sure I have delicious snacks on hand that are also high energy and nutritious. They also have to be easy to store and transport, and not be too fragile if they get smooshed at the bottom of my backpack!
When packing a trail lunch or stashing my backpack with snacks, I try to choose a variety of homemade and store-bought foods that are nutrient dense and high energy.
Here is a list of homemade trail foods that I like to make!
- nut-free trail bars
- gluten-free no-bake granola bars
- gluten-free chocolate mint protein bars
- no-bake energy balls
- homemade trail mix- peanuts, raisins, dried papaya, freeze dried banana, Unreal chocolate gems
Here is a list of some of the store-bought trail foods I like to have on hand!
- UnReal peanut gems
- Black Forest organic gummy bears
- Epic jerky bites
- Bear Naked granola bites
- Quinn pretzels
I would love to hear what your favorite trail foods are!
Recipe Tips
Nut free trail bars are super easy to make! One reason why I always have them on hand is not only because they are delicious, but they are a super quick recipe to whip up when I have limited time for baking. Most of the ingredients I usually have right on hand and I have gotten pretty efficient at making these bars! Here are a few recipe tips to make this trail bar recipe as simple as possible for you!
- You can use coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter substitute instead of butter in this recipe. Whatever substitute you use, it should be in a near-liquid state to mimic the consistency of melted butter.
- If you have a coconut sensitivity, you can substitute in more oats instead of the shredded coconut.
- I have not tried an egg substitute in this recipe, and due to the bars’ consistency, I think the eggs are essential to holding the bars together.
- You can use your favorite dairy-free milk substitute in place of the coconut milk in this recipe.
- For the banana, one very large banana is sufficient or two medium-small bananas also work well. Frozen bananas that have been un-thawed can be used too.
- You can use any granulated sugar in place of the coconut sugar and any liquid sweetener in place of the maple syrup.
- For a low sugar chocolate chip option, I love to use Lily’s chocolate chips in these trail bars!
Super simple, super nutritious, and super delicious, these nut free trail bars are all around the perfect snack for anytime! Perfect for the trail or quick and easy for busy days, they provide the energy and nutrition you need for a mid-day pick-me-up! I love having a stash of these bars in my freezer at all times!
Nut-Free Trail Bars (gluten free)
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten free whole rolled oats
- 1/2 cup organic sunflower seeds
- 2/3 cup organic butter, melted
- 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 large ripe banana, mashed
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup organic finely shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup organic ground flax seeds
- 2 organic, free-range eggs
- 3/4 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup unsweetend coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degree F. Lightly butter a 9×13″ glass baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your melted butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup and mashed banana. Add your egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Next add your whole oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, and flax seeds. Stir until combined and then add your chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed. Add the coconut milk and stir until combined.
- Spread into the 9×13 glass baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars!
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
- Thrive Market coconut sugar
- Simply Organic vanilla extract
- Thrive Market shredded coconut
- Bob’s Red Mill ground flax seeds
- Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
- Pacific coconut milk
- Supplies: 9×13 glass baking dish
Nut-free trail bars are a nutritious and hearty snack that are perfect for providing energy and will be loved by all! They are allergy friendly and super simple to make. They contain protein rich oats, Vitamin E packed sunflower seeds, potassium filled bananas, and flax seeds which are one of the richest plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids! Now that’s a power snack!
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by Alexa
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