Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites (dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free option)
These healthy Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites are going to transform your snack attack! They’re already gluten-free and dairy-free and have a nut-free option. Made with only whole foods, no baking or cooking at all, and totally addicting!
When the kitchen is all cleaned up after dinner and kids are winding down, settling into their rooms with books, The Hubs and I usually do our own winding down — in the form of watching The Office on Netflix while having a bedtime snack.
We sort of settle into bedtime snack routines, having the same snack night after night. And then, we get tired of it and come up with a new snack.
And that’s how we came up with these Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites!
I’ll be honest… This recipe started with oats.
Like, we mixed up uncooked, not soaked oats into our granola bites. (I know, gasp. Shocking coming from a Nourishing Traditions follower, huh?)
But hey, I’ve never claimed to be perfect and feel like taking a shortcut every now and then is ok.
Except this wasn’t an ok shortcut.
Why I Went From Oats To Shredded Coconut…
This may be a little TMI, but I promise there’s a point.
I usually have excellent digestion. I take really good care of my gut with my diet, gut health-promoting supplements, and probiotics.
So, when I had reeeeeeeaaaaaallllllly bad gas for 2 days, I started to get a little puzzled.
And then I realized: it was the oats.
I don’t really eat many oats, but when I do, they’re always soaked first. (Like in these Blueberry-Vanilla-Kefir Overnight Oats.)
Oats are super high in the anti-nutrient phytic acid. In addition to binding with minerals like phosphorus and magnesium, preventing our bodies from absorbing them, phytic acid can also cause tummy upset and lead to gut dysbiosis.
Since my digestion is usually on fleek (do people still say that??), this bloating and super smelly gas was my body talking to me.
“No more raw oats!” it shouted. And I listened.
The next time we were ready for our granola bite snack, I changed things up — swapping the oats for low-carb, grain-free, no phytic acid coconut flakes.
The BEST Coconut Flakes
For these Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites, you need unsweetened, finely shredded coconut flakes. I buy mine from Wildly Organic.
And let me tell you, these coconut flakes are so finely shredded, they’re like snowfall!
Any bigger, and your granola bites run the risk of not holding together.
Snag 10% off my favorite finely shredded, unsweetened coconut from Wildly Organic with my discount code: NOURISHING!
Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites: Nut-Free Option
Ok, so here’s the deal on the nuts…
I’ll just come right out and confess that I used peanut butter. Yeah, I know it’s not “paleo”. Don’t you shake your 100% pure paleo finger at me. 😉
Peanuts aren’t nuts though; they’re legumes. Technically, because these no-bake granola bites don’t have any other nuts in them, they are nut-free.
But, I get it. Some of you need peanut-free, too.
This is where I come in and save the day with the flexibility I’m so well-known for. (I mean, I don’t really know if the Internet knows how adaptable my recipes are, but they are. Boom.)
You CAN use peanut butter. Or, you can use almond butter or cashew butter. Or even a homemade nut butter, like my Homemade Pecan Butter.
Finally, if you need to be totally and completely nut-free, use sunflower butter or tahini. It’s entirely up to you.
If you need no nuts or seeds at all, give my Toasted Coconut Butter a try. It looks and tastes pretty much like peanut butter!
I use peanut butter because 1.) we don’t have problems with peanuts in our house; 2.) it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than almond or cashew butter; and 3.) we really like the taste of it.
Especially with chocolate chips. Which this recipe has. 🙂 🙂
Truly, every other thing about these Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites IS Paleo.
Promise you won’t sic the paleo police on me for including peanut butter?
Because the remaining ingredients are nut-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and peanut-free.
Here’s what all you need:
- chocolate chips — I use Lily’s stevia-sweetened chips.
- dried cranberries and/or raisins — I used both.
- coconut syrup (my 10% discount code NOURISHING applies to this as well!) — or maple syrup. More about why I use coconut syrup below…
- soaked and dried sunflower seeds — it’s that phytic acid thing again (and my code NOURISHING gets you 10% off these, too! I’m feeling suuuuuuper generous with the discount codes today.)
- chia seeds (NOURISHING = 10% off)
- sesame seeds — I used black, but white will also do. Just make sure they’re hulled.
- raw cacao powder (NOURISHING = 10% off!!)
- vanilla
- salt (NOURISHING = 10% off!)
Why I Use Coconut Syrup
In our home, blood sugar balance is king.
While we aren’t low-carb or keto by any means, we still don’t eat high-glycemic foods regularly.
Usually, we use Dietz Sweet or Lakanto for our sweet treats — even in a non-keto recipe. There’s just no use in adding extra sugar when you don’t have to, ya know?
For these Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites, however, a liquid sweetener is required. It’s part of what helps the bites hold together.
Of the 3 whole liquid sweeteners — honey, maple syrup, and coconut syrup — coconut syrup is the lowest on the glycemic index. This mean, it has less of an impact on the blood sugar than the other two.
That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t use raw honey or maple syrup. If that’s what you have, use them! I’m just sharing information. 😉
Again, save 10% on Wildly Organic’s coconut syrup with my discount code NOURISHING!
How To Make Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites (dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free)
I’m going to recommend a stand mixer or really strong hand mixer here. Unless it’s arm day in your workouts, then go ahead and try mixing these no-bake granola bites by hand.
Here’s how easy this is:
Combine everything in your stand mixer or in a large bowl (if using a hand mixer).
Mix until completely combined.
Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to form balls, which you transfer to a cookie sheet lined with some parchment paper.
Put those bites in the fridge or freezer to harden up. Done.
Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites (gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free option)
These healthy Paleo No-Bake Granola Bites are going to transform your snack attack! They're already gluten-free and dairy-free and have a nut-free option. Made with only whole foods, no baking or cooking at all, and totally addicting!
Ingredients
- 2cupsfinely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1cuppeanut butteror nut or seed butter you tolerate
- 3/4cupchocolate chips
- 1/2cupdried cranberries
- 1/2cupraisins
- 1/3cupcoconut syrupor maple syrup
- 1/3cupsoaked & dried sunflower seeds
- 3tablespoonschia seeds
- 2tablespoonsblack sesame seeds
- 2tablespoonsraw cacao powder
- 1teaspoonvanilla extract
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer).
Mix until the ingredients are totally combined.
Use a 1-tablespoon dough scoop to form balls.
Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate or freeze until solid.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
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More Healthy Snack Recipes You’ll Love…
- Blender Batter Keto Lemon Blueberry Bread
- 18 Real Food Instant Pot Snacks & Desserts Made in 5 Minutes or Less
- Paleo Tiger Nut Trail Mix
- Paleo Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding
- 5-Ingredient Sprouted Seed Truffles
- Crunchy Sprouted Chickpea Snacks
- Magically Healthy Unicorn Frap
What do you snack on when you get the munchies? Will you try these No-Bake Granola Bites?
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