These raw chocolate date bars can be made with as little as 4 ingredients and they are naturally refined-sugar-free and suitable for gluten and dairy-free eating styles.

Recipes for raw desserts are naturally free of refined flour and refined sugar, and most of the time they are sweetened with dates. Dates are not only a great natural sweetener, they are also packed full of fibre and potassium. Another favourite raw dessert based on dates is this Raw Chocolate Brownies with Caramel Icing.

Ingredients for Raw Date Bars: Dates, Hemp, Cacao Powder, Cacao Nibs, Coconut, Salt

Nutrition

Diabetes-Friendly Dessert

The dates are packed full of soluble fibre, which has been shown to help regular blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The addition of protein helps to dampen the effect of the sweet dates on our blood sugar levels, and hemp is one of the best plant-based sources of protein.

The Health Benefits of Chocolate

Cacao contains polyphenol antioxidants which may have the potential to prevent heart disease. These flavonoids are the antioxidants that are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, tea, wine, and coffee. See Raw Chocolate Brownies for more information on the antioxidant content of different forms of chocolate.

Soak the dates in hot water to soften them for at least 1 hour.

Tips

Making These Date Bars Without A Food Processor

If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the dates before soaking them to make them easier to mix with the other ingredients. After the dates have soaked for at least 1 hour, mash them with a fork until they are smooth. Then you can add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. The resulting date bar will be more textured, but will still hold together.

Soaking The Dates

Soaking the dates helps the mixture blend more smoothly, but is not necessary. If you have a quality food processor or Vitamix you can skip this step if you are short on time. You may need to add an additional 2 tablespoons of water to help the mixture blend.

Which Pan To Use

If you don’t have a small 6 x 6-inch pan, you can use any larger pan and just press the mixture into your desired shape. As an example, if you have a 9 x 9-inch pan, you can put the mixture in the middle and spread it to your desired thickness – knowing that the mixture will not reach the edges of the pan.

Add all ingredients to a food processor.

Notes

Making 4 Ingredients Date Bars

The coconut topping and added salt are completely optional and these date bars taste great without them. You can also omit the cacao nibs or hemp hearts (not both). See below for alternatives for these ingredients.

Alternatives to Hemp Hearts

I love hemp hearts because they add some protein, which is helpful to stabilize blood sugar levels. The natural sugar from the dates will spike your blood sugars (some people more than others), so the addition of some protein (or fat) will help dampen this. Hemp hearts are smooth, and break down nicely once processed – sunflower seeds work as an alternative both for their smooth texture and blood sugar stabilization.

Alternatives to Cacao Nibs

Cacao nibs are basically cocoa beans that have been chopped up, with no additional processing (see my post Two Ingredient Raw Chocolate Recipe. They are great because they add a little crunch as the cacao nibs keep their texture through the processing. To keep the crunch factor without cacao nibs, try adding some whole nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pecans, halfway through the processing – once the dates have already been mostly broken down.

Flavour Variations

You can use this recipe as a base and try these different flavour combinations

Chocolate Orange Date Bar: Add 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice in place of the water and the zest of one orange (organic is best)
Mint Chocolate Date Bar: Add 10 drops of peppermint essence to the ingredients before blending
Lavender Chocolate Date Bar: Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lavender to the ingredients before blending
Rosemary Date Bar: I love this combination of rosemary and chocolate, with a pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary to the ingredients before blending.

Purchasing Fair Trade Cacao

Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance both provide training programs for farmers which have led to higher yields, better quality cocoa, and subsequently more income to farmers.

More Healthy Snack Recipes

Looking for some more sweet and healthy snack recipes? Try these favourites:

Healthy Chocolate Recipes

Some of my favourite chocolate recipes:

Print Recipe

4.20 from 5 votes

Raw Vegan Chocolate Date Bars with Hemp

A simple and healthy treat that can be enjoyed any time of the year. Simply add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Feel free to play around with the ingredients, it also tastes great with walnuts in place of hemp hearts.

Prep Time15

Setting Time30

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: date and nut bars, healthy date bars, raw bars recipe dates

Servings: squares

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Rachel Dickens

Ingredients

2 cups dates pitted
3/4 cup cacao powder fair trade
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1 tsp salt optional
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup shredded coconut unsweetened, optional

Instructions

Soak your dates in hot water for at least an hour. This helps soften them for the blending process.
Drain the dates, reserving the water. Add all of the ingredients except for the coconut into a good quality food processor. Add 1/4 cup of the date soaking water during the processing to help the mixture blend. Process until smooth.
Line a 6 x 6" pan with baking paper and press mixture down firmly into it, using your fingers to make sure it is even. Sprinkle with shredded coconut if using, pressing it into mixture slightly. Let the date bars set in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 9 even squares before serving.

Notes

Making These Date Bars Only 4 Ingredients

The coconut topping and added salt are completely optional and these date bars taste great without them. You can also omit the cacao nibs or hemp hearts (not both).