This raw cacao bar is a no-bake recipe that’s the perfect vegan energy food for adventures outside

If you’re anything like me, when adventure is on the cards you’ll want to get out there and make the most of your time in the outside. After all, it’s not every day that window of opportunity shows it face when time and the weather are both on your side!

Do you find yourself so preoccupied with trip planning that the food planning ends up taking a back seat? This raw cacao bar recipe is a great solution as they’re real easy to prepare AND store. This means you can whip up a batch of these bars super quick and then focus on the big adventure details for the trip ahead.

Reasons you’ll dig this raw cacao bar recipe:

• These bars are crammed with energy perfect for adventurous folk like yourself
• It uses only raw ingredients which are completely natural, healthy and vegan
• It’s a no bake recipe so you can simply blitz and then leave it to set
• Minimal washing up means less time in the kitchen, more time on the trails
• They’re transportable so easy to carry with you on trips
• They keep in the fridge for whenever you need a quick boost, plus they’re freezer friendly
• Most importantly they tasty bloody fantastic

This recipe is the perfect energy food packed with dates, oats coconut and the star of the show: raw cacao powder. Think of it like cocoa powder’s bigger and better cousin. Cocoa powder is processed and often has added sugars, whereas cacao is raw and made from fermented beans.

Cacao powder is not only purer, but it also has tons of other health benefits too:

• It has more calcium than cows milk
• Crammed with iron, magnesium and antioxidants
• It can reduce blood pressure
• It also can improve your mood and reduce symptoms of depression

I’ve been using Bioglan’s Cacao Boost powder which has added lucuma, hemp and maca so it packs an extra punch of energy with a hint of caramel!

Looking for more vegan adventure food recipes? Check out these vegan energy balls, banana and peanut butter flapjacks and berry fruit leathers

When you’ve got exploring to be getting on with, these raw energy bars are the perfect munch as they’re healthy and contain slow-release energy so you can keep going for hours. Plus, they’re relatively light and portable so can take a good bashing in your rucksack.

The recipe is super simple as you just have to blitz the ingredients and leave them to set. No need to wait over a hot oven and minimal washing up gives you plenty of time to fling your gear into your bag. Plus these delicious bars keep in the fridge for 2 weeks and you can freeze them to make them last even longer. Just separate them with baking paper before putting them in the freezer, or you’ll have a fight on your hands trying to separate them!

Here’s the vegan energy recipe!

We like to whip up a batch and keep them in the fridge ready to fling into our packs for a day at the crag or hiking up hills. Tried and tested on the trail these, bars are deliciously good plus they’ll fill you up with plenty of goodness. Let us know what you think of the recipe below and tag us on social media to tell us about the adventures you took them on!

Raw Cacao Energy Bars

No-bake raw vegan cacao energy bars with dates and coconut. Perfect for snacking on-the-go when in the outdoors and insanely good.

• Food processor

• 1 ½ cups dates (- soaked for 10 minutes )
• ⅔ cups oats
• ⅔ cups desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (- melted)
• ⅔ cups raw almonds

1. Soak the dates for 10 minutes, then drain.

2. Blend the dates in a food processor or powerful blender until they form a paste like consistency.

3. Add the oats, desiccated coconut, vanilla, cacao powder and melted coconut oil, then blend to combine. If your mixture is too thick, you can add a little coconut oil to help it blend.

4. Add the raw almonds and blend until the almonds break into chunks.

5. Once blended line a 17 by 12 cm tin with baking paper and flatten the mixture firmly. You can use a different size tin but this may affect how many or how thick your bars are.

6. Leave to set in the fridge for three hours or longer.

7. Once set, cut into 8 bars and tuck in, or keep them in the fridge to enjoy later.

You can sub the Bioglan cacao boost powder for another brand of raw cacao powder. 

Snack

Raw Cacao Bar, Raw Energy Bar