These no-bake homemade Clif bars are tender with a green tint, enhanced with moringa to be a vibrant deep green— perfect for kid-friendly Halloween snacks! With ten everyday ingredients, these peanut-free Clif bars pull together in the food processor in just 5 minutes.
For other gluten-free breakfast recipes, also try my vanilla cake and fluffy waffles.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Easy even for beginners. Whether you’ve never made homemade snack bars or it’s a fall staple at your place, this homemade Clif bar recipe is simple & detailed enough for anyone to follow.
Low Histamine Snack. One thing I constantly look for is new low histamine snacks to add to my favorites list. These copycat Clif bars are sweet, salty, and satisfying without being overwhelmingly oaty or nutty. If you add too much or too little of anything, it's easy to make up for the imbalance, as they're very forgiving.
Balanced Fiber & Protein. Thanks to the pistachio butter, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds, these bars are relatively high in protein and fiber.
🍯 Ingredients
Oats: these are just regular oats, a whole grain which forms the base for these imitation Clif bars.
Pistachio Butter: this is part of what acts as the binder in this recipe, and you can use any low histamine nut you’d like if you use a homemade nut or seed butter.
Pumpkin Seeds: ideally you’ll have soaked & dried your pumpkin seeds to reduce antinutrients before using them in this recipe. Whether you have nor not, pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc, magnesium, and protein, as well as adding a fantastic crunch to your homemade Clif bars.
Honey: there are a few low histamine sweeteners you can use in this recipe, but by far my favorite is manuka honey. Not only is it great for the digestive system, but manuka honey has been proven to lessen allergy symptoms, like those of histamine intolerance. The best alternative is date syrup.
Cocoa Butter: using cocoa butter as the other binder in this recipe makes for a mild chocolaty scent, though it adds minimal chocolate flavor to the final bars. Make sure to use a high quality cocoa butter (same as cacao butter), and if you need to substitute, coconut oil will be your best bet.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🧈 How to Make Homemade Clif Bars (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Put the oats and flax seeds into your food processor and lightly blend for 10-15 seconds on low, to grind the oats and flax into smaller, more digestible pieces (images 1 & 2).
Step 2) Add the pistachio butter, pumpkin seeds, honey, melted cocoa butter, ginger, cardamom, and salt (not the water), and then blend in 5-second pulses for half a minute (images 3 & 4).
Pro-Tip: Make sure your cocoa butter is totally melted and maybe even a bit warm, because if it cools down it will become hard and won't blend as well.
Step 3) If the mixture isn't yet forming a dough-like texture, add a ½ tablespoon of water and blend well for another 10 seconds. Repeat that process until a dough forms that's sticky enough to form into bars but not so thin that they lose their shape (image 5).
Step 4) Refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes, then take it out and form it into bars, coating each one in a bit of chia seeds or pumpkin seed powder to keep them from sticking (if desired), and then refrigerate for 10 more minutes on the parchment and eat or enjoy, as desired.
🫐 Variations
- Macadamia Nut Swap: Replace the pistachio butter with macadamia nut butter for a rich, buttery flavor. Macadamias are among the lowest-histamine nut options available.
- Hemp Seed Power: Substitute the chia seeds or pumpkin seeds with hemp hearts. They provide a soft texture and are a great source of plant-based protein that is typically very well-tolerated.
- Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Boost: Add ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric along with the ginger. Turmeric is highly anti-inflammatory and complements the existing spices while remaining low-histamine.
- Blueberry Ginger Bars: Fold in 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried blueberries. Freeze-dried fruit is a safe way to add a burst of flavor and antioxidants without adding moisture that might affect the "no-bake" consistency.
- Sunflower Seed Version: If you need a nut-free option, swap the pistachio butter for sunflower seed butter (ensure it is free of high-histamine additives or oils).
- Apple Pie Bars: Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped, sulfite-free dried apples and an extra pinch of cardamom for a flavor profile reminiscent of apple pie.
🥣 Freezing/Storage and Reheating
These ingredients do/don't stand up well to freezing for X days/weeks/months.
Low histamine readers generally need to freeze uneaten foods right after eating, though some dishes are fine at room temp for a certain amount of time, so indicate how to reheat the dish (if necessary).
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Coatings. You can coat these bars in any sort of small seed, or nut or seed powder. My recommendations would be pumpkin seed powder or chia seeds.
Low Histamine Energy Balls. If you're bored of bars, you can also form this recipe into 8 energy bites instead of 4 homemade Clif bars.
❓ What to Serve With No-Bake Clif Bars
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every ingredient in this recipe—from the pistachio butter to the warming spices—has been selected because it is generally well-tolerated on a low-histamine diet. To keep histamine levels as low as possible, ensure your seeds and nuts are fresh and store the finished bars in the freezer.
Moringa is often considered a "superfood" in the low-histamine community. It is known for its potent anti-inflammatory and natural antihistamine properties. It also adds a vibrant green color to the bars, though it is optional if you don't have it on hand.
To keep this recipe low-histamine, pistachio butter or macadamia nut butter are the best choices. Avoid peanut butter or cashew butter, as these are often higher in histamine or can trigger reactions in sensitive individuals. Sunflower seed butter is a great nut-free, low-histamine alternative.
If you prefer not to use honey, maple syrup is a suitable low-histamine alternative. However, honey acts as a great "glue" for no-bake bars, so you may need to adjust the amount of dry ingredients slightly if the consistency feels too soft.
Have you tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
No-Bake Homemade Clif Bars (Without Peanuts)
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 Cup oats
- 2 Tablespoon flaxseeds
- 7 Tablespoons pistachio butter
- 4 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons melted cocoa butter
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground vanilla optional
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 Tablespoons chia seeds or pumpkin seed flour for coating if desired
- 1 teaspoon moringa optional, for added color & antihistamine power
Instructions
- Put the oats and flax seeds into your food processor and lightly blend for 10-15 seconds on low, to grind the oats and flax into smaller, more digestible pieces.
- Add the pistachio butter, pumpkin seeds, honey, melted cocoa butter, ginger, cardamom, and salt (not the water), and then blend in 5-second pulses for half a minute.
- If the mixture isn't yet forming a dough-like texture, add a ½ tablespoon of water and blend well for another 10 seconds. Repeat that process until a dough forms that's sticky enough to form into bars but not so thin that they lose their shape.
- Refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes, then take it out and form it into bars, coating each one in a bit of chia seeds or pumpkin seed powder to keep them from sticking (if desired), and then refrigerate for 10 more minutes on the parchment and eat or enjoy, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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