Name: Jujube Quinoa Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Chinese jujubes; 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup raw quinoa); 2 eggs; 1/2 cup almond milk; 1/2 cup melted coconut oil; 1/2 tsp cardamom; 1/2 tsp ginger; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp cinnamon; 2 tsp pure vanilla vanilla

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My curiosity about the health benefits of red dates, AKA Chinese jujubes, led me to make these dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free Jujube Quinoa Bars. These bars are naturally sweetened with jujubes and spiced with aromatic cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon, making them a delicious and healthy start to the day.

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Delicious refined sugar free Chinese Jujube Quinoa Bars

Since I snagged a bag of Chinese jujubes (Also known as Chinese dates or red dates), I have been experimenting with them. I have made several cups of unappetizing (to me) tea, a tasty jujube shake that’s similar to this date shake, this tasty jujube chutney, and these delicious jujube quinoa bars.

I wanted to make some healthy bars that were similar to these date-sweetened, pretzel chocolate bars. After much experimenting, I ended up with the bars you see here.

The recipe for these Jujube Quinoa Bars is a simple one. Just gather the ingredients, blend, and bake!

Here’s what makes these bars so good, for me:

They are delicious, with the perfect amount of sweetness and spice
They are easy to make
They are dairy-free and gluten-free
And, they are made with 10 ingredients!

10 ingredients to make blender prepped jujube bars on a wooden board.

What are the ingredients needed to make these bars?

You will need the following 10 ingredients:

Jujubes
I found the pitted jujubes for this recipe on Ama z on. While I haven’t seen them at most local grocery stores, they can be found at some health food stores and Amazon, of course. Chinese Jujubes are full of health benefits, and you can read more about them in this post.
Cooked Quinoa
I usually cook a large batch of quinoa to make easy quinoa salads like this and this. So, I had some leftover cooked quinoa that I used in this recipe. Quinoa can be found at most grocery stores. If you get the flavored raw quinoa package, just cook the quinoa according to the package instructions, but leave out the flavorings included.
Eggs
I used a couple of large eggs that had been left out to get to room temperature. Unfortunately, I have not made these using a flax egg or any egg alternative.
Almond milk
Almond milk or cashew milk would work well in this recipe.
Coconut oil
I love the flavor coconut oil adds to bars. However, if you are not a huge fan of coconut oil, then melted butter could be used instead.
Cardamom
Powdered cardamom or ground cardamom adds flavor and aroma.
Cinnamon
Like cardamom, cinnamon is one of those spices that adds so much flavor.
Ginger
I used ground ginger in this recipe. The combination of ginger with cardamom and cinnamon makes these bars so warm and inviting to me.
Salt
I am including salt in the list of ingredients for this recipe, as it’s a baking recipe, and if the amount of salt isn’t correct, the resulting bars just wouldn’t be good.
Pure vanilla extract
Pure vanilla extract is an ingredient that should not be omitted from this recipe. It is another flavor and aroma booster.

Instructions

If you don’t have any cooked quinoa, then add 1 cup of raw quinoa to a medium-sized pot with 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low-medium, and let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes. Then, turn off the stove, leave the pan covered for another 5 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Step 1: Fill a small pan with water and place it on a stovetop set to high heat to boil. When the water is boiling, add the pitted dry Chinese jujube fruit to it. Cover. And let it sit for 20 minutes. Drain the jujubes (the water can be reserved to drink).

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3: If your coconut oil is solid, melt it in the microwave by placing some in a microwave-safe dish and microwaving for 30 seconds. Similarly, warm the almond milk until it gets to room temperature.

Steps to make these easy quinoa jujube bars

Step 4: Add the cooked quinoa, the soaked jujubes, eggs, almond milk, melted coconut oil, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract to a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds or until the batter is smooth.

Step 5: Line a 9-inch baking tray with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray.

Step 6: Using a spoon or spatula, scoop the batter into the 9-inch baking pan.

Step 7: Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Step 8: When done, remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Recipe Tips

If using coconut oil, make sure that the eggs and almond milk are at room temperature. This way, the melted coconut oil will not solidify and will distribute evenly through the batter.

Use a high-speed blender to blend all the ingredients. If not well blended, the bars could be crumbly.

Serving Suggestions

These quinoa bars are tasty as they are.

My guy likes to enjoy these Jujube quinoa bars with a dollop of sugar-free whipped cream.

And, sometimes, I love to smear one of these bars with peanut butter and pair it with a cup of coffee. Sometimes, I smear it with a nut butter and drizzle some honey on top of that and enjoy this as an afternoon snack.

Storing And Reheating

These Jujube quinoa bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

When ready to enjoy, they can be placed on a kitchen counter to come to room temperature. Or, placed on a microwave-safe plate and microwaved for 10-15 seconds, or they are no longer refrigerator-cool.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!