These Salted Honey Pumpkin Seed Bars make the perfect healthy snack! They're nut-free, gluten-free, paleo-approved, and can easily be made vegan. Plus, they're so easy to make and require only five ingredients.
Pumpkin Seeds are a great addition to a healthy diet, and these salted honey pumpkin seed bars are a delicious way to enjoy them.
I came up with this homemade recipe for pumpkin seed bars because I was obsessed with the Health Warrior pumpkin seed bars. But they can be hard to find, and it's so much cheaper to make them at home.
Why pumpkin seeds? Let's take a look at the nutrition.
Pumpkin Seed Nutrition
¼ cup of pumpkin seeds (shelled, also called pepitas) has:
160 calories
3 grams of fiber
8 grams of protein
only 4 carbs
13 grams of fat
10% iron
35% magnesium
20% zinc
45% copper
50% Manganese
That's a lot of nutrition for such a tiny seed! I started including them in my diet to increase my iron levels. Many women (especially if you exercise) are iron deficient without even knowing it, which is why I recommend having your ferritin levels checked regularly.
Tip- try paring these pumpkin seed bars with vitamin c rich food to increase iron absorption.
And let me tell you, not only are these bars so nutritious, but also delicious, super easy to make, and require only five ingredients. So what do you need?
Salted Honey Pumpkin Seed Bar Ingredients
For salted pumpkin seed bars, you will need the following ingredients:
- Pumpkin Seeds- You want to use shelled pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas. I used sprouted organic pumpkin seeds, although any shelled variety will work.
- Coconut Oil- Coconut Oil helps to bind the bars together, so a different oil will not work as well.
- Honey- You can substitute brown rice syrup if you want to make the bars vegan, but I don't recommend maple syrup as it's not thick enough.
- Oat Flour- You can buy oat flour at most supermarkets or you can make your own by blending old-fashioned oats in a blender until the oats become a fine powder (about 30 seconds to a minute). Store your oat flour in an air-tight container for up to three months.
- Salt- The salt goes so well with the honey! I use ½ tsp, but you can reduce or omit the salt to your liking.
How to make pumpkin seed bars
These yummy bars are so easy to make. Simply follow these instructions:
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, with enough overhang to remove bars from the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin seeds, oat flour, and salt. Set aside.
- Heat the honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until coconut oil is melted and honey is heated through. Remove from heat.
- Pour the honey mixture into the dry mixture and mix until well incorporated using a large spoon. It will seem dry at first but keep mixing.
- Pour the pumpkin seed mixture into the parchment lined pan. Using the back of a large spoon that's been sprayed with non-stick spray, press the mixture into the pan until it's uniform.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Do not overbake, as they will dry out.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper and allow to cool completely (about an hour). They will harden as they cool.
- Cut into 10 rectangles and enjoy!
Storage
Store your salted honey pumpkin seed bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I wrap mine individually so I can easily grab one for an on-the-go snack. They can also be frozen for up to three months.
Need more healthy snack ideas?
Check out these recipes:
Skinny Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Strawberry Sunflower Seed Bars
As always, please let me know how you like the pumpkin seed bars in the comments. Your feedback means a lot to me, and your star ratings encourage other readers to give this recipe a try.
Enjoy!
Crystal
📖 Recipe
Salted Honey Pumpkin Seed Bars
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ cups pumpkin seeds* shelled
- ½ cup oat flour*
- ½ teaspoon salt*
- ⅓ cup honey or brown rice syrup for vegan
- 1 and ½ tablespoons coconut oil*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, with enough overhang to remove bars from the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin seeds, oat flour, and salt. Set aside.
- Heat the honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until coconut oil is melted and honey is heated through. Remove from heat.
- Pour the honey mixture into the dry mixture and mix until well incorporated using a large spoon. It will seem dry at first but keep mixing.
- Pour the pumpkin seed mixture into the parchment lined pan. Using the back of a large spoon that's been sprayed with non-stick spray, press the mixture into the pan until it's uniform.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Do not overbake, as they will dry out.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper and allow to cool completely (about an hour). They will harden as they cool.
- Cut into 10 bars and enjoy!
Notes
- Pumpkin Seeds- You want to use shelled pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas. I used sprouted organic pumpkin seeds, although any shelled variety will work.
- Coconut Oil- I used refined coconut oil. If you opt for non-refined coconut oil, your bars will have a hint of coconut flavor.
- Oat Flour- You can buy oat flour at most supermarkets, or you make your own by blending old-fashioned oats in a blender until the oats become a fine powder (about 30 seconds to a minute). Store your oat flour in an air-tight container for up to three months.
- Salt- The salt goes so well with the honey! I use ½ tsp, but you can reduce or omit the salt to your liking.
- Store your salted honey pumpkin seed bars covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I wrap mine individually so I can easily grab one for an on-the-go snack. They can also be frozen for up to three months.
Chrissaysnature says
Amazing recipe! It's so easy to make and very delicious! Thanks for this recipe!
Crystal Yentzen says
Thanks so much! I'm glad you like them as much as me!
Lucy says
These are the perfect filling snack for anytime of day. I love how healthy the ingredients are and that you can make a large batch in one go so perfect for snacks on the go during busy weeks.
Kayla says
Yum! This is the perfect idea for lunches! I love how healthy they are!
Lauren says
I can’t wait to try these! I love sweet recipes that are also pretty healthy!
Meryl says
Such a perfect healthy snack! Love the high protein, these are delicious!
Julia says
I made these Honey Pumpkin seed bars and shared some with a friend. We both loved them and she's asking for the recipe so it was a complete hit. Thank you.
Crystal Yentzen says
You are welcome! Thank you!
Anaiah says
Loved making these salted honey pumpkin seed bars. Super easy and so delicious. They're the perfect snack to bring on hikes or runs with my dogs!
Ciao says
Qatar
Bobbie says
These are perfect for a snack and easy to pack for a healthy hiking snack.
Terez Howard says
I’m allergic to oats. Is the a sub flour you’d recommend?
Crystal Yentzen says
You can substitute regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
Bing says
What about coconut flour or sunflower flour?
Crystal Yentzen says
You can try using coconut flour. Coconut flour is more absorbent than oat flour, so I would reduce the amount to 6 tablespoons. Let me know how they turn out!
Nora says
These are perfect for my mom! She loves pumpkin seeds! Gonna make them for her for Mother's Day! Thanks for the idea!
nancy says
lovely power bars to get me thru the morning o the go
Jess says
I can’t wait too make these!
Lily says
Is there an alternative to coconut oil?
Crystal Yentzen says
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature which helps the bars to firm up, so I'm not sure how the recipe would turn out using a different oil. If you want to experiment you can try using butter. Or a healthy alternative would be olive oil, but like I said I'm not sure if they would firm up quite the same. I'm sure they would still be yummy! Let me know if you try it.
Crystal
Jane says
Do I use plain unsalted pumpkin seeds or roasted/salted and omit the salt?
Crystal Yentzen says
I used slightly salted, unroasted pumpkin seeds, and I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. The salt goes well with the honey, but you can reduce the salt if you like.
Elizabet says
Made these and they are so good. I’m vegan so instead of honey I subbed cacao date syrup, and added some cinnamon and cardamom. Crowd pleaser! Thanks!
Crystal Yentzen says
I'm so happy you like them! The addition of cinnamon and cardamom sounds delicious! I'll have to try that next time.
Laura says
These are amazing. I tweaked the recipe a bit and use Vanilla Hemp Protein Powder instead of Oat flour, sub maple syrup for the honey and use less and added 100% cacao no sugar dark chocolate chips. These are my new post workout protein breakfast. I love them. Thank you for these incredible recipe!
Crystal Yentzen says
I'm so happy you like the recipe as much as me, and I love your idea to add dark chocolate chips. I'm going to have to try that!
Crystal
Kitty says
So easy and soooo delicious! TY TY TY🙏🏼🤗❣️👍
Crystal Yentzen says
You're welcome! I'm so happy you like them!
Rhiannon Collins says
Hello, I’ve been scouring Pinterest for healthy snacks for the kids. I’m so excited to make these. I have a lot of sunflower seeds too. Do you think I could add them in if I doubled the recipe? Like, half pumpkin seeds, half sunflower?
Crystal Yentzen says
That should work just fine. Let me know how you like them!
Elaine says
Made these couple weeks ago. These things are damn delicious! Will absolutely make again.
Crystal Yentzen says
I'm so happy you like them! And thanks so much for commenting!
LK says
These taste very good. 2 problems with mine. They stuck to Parchment paper terribly. They did not firm up, even though I pressed them thoroughly before baking. Fall apart in my hand. I'll eat them at home, but not sure they would hold up on a Florida hike.
Crystal Yentzen says
Did you let them cool completely before cutting them? They harden as they cool. You can also pop the in the refrigerator to harden them. I hope that helps!