Popcorn is a favorite evening snack in our home. We drizzle it with coconut oil, and sprinkle it lightly with sea salt. Sometimes I even add some other seasonings. But this recipe takes popcorn munchies to another level. These chocolate-dipped popcorn snack bars are like an energy bar meets healthy dessert. They’re a great grab-and-go alternative to your ordinary granola bars.
Popcorn Snack Bars are a Sweet Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Option
This recipe was originally shared with us several years ago by The Popcorn Board. Today, we’re giving the post an update with more information and options.
Their original recipe used pomegranate arils, but it’s tricky to use fresh fruit in a snack that’s supposed to be portable. So we swapped in dried cranberries or raisins. You can actually substitute other dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or your favorite snack bar add-ins for the the blueberries, cranberries, and almonds.
Special Diet Notes: Popcorn Snack Bars
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan, and vegetarian.
- 8 cups air-popped popcorn
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 cup dried blueberries
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
- ½ cup chopped almonds (sub sunflower seeds for nut-free)
- ⅔ cup honey (sub agave nectar or brown rice syrup for vegan)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread
- Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the popcorn, oats, blueberries, cranberries or raisins, and almonds.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the honey, brown sugar, and buttery spread. Bring it to a gentle boil over medium-low heat and boil for 2 minutes. Pour the sweet mixture over the popcorn mixture and gently but thoroughly stir to combine.
- Immediately press the mixture firmly into your prepared pan.
- Refrigerate the bars until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into bars.
- Store the bars in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Pomegranate Option: The original recipe uses pomegranate seeds / arils instead of dried cranberries. With fresh ingredients, they require refrigerated storage and are more perishable, so we prefer using dried fruit.
More Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Snack Bar Recipes
Cake Batter Protein Bars
Raw Superfood Energy Bars
Chewy Trail Mix Cereal Bars
4 Comments
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These look really good. I’ll be making them for my daughter soon.
On a side note, save your money and don’t buy the expensive popcorn just because it’s labelled GMO-free. There isn’t ANY GMO popcorn. It’s a marketing ploy.
http://thefarmerslife.com/avoid-gmo-popcorn/
Hi Paula, thanks so much for this note. It is true at present, but last year I read about GM-popcorn being tested, so I like to be on the safe-side in recommendations since recipes are long-term! I should probably just change that recommendation to organic, as it is still a heavy pesticide food. I’ll do that now – I appreciate your note and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Seriously? These look AMAZING! I love the combo and the person who created it 🙂