No-Cook Sunflower-Date Energy Bars with Hemp and Cocoa

General Xerophagy Published June 13, 2026

These bars are built for the hardest fasting days — no oil, no baking, no dairy, just dates pressed together with raw seeds into a dense, chewy slab that travels in a coat pocket to a long service. Sunflower and hemp seeds carry real protein, dates supply the sticky binding and quick energy, and a spoon of cocoa makes them taste like something you'd choose rather than endure.

Entirely raw and oil-free as written, perfect for xerophagy. On oil days you can add a spoon of nut butter for extra richness; on fish days they make a sustaining snack between meals, needing no change at all.

FASTING LEVEL: Xerophagy (raw, no oil)
SERVINGS: 10 bars
TIME: 15 minutes active, plus 1 hour chilling

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups (300g) soft Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup (140g) raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup (75g) hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup (60g) raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 orange, optional
- 2-3 tablespoons water, only if needed

METHOD

1. If the dates are at all dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Soft Medjool dates can be used straight.

2. Pulse the sunflower seeds and half the pumpkin seeds in a food processor until coarsely ground — leave some texture, you don't want flour.

3. Add the dates, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest. Process until the mixture clumps together and holds when pressed between your fingers. Add water only a teaspoon at a time if it's too dry to bind.

4. Pulse in the hemp seeds and remaining whole pumpkin seeds just to distribute them, keeping the crunch.

5. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into a parchment-lined loaf tin or small tray. Chill for at least 1 hour, then lift out and cut into 10 bars.

NOTES

- No food processor? Chop the dates and seeds finely by hand and knead together — the bars will be rustic but work.
- For oil days, work in 2 tablespoons of tahini or almond butter for a softer, richer bar.
- Roll the mixture into balls instead of bars if that's easier to carry.
- Wrapped individually, they keep 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months frozen.