Sasha DiGiulian’s Homemade Protein Bar Recipe Takes “Date Caramel” to New Heights

Pro-climber Sasha DiGiulian is no stranger to overcoming major feats. She just became the first woman to free-climb the longest route of El Capitan. In the fall of 2020, she underwent her second hip reconstruction surgery. As she doubted whether she’d ever climb again, she found herself with a lot of downtime during her recovery. She took those months to fully commit to her long-time passion: starting a protein bar company.

“I registered the name Send Bars in 2012 when I was a freshman at Columbia University,” she says. Today, her superfood snack brand is stocked on shelves in climbing gyms and health stores nationwide.

Her passion for the protein bar business stems from her own experience of relying on nutrient-dense snacks for energy. When she’s not enjoying a Banana Bread or Lemon-Cherry Send Bar, she’s making one from scratch at home.

Her one rule for making homemade protein bars? It has to start with date caramel—a thick paste that you can make easily by blending water and mashed dates. She loves the dried fruit goo because, regardless of the other ingredients she adds, it always seamlessly binds everything together into a chewy, tender bar that boosts her energy before training, hiking, or climbing. “If my energy reserves are low, I can’t lift as hard, I lack power, and I burn out much faster,” she says.

Another benefit, she says, is that they help her recover by replenishing her body with protein to repair muscle damage—a ritual she has taken seriously since healing from her past surgeries.

I decided to make DiGiulian’s nutty date bar recipe myself and spoke with a registered dietitian, who weighed in on how DiGiulian’s homemade bars can boost performance and support recovery. Here’s how it all went.

How to Make Sasha DiGiulian’s Homemade Nutty Date Bars

The author makes Sasha’s nutty protein bars in her kitchen. (Video by Ashia Aubourg)

Servings: 8 three-by-one-inch bars

Duration: 10 min (plus 30 minutes of refrigerating)

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped cashews
• 2 teaspoons spinach powder
• ¼ cup plant-based protein powder (vanilla or unflavored)
• 4–5 Medjool dates, pitted
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 1–2 tablespoons water, if needed (to help blend the dates)

Recipe

1. In a food processor, blend the Medjool dates with almond butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Add one to two tablespoons of water if needed to help blend.
2. In a separate bowl, mix chopped cashews, spinach powder, protein powder, raisins, chopped pecans, coconut, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Pour the date mixture into the dry ingredients and combine until a sticky dough forms.
4. Press the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper and mold it into a square.
5. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then slice it into eight bars that measure about three inches long and one inch wide.

Note: The bars will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week when stored in an airtight container.

The Verdict: These Nutty Date Bars Didn’t Last a Second in My Kitchen

I had high hopes for a protein bar recipe created by the founder of a popular health snack company, and DiGiulian’s date-nut duo did not disappoint. I prepared them in under ten minutes, using my blender instead of a food processor. Shaping the dough into neat rectangles was effortless, and they turned out looking like store-bought bars.

These bars are sweet, chewy, and packed with rich, comforting, nutty flavors. I kept a container of these in my fridge, and they didn’t even last a week.

How to Get the Most Out of These Bars, According to a Nutritionist

It turns out DiGiulian might be on to something when it comes to her love for dates, says Erika Collette, a registered dietitian based in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The Medjool dates and raisins are great sources of pre-workout carbs,” Collette says. These ingredients help fuel your body before getting active because they’re rich in simple carbohydrates that are easy to digest, providing quick energy for your workout soon after eating, she says.

Eat Them 30 Minutes Post-Workout to Aid Recovery

Collette recommends eating one of these bars at least 30 minutes after a workout. This protein-packed snack helps kickstart muscle repair and replenish your energy, she says.

One nutty date bar has nine grams of protein, and since nutrition experts recommend aiming for 15 to 30 grams per meal, snacking on one of these bars can help you get there.

I took Collette’s advice and ate one of these nutty date bars about a half hour before my barre class. I was able to power through my toughest range of motion exercises, and I didn’t feel achy after my workout; it was energizing and surprisingly filling, too. I’ll definitely be making these again.

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