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Home By Meal Snacks

Healthy Granola Bars

★★★★★ 33 Reviews Recipe Print
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By: Erin4/30/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

healthy granola bars
healthy granola bars

Healthy Granola Bars are an easy snack loaded with peanut butter, almonds, honey, and oats. Made with no refined sugar and packing a protein punch, these healthy no-bake bars are perfect for kids and adults!

homemade healthy granola bars stacked

The ultimate grab-and-go snack

If you know anything about me, you know that I need snacks on deck at all times. What can I say? I like to be prepared when hunger strikes! This is kind of why I’ve become the queen of preparing easy snacks ahead of time with items that are already in my pantry.

In this case, that means peanut butter, oatmeal, honey, and chocolate chips. These are staple items in my pantry, and coincidentally they’re the same items used to make my famous healthy granola bars.

These snack bars are chocolatey, chewy, and perfectly sweetened. If you were a fan of those little chewy bars growing up, you’re gonna want to make these.

I, for one, used to totally gobble those up, so this is understandably one of my favorite recipes ever. They’re perfect for taking on the go, packing in kids’ lunches, enjoying as an afternoon pick-me-up, etc. They’re more nutritious than store-bought brands and are wonderfully peanut buttery!

homemade healthy granola bars

Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade granola bars

My homemade cereal bars are jam packed with nutrient rich ingredients, making these a wholesome snack filled with protein, fiber, and more. Below are all of the ingredients you’ll need to bring this recipe to life!

  • Quick oats
  • Almonds or nuts
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Coconut oil
  • Natural peanut butter
  • Honey
  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate chips
  • Raisins

Kitchen tools for making granola breakfast bars

When I said this recipe was easy, I meant it! If that hasn’t convinced you, maybe this will: only five kitchen tools are required to create this recipe. Grab your baking dish, parchment paper, mixing bowl, saucepan, and spatula, and let’s make these treats!

Additionally, you will need the following measuring cups: 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup.

How to make this granola bar recipe

Making granola bars couldn’t be simpler. We’ll mix our ingredients, warm some of them up, add them to our baking dish, and place in the fridge or freezer. That’s literally it – there’s no baking required either! You’ll only need 10 minutes of spare time to prep this recipe.

To begin making healthy granola bars, start by lining a baking dish with parchment paper. I used an 8×8 dish.

Next, combine the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl, and stir to combine.

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut oil, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until everything is warmed through and the coconut oil has melted.

Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.

Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes before adding the chocolate chips so that they don’t melt. Once cooled, add the chocolate and raisins.

Pour the mixture into a prepared baking dish and press down firmly with the bottom of the spatula.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (I prefer overnight!).

Use a knife to cut into desired sizes, and keep stored in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

A healthier granola recipe

I love standard processed chewy granola bars as much as the next gal, but I don’t necessarily love how they’re made. Many of the packaged snack and breakfast bars that you’ll find in the grocery store are filled with countless chemicals and preservatives. Who knows what those ingredients are doing to our bodies?

That’s one of the reasons that I like to make my own at-home versions. For this recipe, you’ll see that I use a number of healthy ingredients in the attempt to pack in as many nutrients as possible!

To make that happen, I used quick oats, almonds, coconut oil (rather than vegetable or canola), and all-natural peanut butter (processed peanut butter is riddled with chemicals). Honey is used for sweetening, which is a great alternative to regular refined sugar.

stack of granola bars

Easy substitution options

There are a number of ways that you can customize these bars and make them your own. Here are some ideas!

Almonds
Not a big almond person? That’s okay! Use whichever nuts you prefer. Walnuts, pecans, or peanuts will work well too.

Coconut oil
You can use any cooking oil to replace the coconut oil in this recipe.

Peanut butter
I’m a huge peanut butter lover, but you don’t have to be! Any nut butter will work as an easy swap.

Honey
You can use molasses or maple syrup in place of honey.

Chocolate chips
Not feeling chocolate? Sub the chips with white chocolate or caramel chips, or omit them altogether for a nuttier result.

Add-ons
Additionally, you can use various add-ons to make this recipe complete. Ideas include crushed candy, dried fruit, or extra nuts!

More granola recipes for your cravings

Whether you like bars or you prefer loose granola (perfect for topping yogurt and desserts), there’s a recipe for you! Be sure to try my delicious chocolate peanut butter granola. It’s a hit!

  • No-Bake Nutty Granola Bars
  • Trail Mix Granola Bars
  • Chunky Paleo Granola
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
  • Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Granola
homemade healthy granola bars stacked

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Quarter Soul Crisis

★★★★★ 4.9 from 33 reviews

Healthy Granola Bars

Healthy Granola Bars are an easy snack loaded with peanut butter, almonds, honey, and oats. Made with no refined sugar and packing a protein punch, these healthy no-bake bars are perfect for kids and adults!

Print Pin it Rate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 1 cup almonds or other nut, roughly chopped.
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup creamy, natural peanut butter (any nut butter will work)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. Combine oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl – stir to combine.
  3. In small saucepan, combine coconut oil, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until warmed through and coconut oil has melted.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. Let mixture rest for 30 minutes before adding chocolate chips so they don’t melt. Then add chocolate and raisins.
  5. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and press down firmly with bottom of spatula.
  6. Cover and refrigerate least 2 hours or overnight, I prefer overnight! Use a knife to cut into desired sizes.
  7. Keep them in the fridge or freezer.
Author: Erin MorrisseyCategory: snacksCuisine: Snack

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @erinliveswhole on social media!

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There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂

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Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love seeing what you made!

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Stephanie says

    Posted on 4/28 at 1:11 pm

    Thank you Erin for the recipe! Just the perfect amount of sweet I couldn’t believe there was no refined sugar! I made your recipe about 4 times and was very satisfied! I decided one day to branch out and found a very heavily reviewed 5 star recipe that uses sugar and oh my goodness that one was way too sweet it gave me that fake sore feeling that liptons “brisk” ice tea or Sunny D would give me as a kid. I automatically switched back to your recipe!

    I add hemp hearts to my bars as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I toast all the nuts and chop them up. I also use my whole oats but blitz them in the blender quickly to resemble quick oats.

    I saved your lintzer cookie recipe and pecan pie bars to try later! So excited!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/28 at 4:47 pm

      Hi Stephanie, so happy you loved them and made them your own!!

      Reply
  2. Rae says

    Posted on 3/12 at 11:52 am

    5 stars don’t do these justice. They are amazing!!!! I add 1 tbsp of chia seeds and 2 tbsp of flax seeds. This is a recipe I will make again and again. Yum!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 3/14 at 3:35 pm

      Hi Rae, so glad you loved them and made the your own!!

      Reply
  3. Jayne says

    Posted on 3/10 at 7:29 am

    I’m looking forward to making these Granola bars but not too sure how to convert the various cup measurement to grams?!?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 3/10 at 3:45 pm

      Hi Jayne, yay and if you just good the measurements x cups to grams it’ll convert it for you. Let me know how yours come out!

      Reply
  4. Bethany says

    Posted on 6/28 at 7:21 pm

    Wow, thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It is perfectly proportioned, moist, and hearty. My mom and I love it!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/29 at 3:59 pm

      Hi Bethany, so glad you both loved the bars!!

      Reply
  5. Myriam says

    Posted on 6/26 at 4:05 pm

    I made a few changes mostly for allergies; I swapped the nut butter for Wow Butter (that’s soy butter), the chopped nuts for pumpkin seeds, and did 70% dark chocolate chips. I also ommited the raisins. They turned out amazing! If you want to make this nut free, it is SUPER easy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/27 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Myriam, so happy you loved them and made them your own!!

      Reply
  6. Allie says

    Posted on 6/20 at 10:08 pm

    Love these bars!! I keep them in my freezer to have a quick and easy snack on the go!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/21 at 2:39 pm

      Hi Allie, so happy you love them and great idea!!

      Reply
  7. Erin says

    Posted on 5/20 at 10:12 pm

    So good! I’ve made them twice. The second time I used less honey and instead added ground chia seeds mixed with water to hold the bars together without the sugar! They also turned out really good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Kayla says

    Posted on 5/16 at 2:00 pm

    What could I substitute peanut butter for?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/16 at 5:21 pm

      Hi Kayla, you can use almond butter or sunflower butter! Let me know what you use and how the bars come out!!

      Reply
  9. Cal says

    Posted on 5/9 at 2:12 am

    This recipe is waaaaaaay too sweet, completely overpowered by the honey. There’s no reason to have a half cup of it. I know you’ll say that it helps the mixture stick together, but that’s simply not correct. Compression holds this together, as there is enough peanut butter to stabilize. I modified this to use only two tablespoons (1/4 of what’s called for) of honey, and cut the chocolate chips in half. I also reduced the coconut oil by half, as I don’t like a greasy granola bar. It holds up perfectly with these changes. Seems like there’s a ton of unnecessary sweetness in this site’s recipes.

    ★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/9 at 8:20 am

      Hi Cal, I’m sorry that you did not like the recipe! We’ve heard tons of good things about this one. Bummed it didn’t work out for you and you thought they were too sweet.

      Reply
  10. Katie Nichols says

    Posted on 5/6 at 5:51 pm

    Delicious and quick granola bar recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/7 at 1:42 pm

      Hi Katie, so glad you loved them!!

      Reply
  11. Wendy says

    Posted on 4/16 at 2:46 am

    Love these bars. They are so easy to make and great to take on my bike rides. They crumbled when I cut them tgec1st time I made them but I now put them in the freezer and they cut perfectly. Delicious 😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/16 at 5:38 pm

      Hi Wendy, so happy you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  12. Molly says

    Posted on 3/22 at 8:20 pm

    Hi my son has type one diabetes do you know about how many carbs are in one bar?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 3/23 at 12:01 am

      Hi Molly, there are 24.2g of carbs per bar. Hope this helps!!

      Reply
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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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