Healthy Granola Bars, my old friend. When I have a batch of you on hand, my life feels a little more together. A simple baked granola bar recipe made with oats, honey, and your mix-ins of choice, these easy bars are here for you, whatever wildness the day may hold.
I cannot relate to the idea of being so busy you forget to eat.
Even on my most crazed days, my stomach checks in at regular intervals, and I can’t focus until I’ve met my body’s need for nourishment.
The quality of the snacks is where I need to pay attention.
- Having healthy snacks like these homemade granola bars (or Energy Balls) on hand for immediate consumption satisfies my hunger for hours.
- They are a much healthier option than reaching for a bag of chips, candy bar or other processed snacks that will leave you hungry again a short while later.
I am not a dietician, but I know that if you are looking for granola bars for weight loss and only focus on which granola bars have the least calories, you can miss the point.
- For a snack to keep you full and happy (and your hand out of the chip bag), it needs to have filling ingredients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats. These have 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving!
- Otherwise, you’ll end up eating more overall than you would have if you would have simply selected a more satisfying (but higher calorie) bar in the first place.
These bars are truly sustaining!
I originally developed this healthy granola bars recipe for Ben and my long road trips.
Now, we take them on ski trips for a mid-mountain break, and I almost always have some in the freezer. It feels good to reach for a homemade bar instead of something from a box, and it is a serious cost savings too
If you’ve never made homemade granola bars, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by just how easy they are.
They save well (wrap and freeze them for up to two months), are more affordable than store-bought bars, and don’t contain the long list of unpronounceable ingredients.
Plus, your kitchen will smell like a bakery while these granola bars bake. Ahhhh.
How to Make Healthy Granola Bars
These bars are ultra easy to stir together, perfect for kids, post workout, and on-the-go-breakfasts, and the ingredients are flexible to what you have on hand.
You can even alter the baking time to make the bars chewier or crunchier, depending upon what your family prefers.
The Ingredients
- Oats. Full of fiber, nutrients, and shown to help lower levels of “bad” cholesterol, oats are inexpensive with a powerful healthy punch. Their fiber content in this whole grain is one of the reasons these healthy granola bars (as well as their cousin, No Bake Granola Bars) will keep you full.
- Nuts. Rich in omega-3s and a good source of protein, nuts make these bars both satisfying and super tasty. Use any nuts you love or have on hand: chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts—my favorite is a mix, like what you’ll find in Trail Mix Peanut Butter Granola Bars.
- Pepitas. These little pumpkin seeds are packed with antioxidants and add another dimension of flavor.
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes. Add irresistible toasty notes, without the need for excess sugar.
- Peanut Butter. Hello, healthy fats and more protein for sustenance. You can use any nut butter here you enjoy. (Fellow PB lovers, don’t miss these Peanut Butter Protein Bars.)
Tip!
The consistency of your bars will vary based on the brand of nut butter you use. If they seem too dry, add more peanut butter or honey; if they are too wet, add more oats one tablespoon at a time.
- Honey. Rejoice for healthy granola bars no sugar but the right about of sweetness! Storebought bars can contain three or four different forms of sugar. In these bars, you’ll find only natural honey.
- Cinnamon + Pure Vanilla Extract + Salt. This trio makes these homemade granola bars even more scrumptious (truly, processed bars do not stand a chance).
- Mix-Ins! One of the most fun parts of making granola bars from scratch is that you can make them any flavor. Try dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chia seeds or dark chocolate and you certainly can’t go wrong with chocolate chip peanut butter granola bars. These can easily be made dairy-free as well!
The Directions
- Toast the oats, nuts, and seeds. This adds big flavor!
- Warm the peanut butter and honey together until smooth. Stir in the spices.
- Stir the toasted oats and nuts into the peanut butter mixture.
- Press the mixture into a parchment-lined pan. Bake the healthy granola bars at 300 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, slice, and ENJOY.
Chewy or Crunchy?
- For Chewy Granola Bars. Pull out the bars after 15 minutes.
- For Crunchy Granola Bars. Continue baking the bars 5 additional minutes, or 20 minutes total.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Store granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
- To Freeze. Wrap bars airtight and store them in a ziptop bag in the freezer. Let thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Storage Tips
For grab-and-go snacks at the ready, make a double batch, wrap the bars individually, then pull them out of your freezer on demand.
Healthy Alternatives to Granola Bars
While I do think granola bars can be healthy when you are watching the ingredients, if you are looking to vary it up and try some other healthy snacks, here are some suggestions:
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Dish. This one is ideal for making granola bars.
- Baking Sheet. I use a baking sheet to toast my granola bar mix-ins.
- Saucepan. With countless everyday uses, a high-quality saucepan is a must-have item in every kitchen.
High-Quality Baking Dish
This stoneware baking dish will bake beside you for a lifetime! The high-quality enamel finish makes cleanup a breeze too.
You’ll thank yourself for having these healthy granola bars around, whether your tummy growls like mine, or you are one of those people that has to remind yourself to eat lunch (but how?!).
Happy snacking!
Frequently Asked Questions
While store-bought granola bars can be unhealthy and full of added sugars, these homemade granola bars are healthy in moderation. They’re a delicious and nutritious snack option compared to those that come in a package.
If you want to ensure your granola bars are low in calories, watch what mix-ins you add. Make sure you use low-calorie mix-ins, and choose a nut butter with the least amount of calories.
Crumble up leftover granola bars over yogurt, or try them over vanilla ice cream for a treat.
Healthy Granola Bars Video
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Healthy Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts or a mix
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas or additional chopped nuts
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or dried fruit or nuts
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper so that two sides of the paper overhang the sides like handles. Coat generously with nonstick spray.
- Spread the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, and coconut flakes on a rimmed, ungreased baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the coconut looks lightly golden and the nuts are toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, heat the honey and peanut butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture is smoothly combined. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- As soon as the oat mixture is finished toasting, carefully transfer it to the pan with the peanut butter. With a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Let cool for 5 minutes, then add the chocolate chips (if you add the chocolate chips immediately, they will melt).
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. With the back of a spatula, press the bars into a single layer (you also can place a sheet of plastic wrap against the surface to deter sticking, then use your fingers; discard the plastic prior to baking).
- Bake the healthy granola bars for 15 to 20 minutes: 20 minutes will yield crunchier bars; at 15 they will be slightly chewier. With the bars still in the pan, press a knife down into the pan to cut into bars of your desired size (be sure to pick a knife that will not damage your pan—I typically cut into 2 rows of 5). Do not remove the bars. Let them cool completely in the pan.
- Once the bars have cooled completely, use the parchment to lift them onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars again in the same place, going over your lines to separate. Pull apart and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Store granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or refrigerate for 2 weeks.
- TO FREEZE: Wrap bars airtight and store them in a ziptop bag in the freezer. Let thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Easy and the smell while baking is wonderful! I wanted a crunchier bar so I baked for 20 minutes at 300 degrees but they were still chewy. Next time I’ll try leaving the temp at 325.
Hi Gina! So glad you enjoyed the recipes! Thank you for this kind review!
what a waste of paper to print out this recipe. Give us one page!
Hi Susan! I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble. When hitting the print button for the recipe, you can remove all images, notes, and nutrition label. You also have the option to print in smaller font but even with the normal font size this would give you two pages. If you print on front and back then you only need one page. Hope this helps!
Erin,
I watched making Healthy Homemade Granola Bars on YouTube yesterday. But you did not give amounts of the ingredients for the coconut, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, honey, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Could you send me the amounts for the above mentioned ingredients?
Phyllis
Hi Phyllis, I think you are missing the recipe in the post. All of the ingredients are listed in the recipe card above the directions on how to make them. There is even a “jump to recipe” button to help navigate you there! Hope this helps!
Any alternative for coconut flakes? Thanks!
Hi Carro! I’ve only tested the recipe as written. and the coconut helps bind them so I am unsure of an alternative. Maybe more oats? If you decide to experiment with it, let me know how it goes! Hope you enjoy!
I love making these….I use dessicated coconut rather than flakes….still works
Hi Karan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve made these bars several times for my family and friends and everyone’s obsessed! These don’t last longer than two days (if I’m lucky) in my house! So simple and delicious :)
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Morning Erin
Fantastic and simple to follow recipe- I swapped out the PB for tahini and omitted the coconut and added sesame seeds instead. I also added in chopped dried fruit and no choc chips. These are my go to granola bars!! Thank you
PS will try cutting back just a bit on the maple syrup next time
Hi Scott! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
could you please post the ingredients in grams too? i keep finding conflicted information, some sites say 2 cups of oats is 180 grams, some say 160, some say 210. same with the peanut butter
Hi Angie! Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide metric measurements. There are several online conversion sites—one good one is from King Arthur! Here’s the link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart.
These were delicious and very east yo make. I’ll definitely make them again!
Hi Eva! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
On my second batch of these granola bars.
They are so good, and easy to make. Win Win.
Hi Shelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I feel like I missed an ingredient, mine did not stick together, fell apart when I cut them after they cooled. Any suggestions?
Hi Sally! I’m not sure why they would of fallen apart. Did you cut them first while they were still warm, then recut them after they cooled?
Just made these, they’re so good but a tad sweet for me, if I used just half the honey next time would the consistency be OK still?
Hi Erin, I’ve only tested the recipe as written so it would be hard for me to say for sure. If you decide to experiment with it, let me know how it goes! Hope you enjoy it!
What temperature do you cook the bars, 300 or 325. Thanks
Hi Dawn, want to make sure you are seeing the full recipe. The temperature starts at 325 then dropped to 300. Enjoy!
Can the honey be omitted or subbed for a low fructose option? We have fructose malabsorption and honey is high on the “foods to avoid” list unforgivably.
Hi Jenny! Honey can be substituted with an equal amount of maple syrup or brown rice syrup. Either of these sweeteners is also a great way to make the granola bars vegan.
These bars are delicious! I didn’t use any PB or nut butter substitute, I used a little extra honey and it was perfect. I also opted for a mixed seed variant for added nutrients and flavour. It all came together so nicely. It will be a new on hand snack from now on. I was quite worried when they first came out of oven and I cut them they started to fall apart a little. But by the time I came back and they had cooled and I cut them again they were completely solid. Thanks Erin for a great recipe
Great to hear! Thank you Aisling!
Hi, I never toasted oats or nuts before! Any tips or tricks?
Thanks!
Sue
Hi Sue, just make sure you give them a stir half way through and watch for it to look golden. Enjoy!
Hi sorry, I tried to comment but my computer froze so I hope this gets through. There’s a discrepancy in your temps in the recipe here. If you look to your pictures, in no 4 (just before you get to “storage tips” you write bake the bars at 300f. But then step 1 in instructions you say 325f. I think that’s why the questions in the comments about the temperature for baking. Can u fix that? Thanks.Sue
Hi Sue, there is no discrepancy, if you look at Step 2 it says to reduce the temperature to 300 and then bake. So you’ll preheat at 325, reduce and bake. Hope this helps!
This has really no sweet taste, I want a touch more sweetner. Mine turned out very crisp after 16 minutes, I will use it more like granola. I also found that the coconut browned too fast so I would add it half way. Also, the honey on the bottom and edges burned, Im not sure how to avoid that.
Hi Kathleen, maybe your oven runs a little hotter than mine? You might need to reduce the baking time some. The sweetness was a right balance for me, but you can probably adjust it to your needs.