This chewy homemade granola bars recipe is so much tastier than store bought! It’s one of our top healthy snacks to take home.
Here’s a recipe for 100% healthy homemade snacks if you have the time: Homemade granola bars! Wrapped bars are super convenient: buy them for on-the-go snacks. But the taste of a homemade sea bass is infinite tastier! The secret here? The light toasting of the oats brings out a delicious nutty undertone. Blend them with honey, peanut butter, and cinnamon for a pure and healthy flavor: and add to desired blends. The mini chocolate chips are our favorite: they add a touch of sweetness (in my opinion) to the still-healthy bar.
Ingredients for this granola bar recipe
This granola bar recipe makes for a chewy bar: It’s a no-bake recipe that’s the opposite of the crunchy, baked variety. But there’s one place you turn on the oven: to toast the oats. Otherwise it’s a dump and shake method! What you need for this healthy granola bar recipe:
- Creamy peanut butter (or nut-free sunflower butter)
- Honey (or agave syrup for vegans)
- Old fashioned oatmeal
- Cinammon
- Salt
- Mixtures: Nuts, dried fruit, seeds or mini chocolate chips
The key to taste: Toast the oats
This recipe is for no-bake granola bars: except for a quick 10-minute bake for the oatmeal! Don’t even think about skipping this step. Here’s why:
- Toasting the oats adds a big, irresistible nutty flavor. You might be tempted to skip this part, but it’s worth it! The flavor it adds is amazing.
- You only need 10 minutes at 350 degrees. It’s quick and easy and easier in the oven because you can put all of the oatmeal in one pan in a single layer. (Technically, you can toast oats on the stovetop, which is what we do in our toasted oatmeal recipe.)
Important note on muesli bar mixes
With these muesli bars you can let your creativity run wild! A wide variety of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits will work. But here’s an important thing to note:
- Finely chop the mixtures to help the bars hold together. Large nuts and seeds weaken the texture of granola bars, making them easier to break.
- Use mini chocolate chips, not standard size. Same idea as above: default size can cause texture issues. The mini chocolate chips are the perfect size to incorporate into a granola bar. Just half a cup gives a great chocolate flavor. You can chop standard size chocolate chips if that’s all you have.
Cut granola bars
After squeezing your granola bars into a pan and freezing them for 10 minutes, they’re ready to slice! You can cut them into different shapes depending on what you are looking for. The traditional granola bar rectangle is what you see here, but you can make squares and make more servings out of them.
- Cut out 14 stick-sized shapes: each measure at 4 ½ x 1 ¼ inches
- Cut out 20 rectangles: Measure them at 4 x 5 inches
Keep refrigerated (refrigerate a few hours before serving)
This chewy granola bar recipe is best after a few hours of refrigeration, which helps the texture set. Technically, you can eat them right away, but we prefer them fresh so they firm up.
You can store homemade granola bars in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. If you want, you can also wrap them individually in wax or parchment paper and secure them with masking tape.
Muesli bar flavor combinations
Our favorite flavor for this recipe? Chewy granola bars with chocolate chips, Secure! But there are so many other fun flavor combinations. Here are some ideas for turning your wheels:
- Peanut Butter and Jelly: Add dried cherries or freeze-dried strawberries
- Dried cranberries and white chocolate chips
- Pepita and cashew nuts
- Blueberry Muffin: add the dried blueberries and the chopped almonds
- Pecan Pie: Add chopped pecans and ½ tsp allspice
- Coconut Mango: Add coconut flakes and chopped dried mango
What would you like to add to your granola bars? Let us know in the comments below!
Healthier energy bars
There are so many ways to make a healthy energy bar recipe at home! Here are a few more to try with peanut butter and oats:
This healthy granola bar recipe is…
Vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free. For vegans and plant-based, use agave syrup.
The description
This chewy homemade granola bar recipe is so much tastier than store bought! It’s one of our top healthy snacks to take home.
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (no added sugar; substitute nut-free butter for sunflower butter)
- ½ cup honey (or ½ cup agave syrup for vegans)
- 3 ½ cups Old fashioned oatmeal
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinammon
- Until 1 cup finely chopped nuts, dried fruits and seeds, or ½ cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- Toast oatmeal: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the rolled oats in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, 10 minutes. (This step gives the oats an amazing toasty flavor: don’t skip it!)
- Mix the ingredients: Place oatmeal in a large bowl and combine peanut butter, honey, oatmeal, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the mixtures.
- Moldings: Place a sheet of parchment paper in a 9″ x 9″ pan and allow the edges to drape over the sides. Pour the mixture into the mold and press into an even layer. Add a few more mix-ins at the top of the bars if needed. Use a small glass to roll them over to make them as smooth as possible.
- Freeze and cut sticks: Freeze the bars for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan from the freezer and use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut them into 20 rectangles (measuring 4″ x 5″) or 14 stick-sized shapes (measuring 4½” x 1¼”). Can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. The texture will firm up after a few hours in the fridge, so if you have time, do that before trying the first bar. If you wish, you can wrap the bars individually with parchment or wax paper and fix the wrapper with masking tape.
- Category: The taste
- Method: no cooking
- Kitchen: The taste
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Granola Bars, Granola Bars Recipe, Homemade Granola Bars, Chewable Granola Bars
