Chewable granola bars are so easy to make at home, and they’re the perfect canvas for your favorite dried fruit, nut, and seed combo. Make this easy, healthy, gluten-free snack today!
Granola bars are one of the most convenient foods. They’re full of whole ingredients packed into a portable snack ready to take with you anywhere, anytime.
Sure, there are a number of bars you can find at the store, but there are a ton of benefits to making your own. You can control the sweetness, create your own flavor combinations, and control what ingredients you add to your bars. Once you’ve mastered a versatile recipe like this, the sky’s the limit.
Tips and tricks for making Chewy granola bar
The hallmark of these granola bars is their soft and chewy quality. This is due in large part to the inclusion of corn syrup. Just two tablespoons make all the difference in creating that desirable texture. This recipe can be made without the corn syrup and is still delicious, but the bars will firm up and crumble a bit more.
There are a few tricks to getting these bars to hold their shape.
- The wet ingredients — honey, coconut oil, almond butter, and corn syrup — are boiled together for about a minute. These ingredients are the “glue” in the recipe and heating will evenly coat the dry ingredients.
- Lining the pan with parchment paper is a must. Not only does it make cleanup a breeze, but it also allows you to place the whole granola sheet on a board for slicing in one piece.
- As you invert the granola into the baking pan, press down firmly to pack the ingredients together as much as possible.
- Once the granola has baked and cooled to room temperature, place the sheet pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to ensure they hold their shape while you cut them into bars. Don’t skip this step!
Mix-ins for homemade granola bars
This recipe uses 3/4 cup almonds, 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup dried cherries, and 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes. Use any combination of mix-ins you like, as long as the total is about 2 1/2 cups. If any of your ingredients are on the larger side, like almonds, pecans, or dried apricots, coarsely chop them before adding them.
Here are some ingredient ideas to spark your creativity:
- Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans
- Dried fruits: cherries, apricots, cranberries, raisins, apples
- Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, chia, sesame, flax
- Grains: puffed rice, quinoa (uncooked), wheat germ
- Other ingredients: Coconut flakes, chocolate chips, M&Ms, or other candy
Tips for adding mix-ins
Pretty much anything is possible with the mix-ins, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Use raw nuts and seeds as these will be “toasted” during baking.
- Unsalted and unflavored so you can control the final taste.
- If using chocolate chips, mix everything else together first and wait a few minutes for the mixture to cool before adding the chips. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a bowl of melted chocolate-covered granola!
Exchange and replacement of granola bars
Other elements of this recipe can also be adjusted to suit many dietary or preference needs.
- Swap almond butter can be swapped out for any other nut butter of your choice.
- Use sunflower seed butter to make this recipe nut-free.
- Either creamy or crunchy nut or seed butter will work well.
- Use unsalted butter instead of coconut oil.
- Instead of or in addition to ground cinnamon, try nutmeg or dried ginger.
- This recipe calls for old-fashioned oats, but quick cooking works if that’s all you’ve got — just don’t swap out steel-cut or extra-thick rolled oats.
How to store and freeze
Store these granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you live in a humid climate, keep them in the refrigerator. Here’s a guide to choosing the best food storage containers for all your kitchen needs.
To freeze the granola bars, individually wrap the bars in parchment paper before placing in a ziplock bag. When you’re ready to enjoy one, just let it sit at room temperature and it’ll be thawed and chewy again in about an hour.
when enjoy
These homemade chewy granola bars make a great breakfast on the go or a between-meal snack. Going on a road trip? Maybe a hike? Maybe just an afternoon pick-me-up for you or the kids. These bars are a great way to quickly get fiber and protein in one compact bundle.
More snack recipes to go
- Crispy Banana Nut Granola
- Energy balls with chocolate chips and peanut butter
- Cherry-almond granola with vanilla crumble
- Oatmeal Almond Butter Breakfast Cookies
Homemade granola bars
The almonds, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes can be substituted with dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or whatever mix you like. Just make sure the mix-ins are about 2 1/2 cups.
This recipe can be made without the corn syrup, but it results in firmer, less chewy, and slightly more crumbly bars.
Special equipment: 9×9 inch pan
ingredients
-
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
-
1/2 Cup oatmeal (or 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, pulsed in food processor until finely ground)
-
1/2 teaspoon Salt
-
1/4 teaspoon Cinammon
-
3/4 Cup raw almondsroughly chopped
-
3/4 Cup raw pumpkin seed
-
1/2 Cup dried cherries
-
1/2 Cup unsweetened coconut flakes
-
1/3 Cup creamy almond butter
-
1/3 Cup coconut oil
-
1/2 Cup honey
-
2 tablespoon corn syrup
-
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
method
-
Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheet:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Line a 9″ x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on two opposite sides to form a “loop.” You’ll use the overhang to lift the bars out of the pan once they’ve cooled.
-
Combine the dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, oatmeal, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
-
Prepare the mix-ins:
Add the chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, chopped dried cherries, and unsweetened coconut flakes or 2 1/2 cups mix-ins of your choice to toss with the oat mixture.
-
Simmer wet ingredients:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine almond butter, coconut oil, honey, and corn syrup using a heatproof spatula.
Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning the nut butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
-
Combine and shape granola bars:
Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture. Use a rubber spatula to combine until fully coated.
Pour the granola mixture onto the parchment-lined baking pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and use your hands to spread it out, pressing evenly into the pan. Using the bottom of a cup, press the mixture down firmly until uniform, flat, and compact. Remove the top piece of parchment.
-
Bake granola bars:
Place the bars in the oven and bake until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes.
-
Cool:
Remove pan from oven and set on cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Then place the pan uncovered in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
-
Slice and enjoy:
Use the parchment loop to place the cereal on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, cut into 12 bars (one in the middle and 5 across).
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 310 | calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 35g | carbohydrates |
| 6g | protein |
