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My homemade granola bars are the perfect healthy snack for the on-the-go. This quick and delicious recipe requires oats, almonds, and nut butter for chewy and nutty bars.
I consider myself something of a snack connoisseur. The best snacks have to be quick to make, easy to put in my bag for the day, and, most importantly, delicious. So, I’ve created this healthy granola bar recipe that is packed with goodness. It is a great addition to your rotation of healthy snacks and perfect as a breakfast bar on the go or a mid-morning or afternoon snack for a burst of energy. Plus, my DIY granola bars are super easy to make and easily customizable, so you can make them exactly how you like them.
Table of Contents
Watch the video
Ingredients
- Rolled Oats: You can use steel-cut or ordinary oatmeal oats instead. If needed, use certified gluten-free. Quinoa, millet, and buckwheat can be used, but oats work best.
- Almonds: I like almonds best, but you can use any nut – hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, or pistachios are good alternatives.
- Sunflower Seeds: You can also use hemp, flax, or pumpkin seeds. Don’t skip the seeds, as they bring a bit of crunch to the recipe.
- Honey: For a touch of sweetness. You can substitute it for agave syrup, maple syrup, or even apple sauce.
- Almond Butter: This is the “glue” that holds the oatmeal granola bar together. Substitute with peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or other nut or seed butter if you prefer, though it works well to match it to your chosen nuts.
- Chocolate bar: You can use chunks or mini chocolate chips—dark, semisweet, or sweet work.
- Protein powder: I like adding a spoonful or two of a protein blend made of seeds to get extra nutrition. This is completely optional.
- Salt: To balance the flavors.
How to make granola bars
Prepare the oats and nuts: Toast the oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds for around 12 minutes at 350ºF/170ºC. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Bake them for a couple of minutes longer if you prefer a more golden, crispy texture. Once you take them out of the oven, let them cool down a bit.
Note that you can roughly chop or crush the nuts before roasting if you want smaller pieces. This also helps the bars stick together better.
Make the Granola: Start by adding the honey, almond butter, and protein powder (if using) to a bowl and mix well. Next, add the roasted oats, nuts, and seeds to the bowl and mix thoroughly. If the mixture isn’t sticky enough, you can add more honey or your preferred liquid sweetener.
You can mix in the chocolate chips now if you want. I prefer to keep them separate and put them on top of the granola before chilling.
Transfer to a tray: Cover a small tray, casserole dish, or square bowl with parchment paper. I used a 9 x 9-inch pan (23×23 cm). Adding a bit of oil or butter to the tray helps the paper stick to it.
Pour the granola bar mix in and stack well. Use a spatula or a glass/cup with a flat bottom to spread and press the granola onto the tray. If you keep your chocolate chips aside, place them on the granola now, then press down so they stick to the mixture.
Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Once hardened and cool, cut into even-sized rectangular bars. I cut mine into 10 bars. Then you can enjoy and keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
Possible granola bars variations
- Sweetener: To make this recipe vegan, swap the honey for maple syrup or a combination of agave nectar and coconut oil. Alternatively, you could use Medjool dates – they will make the granola sticky and act as a natural sweetener, giving you the perfect chewy granola bars.
- Dried Fruit: Dried fruits add flavor and sweetness. I love using dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, and figs, but you can add whichever you like.
- Freeze-dried Fruit: A budget-friendly option for adding crunch. You can use banana chips, strawberries, raspberries, or others.
- Spices: For a true cookie feel, add extras like cinnamon or vanilla extract.
- Coconut: My unsweetened shredded coconut is also great for adding flavor, texture, and nutrition.
- Additional Seeds: For extra nutrition and texture, go for flaxseeds, chia, and pumpkin seeds.
The more dry ingredients you add, the more sweetener/binding you’ll need to keep this granola bar recipe chewy and delicious! So keep this in mind and don’t add all the options. It’s best to try different combos each time you make it so you never get bored.
More healthy snack recipes
If you try this healthy granola bar recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup almonds raw
- 2 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup honey add more if needed or if it's not sticky
- 1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter
- 1.8 oz dark chocolate or 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 tsp salt optional
- 2 Tbsp protein blend optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/170ºC.If wanted, roughly chop or crush the nuts into smaller pieces.
- Place the oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds on a baking tray and toast them for about 12 minutes at 350ºF/170ºC. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Bake for a couple of minutes longer for a more golden, crispy texture. Once toasted, let them cool down a bit.
- In a large bowl, mix the honey and nut butter. If using protein powder or spices, add them now and mix well.
- Add the roasted ingredients to the bowl and mix well. If the mixture isn't sticky enough, add more honey (or another liquid sweetener).If wanted, mix in the chocolate chips now or keep them to place on top of the granola before chilling.
- Use parchment paper to cover a small tray (9×9-inch/23×23 cm), casserole dish, or square bowl.
- Pour the granola mix in and stack well. Use a spatula or a glass or cup with a flat bottom to spread and press the granola onto the tray.Top the mixture with the chocolate chips.
- Place the tray in the fridge and chill for about 30 minutes. Once hardened and cool, cut into 10 or more even-sized rectangular bars.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Haven’t tried this myself, but I have bought some snack bars, eg NAKD of various kinds. Also some well qualified family members are making snack bars for me that are not sugary, and yet taste ok. Anything I cook would be a disaster.
Hi Robert,
I hope you give this recipe a try – it’s not as difficult as you might think. Let me know how it goes.
Yummy and so easy and versatile!
Glad you liked it, Jayne!
SO AWESOME! I used homemade raw walnut butter from your recipe, then used raw honey from our hives along with chai seeds, chopped figs and Redmonds salt, vanilla and dark chocolate with sea salt. Turned out perfectly; hubby and I absolutely addicted. Can’t wait to try different variations. High recommend!!
Thank you for your comment, Nikki! This sounds delicious!
Hi. Do these have to be refrigerated? Was hoping to make and mail as part of a Christmas gift.
Hi Joni,
It’s best to keep them in the fridge, but they’ll be alright outside of the fridge for a couple of days – make sure to wrap them well. I’m sure everyone will love them. 🙂
You never mentioned adding the oats or salt into the recipe so I don’t know when those get added. Thank you!
Hi Erin,
The oats are roasted together with the almond and sunflower seeds (step 1). The salt can be added when mixing the roasted ingredients with the honey and almond butter. I hope this helps.
Could this recipe be baked instead of chilled?
Hi Ian,
This recipe is designed to be no-bake to keep the texture soft and chewy, but if you’d prefer a firmer, slightly toasted bar, a gentle bake might work. Try baking at a low temperature (around 300°F/150°C) for 15–20 minutes—just keep an eye on them so they don’t dry out. Let them cool completely before slicing. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!