Homemade No Bake Granola Bars are healthy and made with ingredients you can pronounce. Skip the store-bought bars and make them instead.
This easy no-bake oat bar recipe is perfect for always having on hand. Even the kids can have some fun with these DIY healthy snack bars. They taste delicious, travel well, and are inexpensive to make.
A nutritious and delightful blend of wholesome goodness. Simple homemade granola bars are perfect for snacks, or anytime you need a little energy in your day.
A healthy snack bar that is vegan-friendly, and can be made gluten-free too.
Which granola bar do you prefer? Crispy, or soft chewy granola bars? I happen to like both.
How about trail mix snack balls? My grandkids have lots of fun with this recipe.
What I don’t like about store-bought granola bars are all the additives, preservatives, sugars, and ingredients that I don’t have a clue about. Honestly, if I can’t pronounce it, I don’t want to eat it.
Hubby and I love to hike and have been enjoying our outdoor treks. On most days, even if we are not hiking, we try to get in a 40-minute walk most days. I always have many healthy things to eat to help keep our energy levels up. When you are walking for a few hours, nutrition is key. Hard-boiled eggs, fruits, and veggies are always stocked in the fridge.
No Bake Granola Bar Ingredients
Simple and nutritious ingredients. Most people already have them in their pantry.
- Oatmeal (I like large flakes)
- Agave Nectar
- Peanut Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Hemp Hearts
- Dried Banana Chips
- Chocolate Chips
- Protein Powder
There is lots of wiggle room with this recipe. Continue reading, I list great substitutions and ingredient swaps.
No-Bake Homemade Granola Bars Are Easy
This energy bar recipe with natural ingredients is super easy to make.
- Line a baking pan with parchment. This makes it easy to get the bars out.
- Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
- Warm the remaining ingredients in a small pot. You could also heat them in a microwave.
- Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Place the mixture into the baking dish. Flatten, and place the dish into the fridge to harden.
- After about 1 hour, remove from fridge and cut into bars.
Store bars in a sealed container in the fridge. They will last for up to a week, however, these are devoured long before that LOL.
Substitutions/Variations
These healthy protein bars can be made just the way you like.
- Gluten-free oats can be used for regular oats.
- You can combine the oats with kamut flakes, spelt flakes or any flaked grains.
- Honey can be used in place of agave nectar.
- Peanut butter can be replaced with any type of nut butter.
- Dried banana chips can be replaced with any dried fruit. Cranberries, Goji berries or dried blueberries would work great.
- You can add coconut or any other type of nut if you wish.
- Chocolate chips can be swapped out for dark chocolate.
- If you don’t like protein powder, no problem. You don’t even have to use it. Try a spoonful of cocoa powder instead.
- Applesauce can replace the coconut oil.
FAQ
I have found the best binder to be honey or agave nectar. If you find the combined mixture too dry, add a little more of either to reach the desired consistency.
Absolutely. I like to wrap them individually in plastic. Perfect for pulling out of the freezer when hiking, adding to lunch boxes, or eating on the run. They thaw quickly.
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Other Oatmeal Recipes
Looking for more recipes using oatmeal? Here are a few of our favourites:
- Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Donuts are a hit with the grandkids. Packed with nutritious ingredients. Yes, you can eat donuts for breakfast.
- Homemade Muesli is so much better than the boxed stuff. You can customize it just the way you like.
- Festive Granola makes a great foodie gift for the holidays. Your house will smell just like Christmas while this bakes.
- Oatmeal Pancakes are hearty and nutritious. Perfect for weekend brunch. They freeze well too.
- Apple Oatmeal Muffins are great with your morning coffee.
- Overnight Chocolate Oats make breakfast easy and stress-free in the morning.
- Baked Breakfast Casserole is like eating dessert for breakfast.
- No one can resist a freshly baked Chewy Oatmeal Cookie.
- Granola Dust is the best yogurt topper ever. This is a fun Jamie Oliver recipe.
- This homemade oats and seed bread recipe is a delicious kitchen project for a rainy day.
Homemade Granola Bars (No-Bake)
Ingredients
- 3 cups oatmeal (I used large flake)
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 1 ½ cups peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- 2 ounces banana chips (crushed)
- 2 ounces chocolate chips
- 1 ounce chocolate protein powder (or your favourite flavour)
Instructions
- Line a square baking dish (8×8 or 9×9) with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the peanut butter, agave nectar and coconut oil. Heat until melted and easy to mix. Remove from heat.
- Pour the warm liquid over the dry ingredients, and combine well.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Using the bottom of a glass, press to flatten evenly.
- Place in the fridge to harden. About 1 hour or so.
- Remove from fridge. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
This is so easy to make and the best part is add or remove ingredients as we like. Love this for our hikes. With spring almost here, we start hiking regularly and this will be so handy to take on the trails.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I know right? You can make these homemade snack bars just the way you like them.ENJOY!
Moop Brown
These granola bars look tasty and easy to make and seem like a nutritious snack to keep on hand.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I always have some in the freezer. Perfect for a quick and healthy snack.
Carrie Robinson
What a great idea for a healthy treat! 🙂 And bonus points for being a no-bake recipe. These would make the perfect after-school snack.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
They sure do, and post workout too. Great for taking on a hike or camping.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I love how versatile and easy this recipe is! These are perfect for meal prep and a great lunch snack! Thank you so much for sharing!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, these are perfect in so many ways. Easy and delicious too.
Katie Crenshaw
I made these for a healthy snack option and I am so glad I did. They were tasty to munch on and satisfied my mid afternoon sugar cravings.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
They do satisfy a sweet craving without too much sweetness.
Elena
I made a batch of these granola bars, and my kids loved them! I used honey and almond butter.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
The beauty of these homemade granola bars is that you can adapt them to your liking. Glad you enjoyed them.
Amy Liu Dong
I really love this recipe. I love granola bars so much and I love the fact you can make it in the comfort of your home. Aside from that, you can add an ingredient that will suit your diet. I will definitely try this!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy, once you make these you will not want to buy them at the store anymore.
Amy Liu Dong
Being able to make your own granola bar is awesome not only it is much cheaper but healthier too! You can adjust the flavors and textures to your liking!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
That is the beauty of these homemade granola bars.
Loreto and Nicoletta
We totally agree about the store bought granola bars. Your bars look amazing and so healthy. A great snack for those beautiful hikes! 😍
Good on you and hubby for being diligent about your walks. Well done, and I want one of your bars now! ❤️ 😋
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Well we have also taken up bowling, so he always grabs one of these when we get home.
DK Park
This is a great help and recipe for me because not only it is efficient, it is also delicious and i’m here for it!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I always have some of these in the freezer for a quick snack.
Swathi
Homemade granola bars is delicious. I have made this my kids love it.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
These are the best bars ever. Kid approved for sure.
Leslie
We make homemade granola bars a lot in our house. I really love the variations of your recipe. This is a good granola bar that everyone loves!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We never buy them, these are so easy to make.
Rob
I made these granola bars this morning and absolutely love them! I love that you said they freeze well. I already put half the batch in the freezer, which will make for easy healthy snacking in the near future.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Hubby always digs into the frozen ones, they are great when you need a snack.
Nisha
These homemade granola bars are so healthy and simple to make with wonderful ingredients! Lovely share .
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. ENJOY!
Tiffany
I used sunflower butter and it turned out great! My kids loved these!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
That is the beauty of these homemade granola bars, you can adapt them to suit your dietary needs.