Homemade 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 having on hand all the time. Even the kids can have some fun with these DIY snack bars.
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 really don’t want to eat it.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for these easy homemade granola bars can be found at the bottom of this post.
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 lots of 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.
Healthy Granola Bar Ingredients
Simple and nutritious ingredients. Most people already have them in their pantry.
- Oatmeal (I like large flake)
- 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.
Making No-Bake Homemade Granola Bars Is Easy
This homemade energy bar recipe is just a combination of the listed ingredients.
- Line a baking pan with parchment. This makes it really 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.
- 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.
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 fresh baked Chewy Oatmeal Cookie.
- Granola Dust is the best yogurt topper ever. This is a fun Jamie Oliver recipe.
- This homeade oats and seed bread recipe is a delicious kitchen project for a rainy day.
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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.
Padmajha V
Granola bars are so easy to make and so customizable too! I would love to try this one mainly coz it’s a no-bake recipe!! My kids would love this in their snack box!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
These granola bars are my husbands favourite by far! ENJOY!
Nora
I love your recipe! Those granola bars turned out perfectly! Ideal when being out and about! 😉
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, these are perfect for taking on the go.
Tyanne
These are better than store bought!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
They sure are. Glad you enjoyed these homemade granola bars.
Kemi
Looking forward to trying this recipe over the weekend.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY….hope these DIY snack bars are a favourite for you too.
Kay
Made these oatmeal bars for the kid’s lunch boxes during the week and they absolutely loved them 🙂
Thanks for sharing, they will be getting made again for next week 😉
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Hubby has asked me to make more of these DIY granola bars too. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Linda
I love how easy these are! I can’t wait to try it with all your suggested variations…dark chocolate, dried cranberries! This is the perfect breakfast or sweet treat to pack in my son’s lunch!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, these bars are perfect for any time of day.
Jyoti Behrani
Incredible. The most delicious bar I have had and SO easy. These are absolutely divine!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I have to agree with you. These no-bake granola bars are a favourite here too.
Aparna
These are our go-to snack bars for hiking. Love them!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We love them too. I am making more today. They sure do not last long in this house.
Jessica Formicola
My kids love granola bars, but I don’t love the sugar content in the store bought ones. These ones are perfect- thanks for sharing!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. These bars are a hit with our grandkids. ENJOY!
Sara Welch
Not only were these quick and easy, made the best breakfast on the run this morning; easily, a great way to start my day!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Yes, these easy homemade snack bars are perfect for breakfast on the run.
Kristen Wood
My kids loved these! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. So glad you enjoyed this granola bar recipe.
Supriya Kutty
Yummy recipe. I would like to make it for my daughter as snacks and can also take it to my office so that I can stop my cravings for junk food and stay healthy. These bars look so tempting that I can wait to prepare them. Keep sharing such delicious recipe ideas.
Homemade & Yummy
These are my husband’s favourite. He gets upset when there are none…so I have to make more LOL!!
Kushi
Homemade bara are the best. Can’t wait to try your version. Looks amazingly delicious.
Homemade & Yummy
These are super easy to make…we always have some on hand.
Michelle Blackwood
This is such a hearty and healthy recipe, I love all the ingredients and that it is no bake. I’m already thinking of the many trips I will be taking this summer and these bars will be perfect to take with us.
Homemade & Yummy
These are the perfect take along bars…for hiking or car trips.
Julie
My 3 year old loves granola bars for breakfast, so I’m always looking for new recipes to try. Can’t wait to give this one a go!
Homemade & Yummy
Well hope he enjoys these. Best part is that you can make them with the ingredients HE likes.