8 Easy Granola Bar Recipes

4.91 from 84 votes

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These 8 easy granola bar recipes come together in a snap for a no-fuss, no-bake healthy snack. Made with oats, honey, nut butter, and EIGHT different flavor mix-ins, you’ll find the perfect granola bar mixture for your dream granola bar!

variety of granola bars on white background.

Homemade granola bars are awesome! They taste delicious, travel well, are just plain easy to make, and are inexpensive. Need a snack for preschool, after t-ball, or to take in the car to a game? Granola bars will be there, no matter what needs to be done! This recipe makes perfectly chewy granola bars.

One of the best things about granola bars is that they are highly customizable. You can make your own at home, changing the ingredients to suit your preferences. This allows you to control the amount of sugar used and avoid any additives or preservatives found in some store-bought bars.

variety of granola bars on white background.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Prep Ahead: These store super well in the fridge or freezer.
  • Easy Snack: These are a super healthy snack and packed with nutrients.
  • Make At Home: They are quick and easy to make at home with simple ingredients you have on hand in the pantry. No more granola bars from the grocery store.
  • Great Consistency: These bars have a chewy texture, just the way my family likes their granola bars!

Recipe Ingredients

  • Old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Nuts
  • Honey
  • Butter – unsalted
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla extract

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

a round plate with rectangle strips of homemade granola bar recipe with chocolate chips on top.

How to Make Homemade Granola Bars

clear mixing bowl the progress of making the homemade granola bar recipe.
clear mixing bowl the progress of making the homemade granola bar recipe.

Step 1: Toast the nuts and oats and boil the sugar, butter, and honey.

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients and dry ingredients to a bowl and stir.

granola bar mixture being pressed into pan by measuring cup.
top view of granola bars on a cutting board.

Step 3: Press the mixture into a pan and refrigerate to set.

Step 4: Remove from the pan, cut, and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

How do you get granola bars to stick together?

Press the bars into the pan very firmly. I normally grease the bottom of a glass cup or measure up and use it to stamp down the mixture in the pan.

How long do granola bars last?

They last a good long while just at room temperature in an airtight container and even longer in the fridge! I’d say 5-7 days on the counter and 10+ cold in the fridge.

Can I use maple syrup in place of the honey?

Yes, it will work fine, but you will need to cook it a few minutes longer since the syrup has more moisture than the honey.

top view of granola bars in a plastic container.

Expert Tips

  • Honey Fans: If you like a stronger honey flavor, use 1/3 cup honey and 1/4 cup brown sugar in this recipe.
  • Chocolate Tip: If you are going to add chocolate, you’ll want to wait until the hot honey and oat mixture cools a little bit and is closer to room temperature (about 15 minutes), or all the chocolate chips will melt (it still tastes great but doesn’t look as nice).
  • Toasting is Good: Toasting the nuts and oats is optional, making the granola bars taste like cookies. I highly recommend it.
  • Great for Trips: Granola bars make an excellent on-the-go food. Pack up a tote bag with these bars, some maple banana muffins, and drinks, and you’re ready for anytime hunger hits!
a plate of homemade granola bars with chocolate chips.

Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Granola Bars

Here are My 8 Granola Bar Variations

Blueberry Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • Almonds
  • ½ cup dried blueberries
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut

Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • Pecans
  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Tropical Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • Cashews
  • ½ cup chopped dried fruit (pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges)
  • ¼ cup coconut

White Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • Almonds
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup white chocolate chips
Title Image for 8 Homemade Granola Bars with images of 8 different homemade granola bars.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (add this when you add the vanilla and salt and stir well to combine)
  • ½ cup M&M’s
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (add this when you add the vanilla and salt and stir well to combine)
  • ⅓ cup broken pretzel pieces
  • ¼ cup peanut butter chips
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Spiced Nut Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup pecans
  • ½ cup cashews
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (add this when you add the vanilla and salt)

Sunflower Pecan Granola Bars

  • Master mix
  • Almonds
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup candy-coated sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut
variety of granola bars on white background.

More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider

4.91 from 84 votes

Easy Granola Bar Recipes

These 8 easy granola bar recipes come together in a snap for a no-fuss, no-bake healthy snack. Made with oats, honey, nut butter, and EIGHT different flavor mix-ins, you’ll find the perfect granola bar mixture for your dream granola bar!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients 

Master Granola Bar Recipe

  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup nuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cups total extra mix-ins, (About 1/4 cup of 3 different ingredients such as dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips, etc. Please see the following recipe mix-ins for options.)

Blueberry Granola Bars

  • Almonds
  • ½ cup dried blueberries
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut

Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

  • Pecans
  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Tropical Granola Bars

  • Cashews
  • ½ cup chopped dried fruit, pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges
  • ¼ cup coconut

White Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bars

  • Almonds
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup white chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, add this when you add the vanilla and salt and stir well to combine
  • ½ cup M&M’s
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, add this when you add the vanilla and salt and stir well to combine
  • cup broken pretzel pieces
  • ¼ cup peanut butter chips
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Spiced Nut Granola Bars

  • ½ cup almonds
  • ½ cup pecans
  • ½ cup cashews
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, add this when you add the vanilla and salt

Sunflower Pecan Granola Bars

  • Almonds
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup candy-coated sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the oats and nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted.
  • While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Let the mixture bubble, while stirring, for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
  • Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl.
  • Stir in the vanilla and salt to the butter mixture. Pour this mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Add any extra ingredients (except for chocolate) and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.
  • If you are adding chocolate, wait about 15 minutes for the mixture to cool a bit before adding the chocolate and then stirring to combine.
  • Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. Press it in very firmly, this is what makes the bars stick together.
  • Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape/sizes and serve.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you are stacking the granola bars place a piece of parchment between the layers to help prevent sticking.

Video

Notes

  • The nutritional information was calculated by using almonds for the 3/4 of a cup of “mix-ins”.
  • If you don’t want to use nuts, skip them or replace them with something like shredded coconut.
  • You can skip the step where you toast the oats and the nuts, but it really takes them to the next level of deliciousness. I highly recommend it. If you’re in a hurry, though, you can skip it!
  • Don’t cook it higher than medium heat; the honey will scorch if you cook it at a higher temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 16 servings, Calories: 134kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 83mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 89IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
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4.91 from 84 votes

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Recipe Rating




304 Comments

  1. Kathleen says:

    5 stars
    These are very tasty but were a little crumbly after my first attempt. I’m going to tinker with it.
    I was wondering – does the brown sugar help the bars stick together or is it for flavor?
    Thank you!

  2. Christina says:

    5 stars
    Hi there, this is super yummy but I’ve followed the recipe to the T and mine won’t bind up. It kind of just became yummy granola. What could I use to bind it into a bar? A bit of flour?

    1. Melissa says:

      Try cooking the sugar mixture a bit longer or reducing the amount of oats by 1/4 cup!

  3. Melissa says:

    It’s less an issue with the knife and more with your bars, I bet the agave didn’t thicken up quite like honey does with it is cooked, maybe try boiling it a few minutes to see if you get a better result next time.

  4. Megan says:

    How long will these last out of the fridge? Thought of taking them camping but I don’t want the family to get sick. Lol

    1. Melissa says:

      You can always pop them in the freezer until you are ready to pack them, I bet they are good a solid 10-14 days, not many ingredients in them to spoil…

  5. Tanya says:

    5 stars
    These are soooooo good! I used toasted almonds for the nuts and toasted coconut, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries for the add-ins and they are heavenly! I can’t wait to try this recipe with different add-ons!

  6. Kristi Hurst says:

    5 stars
    These are AMAZING! I made 2 kinds and want to make more! Definitely need these in the freezer for quick, healthier snacks.

  7. Kristi Hurst says:

    Can you freeze them? Whats the best way to package them individually to send with the farmer hubby for snacks in the work day?

    1. Melissa says:

      They freeze great and wrapped in a bit of parchment paper does really well for individual packaging.

  8. Wallace says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for a great recipe! I honestly never would have tried making these if a neighbor didn’t ask for granola bars (instead of cookies) as a thank you gift. Now that I know how easy it is, I don’t know if I’ll ever buy another box of granola bars! Definitely don’t skip toasting the oats, and I used raw nuts and seeds so I toasted them with the oats (and that was definitely a win). What size pan do you press your granola bars into?

  9. Jillian says:

    Hello. I’ve tried this recipe as-is with great success, but I want to make it for someone who’s avoiding honey for health reasons. Would agave syrup work as a replacement?

    1. Melissa says:

      I think it would!

  10. deeno@mchsi.com says:

    5 stars
    I had been looking for a granola bar recipe that wasn’t too sweet or gritty from the sugar. Also I wanted them to stick together. These really are the best! My husband and I both love thebtatse and they do not crumble apart. Thanks for sharing this recipe!