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. Jim says:

    5 stars
    We’ve made these several times; raisin and coconut, then peanut butter and chocchip, and today date and coconut. All delicious. Great recipe.

    1. Jennifer says:

      Thank you for the recipe. Just wondering if instant oats can be used instead of rolled ?

    2. Melissa says:

      Yep, it’ll work great! Slightly different texture but if that’s what you have on hand I’d use it!

  2. Cheryl says:

    Iโ€™ve been searching for a granola bar recipe for my husband and sons to take to work with them that was made with healthy ingredients, tasted great and didnโ€™t fall apart. Not too much to ask, youโ€™d think… However, most of the recipes Iโ€™ve tried resulted in either a sticky mess or just wouldnโ€™t hold together. I just made these about an hour ago and I can already tell theyโ€™re are going to hit all marks. I let the liquid boil a couple extra minutes to get a slightly firmer bar and they started setting up nicely by the time I poured the mix into the pan. The flavor (of course I had to sample) was wonderful- perfect mix of honey and brown sugar – but not overly sweet. I used toasted almonds for the nuts and Trader Joeโ€™s dried cranberries, raisins and blueberries. I think my search is finally over! Thank you!

  3. Kassia says:

    These are delicious! I made a double batch. One for us, one for a friend who just had a baby. I added almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries. I also used coconut sugar in place of brown sugar and coconut oil in place of butter and added a few shakes of cinnamon. So, so good.

  4. Stephany Bartolo says:

    love this recipe thank you! I used coconut oil and brown rice syrup in place of the butter and honey and its great. They don’t hold together in bars but more like clusters so I just use this recipe for granola for my yogurt parfaits. So delicious!

  5. Bogumiล‚a B. says:

    Making these today.

    They look super good and it’s been a long time since I’ve found this fantastic recipe… I’m not sure about what to add but still I’m sure it will be delicious.
    Do you think I could use freeze-dried fruit?

    (Sorry for mistakes, please excuse them if you see any… I’m not a native speaker…)

    Have a nice day ๐Ÿ˜‰

    1. Melissa says:

      Yes, freeze dried should work just fine!

    2. Bogumiล‚a B. says:

      Thank you;-)
      I had no time yesterday after all… And so my first batch is cooling right now. I hope they will be super yummy even though mine definitely do not look as pretty as yours ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Thank you for this recipe.

  6. Barbara Madimenos says:

    Can i uss steel cut oats?

    1. Melissa says:

      Nope, because they aren’t really getting cooked, I think they’d be too hard/chewy in the end.

  7. mohan says:

    hi,
    Forgot to toast the oats, can i bake it after the cool down.

    Regards

    1. Melissa says:

      You won’t need to toast it if you already have them into bars, just skip it this time, they’ll be fine!

    2. mohan says:

      thank you very very much

  8. Renee says:

    These are sooo yummy. I read through the comments and made mine as follows

    I made these in a standard rimmed cookie sheet, doubled the recipe and volume was good, but next time would do 2.5

    Did 1/3 honey and 1/4 brown sugar ( doubled), but would reduce honey too 1/4 next time, had a tiny bit too much liquid which settled on the bottom of the bars when chilled so I think I could scale it back a bit and make them less sweet.

    I did mine with only chopped almonds, so this could have accounted for the extra liquid and then pressed it in the pan, let cool 15mins, sprinkled mini m&ms and pressed again quickly before they got mushy – looked great but the m&ms didn’t stick great- chips this way probably would have worked better.

    I also had to do 1/2 margarine, 1/2 butter as I ran out of butter, and forgot the salt so I sprinkled it on while waiting to cool for the chocolate, but neither appeared to effect taste, delish!

    Great recipe, thanks!!

    1. Melissa says:

      Thanks for all of the tips Renee, I appreciate that!

  9. Ashleigh says:

    I don’t understand the nutrition info. Is it really 300 calories per serving?

  10. Susan says:

    5 stars
    These are great. My entire family loved them….easy to prepare and relatively quick.