These homemade Granola Bars are perfectly chewy and delicious and so good you'll never buy store bought granola bars ever again! Making these at home gives you so much ability to customize the add-ins to your liking, like my cherry and dark chocolate granola bars, and the coconut granola that is an all-time fave!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
We've been doing a TON of meal prep recently and homemade granola bars are on the weekly to-do list! Thomas and I are both mega snack fans and neither of us do well when our blood sugar gets low. That means it's VERY important that we have some healthy snacks on hand at all times in case things get bleak!
These chewy homemade Granola Bars are the perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. They are also great for a quick breakfast on the go, or to pack in school or work lunches! All the ingredients are super clean so you know these are going to taste great! And there's room for jazzing these up on your own... here's the deal!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Substitutions
- Honey - agave nectar will also work!
- Butter - coconut oil is a great substitute!
- Chia Seeds - you can omit the chia or swap it out for flax seeds or hemp hearts.
- Dried Fruit - any dried fruit will work in this Homemade granola bars recipe, just make sure you chop it into small pieces if it's something bigger than a dried cranberry.
Ingredients
- Old Fashion Oats - grab your favorite brand and toast the oats! This is the base of the entire recipe!
- Almonds - gotta get those healthy fats. You could also sub another one of your favorite nuts if you prefer. Walnuts, pecans, cashews... you name it.
- Honey - this helps everything stick together! Agave nectar will also work but I love making homemade granola bars with honey!
- Butter - I use an unsalted butter because I love the depth of flavor it provides. If you want something other than butter, coconut oil is a great substitute
- Brown Sugar - more flavorful that white sugar!!
- Vanilla - you could also use chocolate extract if you prefer. Or leave it out if you don't have any on hand.
- Chia Seeds - I love adding a little extra oomph into this recipe. If you want to omit the chia, that's no problem. Or they can also be swapped out for flax or hemp hearts.
- Salt - don't skimp on it! It elevates all the flavor.
- Dried Fruit - you can use any dried fruit in this recipe! Just make sure you chop it into small pieces if it's something bigger than a dried cranberry.
- Chocolate Chips - what is a granola bar without some chocolate?!?!
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
How to Make Homemade Granola Bars
Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 350º F. Next lightly toast your oats and almonds in the oven on a small baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Step 2: While the oats are toasting, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract seeds, chia and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Step 3: Cook until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves, making sure to stir occasionally.
Step 4: Transfer the lightly toasted oats and almonds into a large mixing bowl and pour the butter mixture over.
Step 5: Add the cranberries and golden raisins and mix well. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes and then stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Step 6: Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray to prevent the Homemade Granola Bars from sticking.
Step 7: Transfer the oat mixture to the 9-inch square pan. Using a rubber spatula or clean hands and firmly press the mixture into the pan until the mixture is in a uniform layer. Make sure to press it down tightly so you don't wind up with loose granola.
Step 8: Scatter a few extra tablespoons of mini chocolate chips over the granola bars and use the same rubber spatula to gently press them into the granola so they stick. Transfer the entire pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
Step 9: After the granola has cooled completely, gently lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles and cut it into squares or bars. Serve as needed.
How to Store Homemade Granola Bars
I store the granola bars in the fridge at all times (or the freezer if it's going to take you a while to get through them! Just take them out of the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
How to Freeze Homemade Granola Bars
You can freeze these bars for about 1-2 months. You can let them thaw to room temperature when its time to eat.
Tips and Tricks
Now that we've got the ingredients out of the way - let's talk about the process! These are pretty straight forward however there are some key tips to making these extra delish and reminiscint of those store bought bars we all grew up with!
Toast the Oats - this is super important to really get all the flavor from the oats! You want them to just get a little toasty in the oven before mixing in all the other ingredients
Really press the mixture down in the pan. Use a spatula or your clean hands and press the granola bar mixture down once you've transferred it into the pan. And feel free to put some weight behind it. That will help ensure the bars don't fall apart when you're slicing and serving.
Don't skimp on the chill time. You know how I always insist we chill blondies and brownies before slicing and serving... same thing goes for granola bars. This step (while tedious) just helps everything firm up and cutting will be cleaner and easier. Once they are chilled and sliced, you can let them come to room temperature before serving so they are chewier.
FAQ's
There are a two tips to getting granola bars to stick together. First really press the mixture down in the pan and second don't skimp on the chill time. This step (while tedious) just helps everything firm up and cutting will be cleaner and easier.
No need to bake granola bars. After pressing them down firmly into a square pan, transfer the entire pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours. Once they are chilled and sliced, you can let them come to room temperature before serving so they are chewier.
And if you want a step by step video to make life even easier... here you go!
Looking for more amazing breakfast ideas?
- 85+ Outstanding Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Morning Off Right
- Banana Blueberry Smoothies
- Zucchini Feta Frittatas
- Greek Yogurt Waffles
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup dried golden raisins
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra as needed
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom of a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. Then lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray.
- Combine the oats and roughly chopped almonds to a small baking sheet then bake 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer to a large bowl.
- While the oats are toasting, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract seeds, chia and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves, making sure to stir occasionally. Pour the butter mixture over the toasted oats and almonds and add the cranberries and golden raisins. Mix well. Let cool for 15 minutes then add the mini chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the oat mixture to prepared pan. Using a rubber spatula or clean hands and firmly press the mixture into the pan until the mixture is in a uniform layer. Really press it down so you don't wind up with loose granola. Scatter remaining a few extra tablespoons of mini chocolate chips over the granola bars and use the same rubber spatula to gently press them into the granola so they stick. Transfer the entire pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
- After the granola has cooled completely, gently lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles and cut it into squares or bars. Serve as needed.
Notes
- Make sure to pack these in the pan quite firmly so they stick together! If you're having trouble cutting them, warm your knife under hot water and wipe dry before slicing
- You know how I always insist we chill blondies and brownies before slicing and serving... same thing goes for granola bars. This step (while tedious) just helps everything firm up and cutting will be cleaner and easier. Once they are chilled and sliced, you can let them come to room temperature before serving so they are chewier.
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Hi Gabby. Love your recipe, it was a big hit with granola lovers! I was wondering how much of the brown sugar or honey to reduce if i want to make a less sweeter version of the same thing ? I presume since the honey acts as a binder, it may be better to reduce the brown sugar instead.. ?
Thanks a lot 🙂
I'd cut down the brown sugar but keep the honey as is!! I haven't tested it out with less brown sugar but I bet if you reduce it by half you're safe!
I made them with half the brown sugar, and they are still very sweet -- and delicious! .
I made these granola bars last night. The taste is really good; however they crumbled when I tried to cut them! I got some to stay in bar form, but the rest just were a bit of a crumbly mess! Not sure why that happened.
Hi Joy!! I haven't had that happen to me - did you press them into the pan really firmly?
This happens to me every time. I just just it for a type of granola to add to my yogurt. Yum!!
OMG. I just made these granola bars and can't believe how unbelievably good they are. Thank you for this recipe!!
I've made these no less than 9 times in the last 2 weeks, a million different combos, and they are AWESOME! I'd recommend trying them with toasted pecans, dried blueberries (from TJ's), and some coconut... it tastes like pie or a crisp and it is amazing. SO SO amazing. Thanks for the recipe girl!
Ohh gracias, creo que estan deliciosas, las hare, gracias por tu receta
I have been watching your Snapisodes from the first episode and to be honest it's something I look forward to every Friday after work! Sometimes I'm a little bummed with you're on vacation and can't do one. My husband knows I'm a fan and always asks what did Gaby make for this week,
Anywho, I made these granola bars this morning and they turned out amazing! I did sub a few ingredients. For the brown sugar I used maple syrup, and for the butter I used coconut oil. Added a little bit of coconut flakes, some almonds and cashews, SO GOOD. I will never ever ever buy another granola bar again.
thank you Lori!!! seriously, this just made my day! xx
So tasty! But not sure if I'm missing something? After I let the granola cool for 10-15 minutes I added the chocolate chips, mixed it, and put them in a square pan,
It was almost completely hard so they didn't meld properly into the pan. So I don't have squares, so much as lose granola haha.
I let the mix cool on the same pan as I put in the oven and not in a different bowl. Could this be my problem?
yes - that could be it because the residual heat from the pan could have continued to cook the nuts!
These look very interesting,but what EXACTLY is or are the nutritional values for each of these bars?... You know;: Protien in grams, carbs, calories, fiber, sugar(s) etc.? With that information one could know exactly what real benefit they might be for the consumer.
Hey Rich! I don't calculate nutritional values for any of my recipes - but I know there is free software online if you want to check it out before making! Thanks!
These look fabulous! And I am sure my kids would love!
I made these tonight and cooled oat mixture for 5 mins as recipe says. Turned out it wasn't long enough though because all the chips completely melted. I would suggest waiting until mixture is cool enough not to melt the chips which might be longer than 5 mins.
Hey Julie! So sorry the chips melted! The recipe says let cool for 15 minutes so they don't get too melted - but either way, at least there's chocolate!! Thanks for making them 🙂
Awesome recipe. Made these for my first sportive of the season and they kept me powered for 110km
YUM! I love these so much! So does my husband and all his coworkers- they all say it's much better than store bought ones. Maybe this can be a yummy step toward stopping buying pre packaged snacks altogether. Happy happy wife here, I am inspired! Thank you!!
Hiya! I have been doing some serious granola (muesli) bar recipe research, and I believe I may have found "the one"! 😉
ran the recipe through myfitnesspal.com and came up with if you cut the recipe into 10 portions, they would be 249 calories per bar.
Hi Gaby! These are seriously the most delicious granola bars. I only discovered your recipe last week and I have already made them twice!
yayayayyayayay THANK YOU