Consider this recipe your new secret weapon. Chewy granola bars are an incredibly easy recipe that can serve as a tasty, healthy breakfast, snack, or even a health-conscious dessert (depending on what sorts of delicious little bits you want to sneak inside).
Maybe you aren’t as excited by chewy granola bars as I am, but let’s just say I have to limit the circumstances in which I bake these because if I leave myself more than a few in the house I end up stuffing myself silly.
When I was about 7, I decided I needed to start training for adulthood. (If you know me, you’re not surprised about this.) I just wasn’t quite sure how I would magically acquire all the necessary skills unless I started training myself – so I started “drinking coffee” with my mom in the morning. I say “drinking coffee” because what this actually meant was drinking hot chocolate and eating a Quaker chewy granola bar, since it was many more years before I considered coffee a palatable liquid.
Those granola bars were a big part of my life for many years. Breakfast-time, lunch-time, snack-time. As far as I was concerned, they made it possible for me to eat chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and even marshmallows at times of day I wouldn’t usually get to eat dessert, and thus they were extremely valuable.
Now I see chewy granola bars in a slightly different way – an easy-to-make, easy-to-eat (read: perfect for new parents and people who eat on the go), easy-to-ship (yes, I’ve sent them as gifts many times), incredibly tasty little bite to have around the house. Much healthier than those Quaker bars I used to eat to be a grown up – and much tastier, too.
How to Succeed with Homemade Granola Bars
- Binding the Bars: The ground oats act as a binder along with the wet ingredients. If the mixture is too crumbly before baking, add a tablespoon of extra honey or nut butter.
- Customize the Flavor: Experiment with flavors by adding different combinations of nuts, dried fruits, or even crushed pretzels for a salty twist.
- Firmness Check: The bars will feel soft when hot but firm as they cool. Don’t overbake!
- Chill for Clean Cuts: If you want perfectly clean-cut bars, chill them in the fridge for about 20 minutes before slicing.
How to Make Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
1. Preheat and Prepare the Pan
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a baking dish (8×8, 9×9, or 9×13 depending on desired thickness) with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil or non-stick spray.
2. Process Oats
- In a blender or food processor, grind 1/3 cup (27 g) of the oats into a fine powder. This helps bind the bars.
3. Chop Add-ins
- If using larger dried fruits like apricots or apples, chop them into raisin-sized pieces.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and your chosen additions (dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.).
5. Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, oil, honey (or syrup), and water until smooth.
6. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
7. Spread the Mixture into the Pan
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Use a spatula or your hands to press it firmly and evenly into the pan, paying attention to the corners.
8. Bake
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. If using a thicker pan (8×8 or 9×9), you may need an extra 5 minutes.
9. Cool and Cut
- Let the granola cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Then, lift it out using the parchment paper and let it cool completely before cutting into bars.
Recipe Notes
- Storage: Keep bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
- Freezing: Freeze cut bars for up to 3 months. Wrap individually for easy grab-and-go snacks.
- Sticky Tip: If your hands or spatula stick to the mixture while pressing it into the pan, lightly grease them or use a sheet of parchment paper on top to press down.
Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Makes 16 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian, Omnivore
Description
Homemade granola bars are surprisingly easy to customize. This recipe lets you control the sweetness and add your favorite mix-ins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (160 g) oats
- 1/2 cup (96 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups (592 ml) additions
- 1/3 cup (60 g) peanut butter
- 6 Tbsp (89 ml) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking dish (8×8, 9×9, or 9×13 depending on desired thickness) with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil or non-stick spray.
- In a blender or food processor, grind 1/3 cup (27 g) of the oats into a fine powder. This helps bind the bars.
- If using larger dried fruits like apricots or apples, chop them into raisin-sized pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and your chosen additions (dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, oil, honey (or syrup), and water until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Use a spatula or your hands to press it firmly and evenly into the pan, paying attention to the corners.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. If using a thicker pan (8×8 or 9×9), you may need an extra 5 minutes.
- Let the granola cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Then, lift it out using the parchment paper and let it cool completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
- For easier cutting, chill the bars in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- To reduce sugar, use maple syrup or another liquid sweetener in place of some or all of the honey.
- Customize your bars by adding chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or other mix-ins.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 0g
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get my granola bars to hold together without falling apart?
The ratio of binding ingredients, typically honey or syrup combined with nut butter, needs to be sufficient to coat all the dry ingredients. Press the mixture very firmly and evenly into the pan before chilling, and let them set fully before cutting.
Can I substitute different mix-ins like seeds or dried fruit?
Yes, as long as you keep the overall volume of dry mix-ins roughly the same so the wet-to-dry ratio stays balanced. Swap oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit based on what you have on hand.
Should I refrigerate the bars or can they be stored at room temperature?
Storing them in the fridge keeps them firmer and extends shelf life to about a week. At room temperature they can soften, especially in warm weather, but they’re fine for a couple of days in an airtight container.
I also found this very delicious but also quite crumbly. I read the reviews and added extra wet ingredients (water, oil and peanut butter). Next time I’ll try the egg white idea.
mine turned out crumbley:( but taste great
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now, with different mix-ins each time: puffed rice cereal, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, chocolate chips, hemp seeds, etc. I found that when I bake it in a 9×13 pan, it only needs to bake for 15-20 minutes. The first time I made these, I baked them the full 30 minutes and they were very dark – almost burned, very crumbly, and fell apart when I tried to cut them.
YUM! I’m making these tonight :) Thanks for the post!! xx
I make granola all the time and today I thought I’d try my hand at transforming my regular granola into a bar. This recipe seemed very similar to my granola except for the addition of nut butter and sugar. Unfortunately, I think had my first real recipe fail today! I didn’t use any sugar, but instead added more honey. I used walnut oil as my oil and almond butter as my nut butter. I thought for sure they’d come out just fine….unfortunately they were super crispy and broke all apart. On the plus side, reined granola bars is just plain granola! What can I sub the sugar for? I really want some chewy bars!
I have been looking for a granola bar/ energy bar recipes for ages and think I finally struck gold. I usually double the recipe and add pretty much whatever I have in the cupboard. You may have to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes. I keep these in the freezer without any difficulty. One question though. If I want to eliminate the sugar, what substitute can I use without effecting the consistency
Not sure what I did wrong. They came out incredibly oily and hold no shape. 6 tablespoons of oil seems way too much. I think I will try half that amount next time and skip the water all together. I may try to salvage the mess I have by crumbling it all up, pressing with paper towel, then rebaking? Hopefully I won’t have to throw it all away.
I also had a problem with crumbling when I cut them. The second time, and thereafter, I did not cut them. I broke them into pieces with my hands to take advantage of the natural “weeknesses” in the bars. Much less crumbly. Any crumbles left in the pan I threw in a bowl and ate like cereal.
Well I followed all the ingredients and directions, my batch turned into baked granola. It did not stay uniform. :( It tastes and smells delicious. Is there a way to make it into bar form?
How do you store them? Fridge, no fridge? Can they be frozen with out becoming soggy?
Just made a batch with flaxseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds…mixture looked a little dry but got my fingers crossed they will come out nice :)
These turned out great! I had some things in mind that I wanted to work in so I subbed half the honey for molasses and used flax meal instead of the half cup of ground oats + pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, cashews, cranberries, raisins, hemp/flax seed… So good!!
I tried them that where exilent
Hello..my question is just .. how many calories do these bars have.. more or less..thanx u…cant wait to try them
I think the key to bars that hold form is boiling your wet ingredients long enough. I
Always use a large pot, no matter how small my ingredients look. Cook and let them boil up, they should quadruple in size, look like someone is blowing them full of bubbles. Let this go on for a few minutes, careful not to let burn (I use a whisk) then pour in dry. Stir, press, and bake no longer than 10 minutes at 350, if I use quick oats I don’t bake at all, just cool. I really think the boiling process breaks down the ingredients into one sticky mass that when cooled hardens but not to much. I’ve been on a perfect homemade bar quest for years lol!!