Easy Homemade Granola Bars Recipe: Best Chewy Snack Bars
Make satisfying, chewy homemade granola bars from scratch. This easy recipe uses simple ingredients and is perfect for meal prep and kid-friendly snacks.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 min
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup mix-ins (e.g., almonds, dried cranberries, chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (best binder for granola bars)
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (natural sweetener granola bars)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare an 8×8 inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats and your chosen mix-ins.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, honey (or maple syrup), and butter (or coconut oil). Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and fully melted. Do not let it boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Pour the warm wet mixture over the dry oat mixture. Stir well until all the oats are evenly coated. This step is key to how to make granola bars stick together.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the pan using the back of a spatula or another piece of parchment paper. Pressing firmly creates the best chewy granola bars texture.
- Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours, or until completely firm.
- Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into 12 even bars.
Notes
- For a crunchy baked granola bars texture, bake the pressed mixture in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes before cooling completely.
- Store your homemade granola bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks for best freshness.
- To make vegan oat bars, substitute the honey with maple syrup and use coconut oil instead of butter.
- For gluten free granola bars recipe, ensure you use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 95
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 26
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 5