Easy No-Bake Granola Bars
This granola bar recipe is so easy and delicious! These wholesome granola bars are naturally sweetened, gluten free, and the perfect healthy snack.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Meet my favorite granola bar recipe. These granola bars are delicious and easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. You don’t even have to bake them!
These granola bars can pass as a quick breakfast, and they make a perfect snack. I love to pack these bars for road trips and flights, and I love hearing from moms who make these granola bars regularly for their kids. They’re a big hit with all ages.
As you’ll see, the recipe is versatile, so you can easily incorporate your favorite flavors, like nuts, chocolate and dried fruit. You’ll find my go-to flavorings in the recipe below if you want to follow my lead.
These granola bars have spared me from some hangry moments lately. They’re satisfying, just sweet enough, and stick with me for a few hours. Granola bars to the rescue!
Granola Bar Ingredients
Oats
Old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats will work here (steel-cut oats will not). Old-fashioned oats lend a more chewy, “rustic” texture. Quick-cooking oats disappear more into the bars. If desired, you can briefly blitz old-fashioned oats in the food processor to achieve the texture of quick-cooking oats.
Mix-ins of your choice
Here’s where we add more flavor! See below for options.
Nut butter
Nut butter helps hold these bars together, and offers protein, healthy fat and fiber. You could use peanut butter, almond butter, or even pecan butter. For a nut-free option, sunflower butter will work.
Honey or maple syrup
These natural sweeteners also help bind the bars together, and make these bars deliciously sweet (though not too sweet). Or, make date paste from fresh Medjool dates. Dates offer additional fiber, while honey or maple syrup do not. See the recipe notes for details.
Cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract
These add extra flavor to your bars. Technically, you could omit any or all of these, but the bars are more enticing with them. Salt enhances the flavor of all the other ingredients—cut it in half if you’re sensitive to salt.
Watch How to Make Granola Bars
Mix-In Options
Two cups of mix-ins add flavor, texture and more nutrients. Choose from any combination of the following:
- Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts would all work well.
- Seeds: Pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds are good options. You could use up to 1/4 cup flax seeds or chia seeds—these seeds absorb moisture, which is why I suggest limiting the quantity.
- Chocolate: Mini chocolate chips are cute. If using regular chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate, blitz them for a few seconds in the food processor to break them into smaller pieces. Since chocolate is sweet, limit it to 3/4 cup or less.
- Coconut: Shredded or flaked coconut will work here. Unsweetened is best, since these are bars are sweet enough as is.
- Dried fruit: Dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, apricots, etc. Since these are sweet, limit them to 3/4 cup or less. Any fruit larger than a raisin will need to be broken up a bit more—either in the food processor or chopped by hand.
Granola Bar Variations
Here are some variations on this granola bar recipe that I’ve come up with over the years. I love them all!
- All Pecans: You can use use 2 cups pecans as your mix-ins, and you could even make pecan nut butter to match (here’s my recipe for pecan butter). Nut lovers, this would work with walnuts (presumably) or almonds, too.
- Almond Chocolate Chip: Use sliced almonds and mini chocolate chips, or blitz whole almonds and chocolate chips in the food processor before using.
- Almond Coconut: Use equal parts almonds and coconut flakes or shredded coconut.
- Cranberry Orange: Use a combination of dried cranberries, pecans, pepitas and fresh orange zest. Since this variation contains a lot of dried fruit, it’s the sweetest of them all.
Granola Bar Tips
These granola bars are quite simple to make, especially if you have a food processor (affiliate link).
Chop up your ingredients if they are large.
These bars hold together best when the ingredients are quite small. If using almonds, you’ll want to either start with pre-sliced almonds, or chop them up in the food processor or by hand (same goes for all nuts). It’s easy to throw all of your mix-ins into the food processor and blitz a few times.
Press the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
Air pockets will cause problems. Use a sturdy, flat-bottomed jar to make sure the mixture is pressed down completely. You might then press down with your hands to ensure it’s not trying to sneak up the sides or corners.
Let the mixture rest for one hour or longer before using.
The oats need some time to soak up the moisture in the nut butter and sweetener. Chill the mixture for at least one hour (or as long as a day) before slicing.
Slice and store properly.
Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice these bars. I like to slice them into squares. Another option would be to slice them into bars like this. I think the squares are a little more sturdy. Be sure not to stack the bars on top of each other, or they can stick. You can store them flat, covered, or wrap them individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Please let me know how your granola bars turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Looking for more healthy snacks? Try my favorite granola recipe, sweet and spicy roasted nuts, stovetop popcorn, or view a wide variety of snacks here.
Easy No-Bake Granola Bars
This granola bar recipe is so easy and delicious! These wholesome granola bars are naturally sweetened, gluten free, and the perfect healthy snack. Recipe yields 16 bars.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using regular table salt, scale back a bit)
- 2 cups mix-ins* (nuts, seeds, chocolate, shredded coconut or dried fruit)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to fit neatly against the base and up the sides. The parchment paper will make it easy for you to slice the bars later.
- Place the oats in a large mixing bowl**. Add the cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Now we’ll blitz the mix-ins briefly in the food processor or blender (or, you can chop them by hand). Add any large nuts (like almonds or pecans) first and blitz for a few seconds. Then add the rest and run the machine for a few more seconds, until the ingredients are all broken up into pieces smaller than your pinky nail. Pour the mix-ins into the bowl of oats.
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In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the nut butter. Top with ½ cup honey and the vanilla extract. Stir until well blended. If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave, but make sure it’s close to room temperature before you pour it into the dry mixture (this is especially important if using chocolate, since it will melt).
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Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. This takes some arm muscles, but you can do it! If the mixture was easy to mix together, that’s a sign that you need to add some more oats—sprinkle in more oats until you can’t incorporate any more.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass) to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
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Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or preferably overnight. (The oats need time to soak up some of the moisture so they aren’t sticky.) When you’re ready to slice, lift the bars out of the baker by grabbing both pieces of parchment paper on opposite corners. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 4 even columns and 4 even rows.
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Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper (if you store them all together, they will stick to one another). Bars keep well for several days at room temperature, a couple of weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.
Notes
*Mix-in options: Any combination of nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.), seeds (pepitas or sunflower seeds), chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate, shredded coconut and/or dried cranberries or cherries. For the bars shown here, I used 1 cup pecan halves, ½ cup pepitas, ¼ cup shredded coconut and ¼ cup roughly chopped dark chocolate. Keep in mind that anything larger than your pinky nail will need to be broken into smaller pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, chop them by hand.
**Granola bar texture: If you’re using old-fashioned oats and would prefer a more smooth, less chewy texture (shown in my photos), blitz your oats in a food processor for 3 to 5 seconds to break them up. Then, add them to the bowl.
Change it up: These bars can be sweetened (mostly) with Medjool dates, if you’d like to increase the fiber content. Soak 12 dates in piping hot water for 10 minutes, then tear them in half and remove their pits. Place them in a food processor with 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey and blend until completely smooth.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Do not use nuts (pepitas and sunflower seeds are good options) and replace the nut butter with sunflower butter.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Going on a flight with 2 toddlers and wanted an easy, healthy snack to take with us. Thank you!
Very yummy and healthy! The dense nutrition is great for breakfast on the go or a hiking snack. It stays with you. My husband no longer wants the unhealthy store bought bars. Yay!
Mine taste great but are very crumbly, anything we can add to hold them together?
Okay I am going to try for over-night chilling after not wanting to resist at one hour and have found the mix is super crumbly (yet super delicious and iron rich! I can feel the b vitamins absorbing). I also didn’t have all the measure of ingredients and added tahini to the nut butter and a little avocado oil. Plus an extra handful of raisins as the blender mix was fine quite quickly. Letting you know if the extra chilling helps OR yes please, if someone can add a remedy.
Almond butter worked very well for me. The trick here is to make sure everything is finely processed and it’s packed tight. Then the oats and butter should hold everything together. I had mine in the fridge for two days before cutting and they turned out great.
Thank you for this!
How long will these stay fresh? If I vacuum seal individually would this help preserve the “shelf life?”
I’m not sure on vacuum sealing. Sorry! I can’t wait for you to try these granola bars.
Hi, I’m a food scientist, and I have definitely vacuum sealed individual granola bars to extend their shelf life (not this recipe though, I have not tried this yet). You also may want to consider freezing them, depending on how long you want to store them, as eventually the oil in the nut butter will start to oxidize at room temp.
Again, another fantastic recipe-easy, healthier, and delicious-a total hit with all ages!! The only problem is I can never make enough-they go FAST! LOVE all your recipes! :))
Thank you, Danielle!
Thank you for this recipe. I am trying it out today.
Is there any chance that you could add ‘quantities’ for the ingrediants such as Nut Butter and Maple syrup please?
Cheers
Angie
Have you ever tried adding unconventional ingredients to your granola bars, such as spicy chili flakes or savory herbs, to create a unique flavor profile? How did it turn out, and would you recommend experimenting with different flavor combinations in homemade granola bars?
My bars are so sticky. I couldn’t use a glass to push them into the pan as the mixture kept sticking. They’ve only been in the fridge for an hour but they’re still sticky. Any advice? Thank you :-)
Ok these are rock star status! I just made another batch today (the day after my first). I had to bring something to a brunch and didn’t have enough oats to make your granola so I made these instead! I am not one to alter recipes and then post a review of basically a whole new recipe haha! But I do have to say that I had to pivot because I ran out of peanut butter! Yeah not my day. So here’s what my first batch consisted of: Exactly as written however I used 1/2c regular organic creamy pb and 1/2c pb made with PB2 chocolate powder!! So good! My mix in’s were almonds, walnuts, pepitas, mixed dried berries and apricots. I used honey as the sweetener. Today, the second batch I made, I used 100% PB2 powder but 1/2 regular and 1/2 chocolate. The sweetener I used was half honey and half maple syrup (I ran out of honey this time!) Feedback to myself is 1) PB2 powder is a no-brainer for this, 2) These are best if they sit overnight 3) I prefer the flavor of honey as the sweetener and 4) don’t skip the salt! Everyone loves these. I’ll be making them regularly. Too easy not to! Thanks for a great recipe (as written!)
Love this recipe! Made it with coconut, sliced almond, dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips. Made the recipe as-is the first time, the second time I reduced the peanut butter and replaced it with maple syrup so it was equal parts maple syrup & PB. also heated up the pb + maple syrup combo to be liquid (made sure it wasn’t hot, just a little warm) and found the mixing to be a lot easier. The peanut butter was more evenly dispersed the second time around. SUCH an amazing and versatile recipe, will make for years to come.
I used the suggestion of hydrating some dates and blending them with maple syrup. It turned into a thick paste. When I added this to my oats and mix-ins, it was super crumbly. It would have been helpful if there was a suggestion about what to do if the mixture seemed too dry. I added a bit of water and pressed it all into the pan as instructed, but I don’t know how this is going to hold together. Fingers crossed I guess
I didn’t blitz anything but these turned out so good!! I used maple cider ghetto gastro maple syrup and almond extract. I also added ground flax with my dry mix-ins (cookie pieces pecans, slivered almonds, white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes).
These are delicious, easy to make and a great breakfast or pre workout eatable. My picky husband even enjoyed them and wanted seconds. Thanks Kate for making such great recipes.
Has anyone tried adding some protein powder into the dry ingredients? Would like to give this a try but would also like it to be a little more protein heavy. Thanks for any suggestions.
Hi, Just made the granola bars. Unfortunately when I took them out of the fridge from overnight, they didn’t stay together. It was more like a topping then a bar. Tasted fine. I put it back in the bowl and added more honey, syrup and peanut butter. Let’s see if that works. Suggestions what I did wrong.
Hi Gail, sorry these didn’t turn out for you! Did you check the granola bar tips section of the recipe? These really make a difference. Chopping, really packing in the mix to avoid air bubbles, in addition the cooling and slicing instructions are helpful.
Thank you for replying. By adding more syrup and honey they were a little better. I did push them down hard in the pan. I think maybe I didn’t crush up all the ingredients small enough. I only had a small food processor. Will give them a try again. I enjoy all the yummy recipes you give.
The mixture did not stick together. I left it in the fridge for about 6 hours and when I tried to cut it into bars, it just crumbled ino exactly what it looked like in the mixing bowl.
loved these, I just used a bag of mixed nuts, raisins, seeds etc that i got at grocery store. just wondering if you could suggest a chocolate? crust to make them even more sturdy.
I LOVED this recipe – super simple to make with delicious results! I shared half of it with some family friends and their kids ate it all up very quickly!! I used a combination of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips, and used crunchy peanut butter. I love the taste, and the simplicity of this recipe! Plus, it seems so healthy and a great breakfast option! Will def be making this again in the future! :)
A huge sweet tooth here-always looking for wholesome, filling sweet-ish snacks to quell those cravings! Absolutely Fabulous!!! I had pureed dates (AKA date caramel) on hand so used that for sweetener, along with dried tart cherries, hemp and pumpkin seeds, walnuts and sliced almonds (what I had in the pantry at the moment). Fantastic base recipe and I love all the ideas for different add ins! These will be a staple in the freezer for when the cravings hit or a post workout snack. Thank you so much for all you do Kate!
Love these! So versatile! Make them as sweet or as healthy as you like!
Do you have to use natural PB/nut butter here or would a creamy commercial PB (like Skippy or Jif) work, too?
Hi Emily, I prefer peanut butter that is sugar free and palm oil free.
How long can this keep in the fridge?
Hi Chris, Bars keep well for several days at room temperature, a couple of weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.
These bars are the bomb! My wife turned me loose to do the recipe. I thought it was a test. Somehow I completed the task and they were great. I just love throwing the “mix-in’s” together to see if I can tell the difference between batches! PS ALWAYS use combo of honey and maple syrup for sweetner.