Homemade Chewy Granola Bars are a cinch to make from pantry staples. Gluten free and kid friendly, they're a great, low-sugar snack option!
If you have kids, and they’re anything like mine, then you know that they are ALWAYS HUNGRY.
That said, I feel like a total rockstar when can pull out ready made Homemade Chewy Granola Bars as a healthy, chewy, naturally sweet, and satisfying snack when they ask for one.
Even if you don’t have kids, these low sugar, nutrient dense, homemade granola bars totally hit the spot!
Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
Far from the sugary, store-bought granola bars that leave you satisfied for maybe 5 minutes, Homemade Chewy Granola Bars are gluten free, packed with healthy fats and protein, and naturally sweetened with a wee bit of honey. There’s even a secret ingredient that takes the flavor of these homemade granola bars up 500 notches.
That said, all the secret ingredients are pantry staples so we can whip these granola bars up anytime. Along with Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bars, Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars, Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins, and Cranberry Chocolate Almond Energy Bites, they’re great to have on hand for easy and healthy snacking.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe calls for coconut oil and I do not recommend substituting in any other type of oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, and even harder when chilled, (these granola bars live in the fridge or freezer) and help keep the bars together.
- Along the same lines, I have not tested this recipe with any other sweetener besides honey. Its thick and sticky texture keeps the bars together.
- I use almonds and pecans in my chewy granola bars though you could use whatever nut or seed you have on hand.
Let’s do this!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding almonds, pecan halves, and gluten free old fashioned oats to the bowl of a food processor, then process until all the ingredients are finely chopped.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl then add more oats, almonds, and pecans, plus dried cranberries or dried cherries, chia seeds and cinnamon.
Over on the stovetop, add honey, coconut oil, and salt to a small saucepan then bring to a foamy bubble over medium heat. Let the mixture foam and cook for 1 minute then remove it from the heat and stir in almond and vanilla extracts.
The almond extract is the secret ingredient in this recipe, by the way. I’m telling you – the subtle, special flavor it adds is so cozy.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients then mix well to combine. Scoop the mixture into a foil-lined, nonstick-sprayed 8×8 baking pan then spray the bottom of a glass measuring cup with more nonstick spray and press press press!
The harder you press the better these bars will stick together.
Refrigerate the bars until they’re completely set – a few hours – then lift out of the baking pan using the foil and slice into bars.
These bars will soften at room temperature so keep them in the fridge, or wrap in parchment paper or saran wrap and freeze individually. However you eat them them, I hope you love these homemade chewy granola bars — enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup certified gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, no substitutions
- 1/2 teaspoon scant salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Line a 8x8” baking dish with foil, letting it hang generously over the sides, then spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Add 1/2 cup each almonds and pecans, plus 3/4 cup old fashioned oats into the bowl of a food processor then process until finely chopped. Pour mixture into a large bowl then add remaining 1/4 cup oats, dried cranberries, chia seeds, and cinnamon. Chop remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup almonds then add to the bowl and stir everything together. Set aside.
- Add honey, coconut oil, and salt to a small saucepan then bring to a bubble over medium heat, stirring once or twice. Turn heat down slightly, simmer for 1 minute, then remove saucepan from heat and stir in extracts. Pour over the dry ingredients then stir well to combine, and then pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
- Spray the bottom of a measuring cup or bowl with nonstick spray then press firmly into an even layer. The harder you press, the better the bars will stick together! Refrigerate until set, a couple hours, then pull out of the baking dish using overhanging foil and slice into bars using a sharp knife.
Notes
- Store bars in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I just made these last night and oh my dear goodness. I cut them up this morning. SO GOOD! :D
Instead of using the walnuts or pecans, I used sunflower seeds and instead of the sesame seeds, I used chia seeds.
These are probably going to be my new favorite snack/breakfast food.
Thank you soo much for posting this!
Wonder if switching the honey for agave and chia seeds for sesame would work as well? I’ll try them soon and let you know, thanks for the recipe!
I think they would taste really good, but the sticky honey is what holds everything together. I think if you used agave it might fall apart!
Oh my god!! I can’t believe how delicious these are!! I Googled “best homemade chewy granola bars ever” and this was the first result, and it was no joke :) So easy to do, too! I will admit that when I went to buy coconut oil I almost had a heart attack at the price ($12 per jar), but now I it’s worth its weight in gold. These taste like they’re drenched in butter! And I think the jar will last for many batches of these, too (which I will definitely be making). Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Kristin! Ive made these twice now since you’ve posted them..my fiance and I love them…they’re basically gone within 48 hours…anyway…the problem ive encountered both times is getting them to stick together? They just fall to pieces like granola! :( Any suggestions?!
I had the same problem so I added a cup of peanut butter. I melted the peanut butter til it was a liquid state then poured it over the mixture I will let you know how it turns out…
I cannot believe how easy these were to make. Can use most any dried fruit. Loved the coconut oil so much flavor! Love these!
I saw this the other day and made them today. THEY ARE DELICIOUS. (I modified slightly, based on what I had on hand, used a mix of hazelnuts, walnuts & pecans in place of the pecans, cranberries instead of cherries, and added a few chocolate chunks.)
OH YUM!
I made these last night. OMG! I can’t stop eating them! Thank you so much for yet another great recipe! It was my first experience with coconut oil! I was freaked out at first that it was a solid :) I also loved the addition of the almond extract – delicious!
Okay, so they are in the pan, and I am waiting for them to set up. Have only “licked the bowl”, but, heavens, I am not sure i can wait for them to set up! The stuff left in the bowl was SO GOOD!
These are amazing. I am trying to go totally soy-free, and all the store bought granola bars have soy – but I won’t even miss them with this recipe!
These sound delish! I was hoping to not use honey as a binder. Do you have any ideas to reduce it at least? I can’t have too many sweets, even the natural kind. Thus, I will be reducing the fruit as well. I’m not sure how well an egg would work, if I baked them for a bit..?
You could try using medjool dates processed in a food processor as a binder?!
Oh my goodness. These are so crazy good. I just pinned it on Pinterest and will be letting my blog peeps know about it shortly. I’ve done a few posts on Coconut Oil and all it’s amazing benefits…I’m doing another post on Friday. See if you can get un-refined Virgin Coconut Oil…it’s more expensive but even better for you! I use Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil…I buy it on-line. Thanks so much for sharing!!! Go Cyclones!
Hi Kristin,
These are unbelievably delicious! Any idea of how long I can store them in the freezer? I’m thinking of making 2-3 batches to last awhile
Oh good – glad you liked them! I bet they’ll last a few months in a good freezer bag!
Made two batches of these tonight and I can’t wait until they are set! My kids and I loved them :) I made a batch with raisins for the kids and a batch with cherries for me and the hubby. I used an 8×8 pan, made one batch and laid wax paper over it and dumped batch #2 on top. Can’t wait! Also, the lady at Trader Joe’s said, “Gosh, we have sold a lot of nuts and dried fruit today!” I wondered who else was making these!