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.
NJ girl here, so glad I found you Iowa girl!!!! This is the first recipe of yours I’ve made, and tonight was my third week in a row making it! We love it!!! I’m not a fan of store bought granola bars but my boyfriend is so I tried your recipe. I am a huge fan of granola bars now!!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes :)
I’m so glad you guys loved it, Katie, and I’m glad you found your way here! :)
I have been wanting to make these for years and finally did today. They are phenomenal! I had a few substitutions – cashews for pecans, dried cranberries for cherries and wheat germ for sesame seeds. These are by far the best homemade granola bars I’ve made (and I’ve made a bunch of the most popular ones out there). Thank you!
Hi! I tried this recipe recently and really enjoyed it. I write a blog about training for an Ironman and maintaining a healthy life inspired by triathlon. I talked about your recipe and added a link to the recipe from my blog. I will certainly be making them again very soon! Thanks for a great recipe!!
I made these bars last night and they are so yummy! Thanks for sharing such great recipes!!
I have got to try these. My kids have fallen in love with your green monster smoothies-to the point I get to lock the spoon scraping out the blender because they eat the whole thing! My kids are 3 and 1 1\2, will these be chewy enough for the Lil man. Some nuttier bars he can’t bite into and they love granola bars so I am looking for homemade goodness:-) BTW, everything we have tried from your site has been delish. Love knowing my attempt at a new recipe will be a win before I start!
So glad to hear, Stefani! The bars are very soft and chewy, so they should be ok for your little man! :)
Can’t wait to try these! Healthy and sweet. yum!
These are delicious, and a huuuge hit in my house!
I’ve made them a handful of times, and have started experimenting with other nuts/fruits/chocolate/peanut butter.
Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe!
I don’t often comment on blogs but there is no way I couldn’t rave about these and thank you for the recipe! These will become a standard in my house!
These are amazing. I am seriously never buying granola bars from the store again. They taste way better than any granola bar I’ve ever had, plus they’ve got to be about a hundred times healthier than the store bought kind. I made them a few of weeks ago and ate them all myself within about five days LOL. Now I want to make more because I’ve been craving them!
Found this while searching for a homemade granola bar recipe, tried it out tonight, and they’re amazing! Super easy to make, the hard part is waiting for them to set so you can have one! Used 1/2 cup of craisins and 1/2 cup shredded coconut instead of cherries, though I’m sure any dried fruit would be good in these
Do you know of a website where I could plug in the ingredients and find a carb total?
Livestrong.com has a good recipe calculator tool!
Just made so of these as they look so yummy, they are in the fridge waiting for me to taste them…thank you :)
Hello, I made these today. Great etc. but!!! I had a fiasco with stickin to the parchment paper. Any clues?
Oh no! I’ve never had parchment paper stick to anything – maybe just give it a spritz with nonstick spray next time? That’s so strange!