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.
Hi! Thanks for all you do to support this community. Question .. might you have the nutritional breakdown for these bars?
Thanks!
Deborah
Hi Deborah! It is truly my pleasure. :) I recommend MyFitnessPal if you need a nutritional breakdown of a recipe! https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I made these healthy bars today and they are soooo nice! My other half is a diabetic and he was so impressed with the taste of these, knowing that they are low in sugar and in carbs. I did reduce the amount of honey a bit, for his benefit and they were still lovely and sweet. I will be making these regularly from now on! Especially knowing they are full of healthy ingredients.
Thoroughly recommend! Thank you.
Hi there. I was just wondering what brand of coconut oil you use for this recipe? Thanks Jeanine
Made these for my family and we loved them!
I have made this recipe twice, it is amazing and simple to make. Both times I had a hard time keeping it together. What am I doing wrong? The first time the smell had us eat it prematurely (I’ll admit). The second time I left it in the fridge overnight and it still didn’t stay together. Any tips are helpful.
Thank you so much for this wonderful looking recipe.I am very excited and can’t wait to make it .Judging by the ingredients it’s just what I am looking and wow it looks so beautiful in the picture.God bless you always.
Oh, children…. love, love, love them… but so unpredictable… totally feel your pain there! So sorry to hear of your Grandma’s passing. Cherish those memories. Thanks for the recipe, have been wanting to try at home granola bars for a while and always trust your recipes. Always a winner. Every time.
These are fantastic! I’ve made them three times in the past 24 hours. No joke. My kids love them- and they’re such a great alternative to store-bought bars. I made them according to your recipe the first time, and then again with some dried fruit and nuts odds and ends from my pantry. The third time- a chocolatey version (for myself- haha). I’m looking forward to experimenting with more variations :) Thank you!
What are the calories etc for these bars
Hi Kristin, I think it’s wonderful about your cardinals. I am sure your Grandma wants y’all to know she is thinking of you and watching over you. I remember those parenting days now my daughter just graduated high school a year early and just turned 17 the month before. This is going to be an entirely new journey. We have not found a coconut oil that is peanut free yet. This is a new allergy to us besides bananas. We grow our own pecans or get them from Pearson’s Farm in GA. because they are peanut free. We just found a shredded coconut that doesn’t make her sick. If anyone has any ideas for a coconut oil that would be great. She can so far have any nuts except for peanuts now.
These look awesome! I have been on the hunt for healthy recipes for his summer camp lunches so thank you! I can’t help but laugh at your restaurant experience because, believe me, I have been there! Your Cam reminds me so much of my son when he was that age! It will get better, I promise! Hang in there :)
I used to make these granola bars all the time and they were a big hit in my workplace! Thank you for resurrecting this recipe! Cardinals also make me think of my grandma, who has also passed on. That was her favorite bird and whenever I see one I think it’s just Grandma reminding me that her energy is still in this world. And…a couple years ago when my daughter was about five months old we went out for sushi and for whatever reason she was not having it – screaming and nothing would calm her down. We hadn’t even gotten our food when we had to pack up and leave and ask for it to-go. The restaurant was so nice they didn’t charge us. I think it was probably their way of saying, “thank you for removing your very loud child from our establishment.” Enjoy the day!
THANK YOU !!!!! I made these for a young boy who is allergic to dairy. As a Christmas package I made chewy white chocolate macadamia nut cookies to share with my distant family. Then I found out there would be a young boy who had a severe dairy allergy that would be there too. My heart broke for him, just imagining him watching everyone eating my cookies and he couldn’t. I was bound and determine for him not to feel left out. I found your recipe, sounded good, so I made them. Boy was I wrong….they are GREAT!. I had to make more batches for my husband and our friends that are here with me…everyone raved about them. You made one young boy and a bunch of adults very happy with this recipe….MERRY CHRISTMAS
Absolutely warms my heart – thank you so much for sharing that, Dawne!! Merry Christmas to you too!