Crunchy Baked Granola Bar Recipe

Name: Crunchy Granola Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats; 1 cup assorted nuts*; ¼ cup pumpkin seeds; ¼ cup sunflower seeds; 1/2 cup unsweetened dried fruit*; 1/2 cup ground flax seeds; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup peanut butter*; ½ cup honey*; ½ cup dark chocolate chips

Published: Oct 3, 2021 · Modified: Mar 7, 2023 by Debra Klein · This post may contain affiliate links · 54 Comments

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Homemade Crunchy Baked Granola Bars are the ultimate in healthy snack recipes. Packed with wholesome oats, nuts, and seeds, these bars are perfect for satisfying your midday cravings or for a quick on-the-go breakfast. Easy to make and customizable to your taste, this recipe for baked granola bars will have you ditching store-bought bars for good.

Wooden board with granola bars lined up on a piece of parchment. Also are some bars wrapped in parchment and tied with a kitchen twine. Some cinnamon stick and loose nuts and chocolate chips are strewn about.

This post was updated from the original posted on September 14, 2015.

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Why you’ll love them
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to make them
Debra’s Pro Tips
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
More healthy grab and go recipes
📖 Recipe

Yes…you NEED these Crunchy Baked Granola Bars in your life. I know how hard it is to compete with quick and easy (drive-thru anyone?) when you’re looking for healthy and affordable. BUT, the struggle is optional. I’ve got an easy, delicious kid tested and mother approved recipe for you!

Oats and honey granola bars don’t just come in packages….you can make them yourself with this simple recipe. They’re perfect for meal prep, freezer friendly and the healthy answer to your hectic, hungry mornings.

Let’s be real, life is EASIER when you have a “grab and go” option at your fingertips for breakfast, post or pre workout, lunch boxes or after school snacks. But who said you can’t have a healthy granola bar…that’s also quick and easy and ready as a grab and go option?

Why you’ll love them

Stack of crunchy granola bars separated by sheets of parchment paper.

Kid tested and mother approved.
Meal prep and freezer friendly.
Crunchy and satisfying.
Grab and go…with a healthier breakfast bar that won’t fall apart.
Super easy to make and customizable.
Delish…so much better than the cardboard taste of store bought bars.
CRUNCHY…crisp and tasty. The texture is JUST RIGHT. Check this no bake recipe out if you prefer a soft and chewy granola bar.
Budget friendly: much more affordable than store bought bars (tastier too).

Ingredients and Substitutions

Labeled ingredients for granola bars: rolled oats, ground flax, nut butter, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, honey

Rolled oats: A whole grain with soluble fiber. They help with blood sugar control and also with helping you to feel full and satisfied. I use sprouted oats for an easy to digest source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I like to use Thrive Market Organic Oats or One Degree Organic Sprouted Oats. Whatever brand you use, be sure they are non-GMO and glyphosate free. This recipe would be better for you If you’d prefer a grain-free energy bar.
Seeds: Seeds are extremely nutritious, a good source of fiber, vitamins and healthy fats. I used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Whatever you like/have is great. Chia seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds would also be good additions to this recipe.
Nuts: Yay for some tasty plant based protein, fiber and fats…no need to add any oil to this recipe! I chose walnuts to get the omega 3s as well. Pecans, almonds, filberts, hazelnuts would all work too. For nut allergies, load up on more seeds…use some larger and some smaller varieties.
Honey: I like the taste and texture of honey plus the beneficial antioxidants, antibacterial and antifungal properties. For a true vegan granola bar, substitute the honey for date syrup or maple syrup.
Ground flax: In addition to the fiber and omega 3s, ground flax acts as a binder to hold these healthy snack bars together.
Nut butter: Make sure it’s creamy and drippy….otherwise use what you like. Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter…or use sunbutter if you have nut allergies.
Chocolate chips: I used dark chocolate chips from Thrive market. You could also chop a bar of high quality dark chocolate.

How to make them

Spread oats, nuts and seeds in a single layer on a large rimmed baking tray.

Large rimmed baking tray with oats, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Bowl with assorted oats, nuts and seeds.

Let toasted oats/nuts cool and then pour into a bowl.

Chocolate chips, flax, raisins and cinnamon in a bowl of oats and nuts.

Add the dried fruit, ground flax, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips to the bowl.

Mixture of oats,nuts, seeds, cinnamon, raisins and chocolate chips.

Mix. If the oats/seeds aren’t cool, the chocolate chips will melt when mixed in, rather than stay as chips.

In a small bowl, stir the honey into the nut butter until thoroughly mixed. Substitute maple syrup for the honey for a true vegan granola bar.

Peanut butter mixture on top of oats, nuts, seeds, raisins, and chocolate chips.

Pour nut butter mixture onto the oat mixture.

Thick and pasty granola bar batter with oats, nuts seeds, chocolate chips and raisins.

Mix well. It may feel like there isn’t enough sticky nut butter to go around, but stick with it (see what I did there?), it is the perfect amount. Use a heavy wooden spoon or metal spatula…the batter will be thick and sticky.

Granola Bar mixture spread into glass baking dish lined with parchment

Spread the batter evenly into a 9×13 baking pan. that’s lined with parchment.

glass baking dish lined with parchment, then filled with granola bar mixture, covered with additional parchment and a gold measuring cup is patting it all down.

Use another sheet of parchment to cover the batter and then press down FIRMLY. The more you can compact the bars into the pan, the more they will hold together. I use an empty measuring cup to push down and get a uniform flatness.

granola bars in a glass dish lined with parchment

Turn the oven temperature down to 325 and bake for 25 minutes, until golden. Let the bars cool a bit in the pan so the chocolate chips aren’t so melty. Place the parchment back onto the top of the bars and push down again. Let cool in the pan.

Granola bars on a piece of parchment atop a cutting board. Long thin strips have been cut with a sharp knife resting on the side.

Remove by holding onto the edges of the parchment paper and placing onto a cutting board.

Crunchy granola bars on a sheet of parchment atop a wooden board.

Start by cutting vertically into long strips and then cut across horizontally to whatever size you prefer.

Crunchy granola bars lined up on a sheet of parchment on top of a wooden board. THere are a few wrapped in parchment strips with a kitchen twine tied around it. — Crunchy baked granola bars are easy to make and perfect for a grab and go snack.

Debra’s Pro Tips

granola bars cut into squares, lots of crumbs and a glass container holding the granola crumbs.

Let the toasted oats cool before adding the chocolate chips or they will melt and you will have chocolate granola bars….not a bad thing…but just know that’s what will happen. You can always add more chocolate chips.
If you don’t press down the batter and compact it before baking, they will fall apart. See the photo above? I couldn’t cut them into bars without them crumbling. The silver lining? Hubby thought it was the BEST GRANOLA ever. Yes….if yours fall apart, scoop the crumbs into a jar and use as granola…no shame, no waste!
Experiment with different nuts, seeds or dried fruit. I love the dried figs in there…super sweet and added great texture, but I had to cut them into small pieces before using.
Store in the freezer, wrapped and ready to grab and go.
These are the PERFECT snack if you pick up from school and head straight to afternoon sports.
Wrapped in unbleached parchment and tied with a bow, these make awesome holiday gifts.
Use DRIPPY nut or seed butter. Store unopened nut butter upside down in your pantry. When you open for the first time, take the time to THOROUGHLY mix before using.

MEAL PREP AND STORAGE

Serve: Granola bars taste best at room temperature. They can be taken straight from the freezer to the lunch box and will be perfect when it’s time to enjoy.
Prep ahead: Yes! Individually wrap and store at room temperature for a week, in the fridge for a month or freezer for 3 months for an easy grab and go breakfast or healthy snack.
Store: For best results, store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.
Freeze: Completely cool granola bars. Freeze for up to 3 months in freezer safe zip top bags.

4 crunchy granola bars lined up on a piece of parchments. There is a spoon full of oats, a puddle of honey, a dish of chocolate chips and two cinnamon sticks.

Oats and honey granola bars for the healthy snack or breakfast win. Change things up and use different nuts, seeds or dried fruit. For a truly vegan granola bar, substitute maple syrup for the honey. It will be a bit less sticky and still taste delicious.

More healthy grab and go recipes

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