Healthy Granola Bars (2024)

Healthy Granola Bars, my old friend. When I have a batch of you on hand, my life feels a little more together. A simple baked granola bar recipe made with oats, honey, and your mix-ins of choice, these easy bars are here for you, whatever wildness the day may hold.

I cannot relate to the idea of being so busy you forget to eat.

Even on my most crazed days, my stomach checks in at regular intervals, and I can’t focus until I’ve met my body’s need for nourishment.

The quality of the snacks is where I need to pay attention.

• Having healthy snacks like these homemade granola bars (or Energy Balls) on hand for immediate consumption satisfies my hunger for hours.
• They are a much healthier option than reaching for a bag of chips, candy bar or other processed snacks that will leave you hungry again a short while later.

I am not a dietician, but I know that if you are looking for granola bars for weight loss and only focus on which granola bars have the least calories, you can miss the point.

• For a snack to keep you full and happy (and your hand out of the chip bag), it needs to have filling ingredients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats. These have 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per serving!
• Otherwise, you’ll end up eating more overall than you would have if you would have simply selected a more satisfying (but higher calorie) bar in the first place.

These bars are truly sustaining!

I originally developed this healthy granola bars recipe for Ben and my long road trips.

Now, we take them on ski trips for a mid-mountain break, and I almost always have some in the freezer. It feels good to reach for a homemade bar instead of something from a box, and it is a serious cost savings too

If you’ve never made homemade granola bars, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by just how easy they are.

They save well (wrap and freeze them for up to two months), are more affordable than store-bought bars, and don’t contain the long list of unpronounceable ingredients.

Plus, your kitchen will smell like a bakery while these granola bars bake.Ahhhh.

How to Make Healthy Granola Bars

These bars are ultra easy to stir together, perfect for kids, post workout, and on-the-go-breakfasts, and the ingredients are flexible to what you have on hand.

You can even alter the baking time to make the bars chewier or crunchier, depending upon what your family prefers.

The Ingredients

• Oats. Full of fiber, nutrients, and shown to help lower levels of “bad” cholesterol, oats are inexpensive with a powerful healthy punch. Their fiber content in this whole grain is one of the reasons these healthy granola bars (as well as their cousin, No Bake Granola Bars) will keep you full.

• Nuts. Rich in omega-3s and a good source of protein, nuts make these bars both satisfying and super tasty. Use any nuts you love or have on hand: chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts—my favorite is a mix, like what you’ll find in Trail Mix Peanut Butter Granola Bars.
• Pepitas. These little pumpkin seeds are packed with antioxidants and add another dimension of flavor.

• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes. Add irresistible toasty notes, without the need for excess sugar.

• Peanut Butter. Hello, healthy fats and more protein for sustenance. You can use any nut butter here you enjoy. (Fellow PB lovers, don’t miss these Peanut Butter Protein Bars.)

• Honey. Rejoice for healthy granola bars no sugar but the right about of sweetness! Storebought bars can contain three or four different forms of sugar. In these bars, you’ll find only natural honey.

• Cinnamon + Pure Vanilla Extract + Salt. This trio makes these homemade granola bars even more scrumptious (truly, processed bars do not stand a chance).
• Mix-Ins! One of the most fun parts of making granola bars from scratch is that you can make them any flavor. Try dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chia seeds or dark chocolate and you certainly can’t go wrong with chocolate chip peanut butter granola bars. These can easily be made dairy-free as well!

The Directions

1. Toast the oats, nuts, and seeds. This adds big flavor!

2. Warm the peanut butter and honey together until smooth. Stir in the spices.

3. Stir the toasted oats and nuts into the peanut butter mixture.

4. Press the mixture into a parchment-lined pan. Bake the healthy granola bars at 300 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, slice, and ENJOY.

Storage Tips

• To Store. Store granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
• To Freeze. Wrap bars airtight and store them in a ziptop bag in the freezer. Let thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Baking Dish. This one is ideal for making granola bars.
• Baking Sheet. I use a baking sheet to toast my granola bar mix-ins.
• Saucepan. With countless everyday uses, a high-quality saucepan is a must-have item in every kitchen.

You’ll thank yourself for having these healthy granola bars around, whether your tummy growls like mine, or you are one of those people that has to remind yourself to eat lunch (but how?!).

Happy snacking!

Healthy Granola Bars Video

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