Making granola bars from scratch is easy to do, and so much healthier than the store-bought bars. You can also customize it to your tastes.
I don’t like all the extra crap that is put in all of our food these days. So I try to make as much as I can from scratch, including these delicious granola bars.
Tyler was so excited to help me with this and has had a few of them already today! He loves to help pour things into the mixing bowl and mix, and he even helped spread the granola out in the pan before we baked them. He really wanted to use his oven mitts to help get them out of the oven. I had to draw the line there!! At least for now.
We used to buy chocolate chip granola bars (Chewy Bar brand) at the grocery store often because they are great for a quick breakfast, to send in the boy’s lunch boxes, or as a quick and portable snack. But they always come individually wrapped meaning it creates a lot of waste.
Not to mention the unnecessary ingredients in the store-bought granola bars. When I make granola bars at home, I can control exactly what ingredients go into them. And I can also store them in our own containers to get out one at a time as we need them.
The great thing about making granola bars yourself is being able to make them how you like. If you prefer a different dried fruit then you can substitute something else for the raisins. For those trying to eat on a low sugar diet, omit the chocolate chips. Next time I plan to make a variety of flavors so we have a lot of healthy granola bars to choose from.
Add-In Options
You can add so many delicious foods to your ingredient list that you can add to your homemade granola bar recipe. Just remember, if you add too many dry ingredients, they won’t stay together well. So keep a balance of dry and wet ingredients.
- Sunflower seeds
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Almond butter
- Toasted oats
- Natural peanut butter
- Almonds
- Brown rice syrup
- Pumpkin seeds
- White chocolate chips
- Rice Krispies
- Flax seed
- Chia seeds
- Craisins
- Peanuts
- Sea salt
- Chopped dried apricots
- Brown sugar
- Dried cranberries
- Dark chocolate chips
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Cashew butter
- Dried cherries
- Sunflower butter
- Coconut flakes
- Pitted dates
- Cinnamon
- Pistachios
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- If you want a granola to use as either a cereal or in yogurt, then you can skip the refrigeration. This keeps them from forming together and you can crumble it. We did this when I completely forgot the refrigeration step.
- This is a great recipe for a lunch box, a school snack, or a work snack.
- Chewy homemade granola bars are perfect to pack for a road trip or as a way to have healthy snacks out on a hiking trail.
- Make your easy granola bar recipe even healthier by using whole grains with healthy fats.
- For homemade chewy granola bars, bake for 15-20 minutes. For crunchy granola bars, bake the recipe for 25-30 minutes.
- To make these into a no-bake recipe for granola bars, you can heat the coconut oil and honey over medium heat in a small saucepan before adding the remaining ingredients. Then press into a prepared dish and cool.
Granola Bars Step by Step
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (softened)
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9×13 pan with coconut oil.
Blend 1 cup of oats in a blender to make oat flour.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the coconut oil and honey until they are well combined.
Add the oats, oat flour, and baking soda.
Gently fold the raisins and chocolate chips into the oat mixture with a rubber spatula.
Press the granola mixture into the prepared baking dish. Make sure they are compacted very well. If not, they will fall apart. I like to use a sheet of wax paper and use your hands to press it down.
Bake the granola bars for about 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let the granola cool for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting into bars. Place in the refrigerator until they cool completely. If you don’t refrigerate, they won’t stay together.
Granola Bars Leftovers
Storage: Let the bars come to room temperature before placing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Reheating: If you want to warm the granola bars, try placing them in the toaster oven, air fryer, or microwave for just a few seconds to a minute until warm but not cooked again. Note: they will likely start to fall apart as they get too warm since that allows the coconut oil to start to melt.
Freezing: Once the bars have cooled completely, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of parchment paper. After the bars have frozen completely, wrap them individually in parchment paper and place them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe
Originally Published On: October 5, 2016
Last Updated On: October 13, 2024
Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (softened)
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F
- Grease a 9×13 glass pan with coconut oil
- Blend 1 cup of oats in a blender to make oat flour
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and honey until well blended
- Add in the remaining oats, oat flour that was blended, and baking soda
- Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips
- Press the granola mixture into the prepared greased pan, compacting well or they will fall apart
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
- Let cool about 10-15 minutes before cutting into bars
- Cool completely in refrigerator (at least 2 hours) before removing from pan so they don’t fall apart
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes
- Make-Ahead Pancake Casserole Breakfast
- Make-Ahead and Pull-Apart Mini Cinnamon Bites
- No-Bake Cereal Bars from Crumbs
- Make-Ahead Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Easy Pull-Apart Caramel Coffee Cake Recipe
- Make-Ahead French Toast Casserole
- Granola Bars
- Breakfast Hot Pocket
- Vegan Breakfast Cookies
I ABHOR all the extra crap that’s put in our foods these days too – so I am right there with you on MAKING YOUR OWN!!
It takes a bit more work, but they usually taste better in the end, too!
Yum! These sound great and easy to make! I will definitely need to try these for my family!
They are a great alternative to store-bought, and my boys think they taste better, too.
These look delicious! We eat a lot of granola bars so I really want to start making my own… will definitely try out your recipe!
It’s pretty easy to make at home, and I think they taste much better, too!
WOW! Yummy this Granola Bars! looks like perfect for breakfast and also easy made Love this recipe!!
We like them for breakfast and they are great to have a quick snack to take with us when we go out.
I really prefer making our own snacks as well. I like to control the ingredients and I love to add more protein and nutrient-packed ingredients.
It makes such a difference when you use quality ingredients!
Just brilliant! I much prefer to make my own than buy shop bought, as this way you know exactly what goes into them xx
That’s exactly why I prefer to cook from home. I can control the ingredients in our meals.
I have never made granola bars at home before. But I would definitely be willing to try. It looks and sounds delicious. And they are one of my favorite all time snacks.
It really isn’t too hard, and they last for a while so you have an easy snack ready for days!
Oo these look super chewy and delicious! I tried making granola bars once and they were too dry. I’ll have to try this out.
These ones stay really soft. I don’t like dry ones, either.
I love this recipe, it must be so yummy! It looks super easy and quick to make. I have made integral cookies before this is very similar.
I haven’t heard of integral cookies, I’ll have to look those up and see how they compare.
YUM! I’m always down with some homemade granola bars. Omitting the raisins, this recipe looks very similar to ours and we love some granola bars!
My boys love raisins, so I keep them in there. Personally, I am not a big fan but they are ok in the granola bars.
These look great. My little one is just now starting to like things like this so these may be a good snack option!
They are a perfect snack option since you know they are (mostly) healthy. And they don’t need to stay cold so they are great for grabbing on the go.
These bars looks so tasty. Sounds like it’s easy to make. There is no reason not to try it ^^
They are very easy to make, and great for a quick snack or breakfast.
These sound so good, and healthy! This would be the perfect snack for everyone in our house, Ill have to make them asap!
The only part that isn’t so healthy is the chocolate chips, but it adds a bit of sweetness to them that I really enjoy in there.
I love this idea. I feel like I waste so much money on snack foods for my kids. Making granola bars at home is perfect!
I know exactly what you mean! My boys will ask for snacks then never eat them. We all like the granola bars so they are great to have on hand.
My son and husband both love granola bars and I much prefer to make them so I know whats in them. Will be trying your recipe this weekend!
Knowing what we are eating is so important to me. We still have some foods that aren’t the best choice, but I try to make as much as I can at home.
I love granola bars but I never tried to make it at home!!! I thought it would be very difficult to do so. Will give your recipe a shot.
I thought it would be a bit harder than it was, too. Just make sure to refrigerate them or they fall apart into a granola instead of a bar!
This is perfect for me, I much prefer to make my bars than buy. More natural and wholesome…can’t wait to try this out xx
I always try to make our food at home when I can. Having control over the ingredients is so important.
I love the idea of recreating store-brought favorites at home in a fresh, healthy way. These look so yummy!
I do, too. That’s why I try to cook from scratch as much as we can. I have a lot more control over the food we eat that way.
I love eating granola bars and never knew I could make them at home! I have to try because these would be perfect for work and for a snack!
We love having these as an option for a quick snack. I’ve also sent them in my kids’ lunchboxes before, too.