These No-Bake Homemade Granola bars are easy to make, delicious, and healthier than the boxed version. It’s a win/win recipe!
Just about every time we go to the grocery store, my kids ask for two things: granola bars and candy. I usually say no to the candy, but we go through boxes and boxes of granola bars. I decided it was high time I came up with a recipe for granola bars that were a little healthier than the boxed variety.
It took a couple tries, but I came up with a recipe that everyone in the family loves. Even I couldn’t stop sneaking tastes, and I’m not usually a fan of granola bars!
These homemade granola bars are no bake, and I love that about them. So easy to whip up! The hardest part is just pressing them into the pan. But once you get the mixture spread into your pan, if you just place another cookie sheet on top and press down, it makes it a lot easier.
Not only are these granola bars packed with protein, fiber, and other nutrients, but they are easy to package up for on the go snacks. Just wrap them up in plastic wrap, and toss them into a bag or container. Kids can literally grab one and eat it as they walk out the door. Trust me though, you’ll want to grab one too. They are soooo yummy!
I tried a few recipes for granola bars, and these were by far the winner. The Rice Krispies give them a nice airy crunch, so they are much easier to chew than other recipes I tried with just oats. And my kids could not even tell they have flax seed in them. I love it when I can sneak in some extra nutrition! 
For extra flavor, you can toast the oats. I just pour mine onto a cookie sheet and bake them at 350° for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. If you have a little extra time, I recommend it. It gives them a great nutty flavor.
Enjoy!
Other snacks you’ll gobble up:
Homemade Granola Bars
Homemade Granola Bars: No-Bake
Soft and chewy granola bars loaded with healthy and tasty ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1/2 cup flax seed, ground
- 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine oats, Rice Krispies, and ground flax seed in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, and peanut butter in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat till butter is melted, stirring often. Add vanilla and salt. Mix well, then pour over oat mixture. Stir till blended. Let cool for a few minutes till no longer warm to the touch. Stir in the chocolate chips. (I like to reserve some for the top.)
- Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, with about three inches extra on each end. Dump the mixture into the pan, and press very firmly till flat. Sprinkle with reserved chips, and press them in lightly.
- Let sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then use the excess parchment paper to remove the whole thing from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.
Notes
Updated Tip: I have found that some brands of oats have more of a powdery coating on them, which makes the bars crumbly. If your mixture seems to dry, add a couple more tablespoons of liquid (peanut butter, butter, or honey).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 4g
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I just came to say thank you! I have been making these for a couple of years and everyone loves them!!! They don’t ever crumble and they are gone within 3 days.
So glad they are a hit at your house Valerie!
Always looking for a good granola bar recipe and these look really good! I like how you use simple ingredients as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much Bob, I hope you give them a try and love them! 🙂
I figured out how to make these delicious bars not crumble! Just add two eggs and press the bars down before and immediately after baking. But don’t add them to a hot mixture or they’ll scramble. I didn’t heat my wet ingredients this time, and added the eggs to that before stirring it all up. I also eliminated the brown sugar for my nutrition goals.
Thanks for the tip Hannah!
I too had mine come out quite crumbly. I wrapped them as well as I could and have them in the fridge. Hopefully they tighten up! They taste fantastic though!
I have made these several times and they are awesome. I let mine set up and store them in the fridge. This seems to help them stay together. I have had them turn out “crumbly” one time but I started using a full 6TBS of butter and haven’t had any issue since. Thanks for the recipe. These are so much better than store bought.
How many calories in a piece?
About 180 calories per bar.
I can’t see the recipe…
Sorry, I had a temporary glitch. You should be able to see it now at the end of the post.
Crumbled mess. Don’t try this recipe I make no bake bars often. Not enough wet to bind.
Very, very delicious.
I made some substitutions: I used Kamut Puffs instead of rice Krispies and I used coconut palm sugar instead of sugar and omitted the chocolate chips but it was still super delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
These are really delicious! Mine crumbled apart too no matter how many times I tried- I started just making them into balls. My kids love them. They call them the ball cookies because they taste like cookies! And they stick together in a ball much better.
Can I use sun butter instead of peanut butter? It is a little more oily then PB
Kara,
Your recipe sounds delicious. I’m thinking the reason some may be having issues with crumbling is the peanut butter brand or type. Some peanut butters are thinner, like Jif, others are thicker.
How much butter?
Could I make this with quick oats?
You have to boil the wet the i ingredients, not just melt this. Boil for 3 minutes and the bars will harden.
I tried this recipe because of the rice krispies but after two days of letting them “harden” enough to cut them into bars they just fell apart. Not sure what I did wrong….:(
Hi. I haven’t made these yet but I did make another recipe and when the bars are refrigerated that great but don’t let them sit around because they did crumble. I put mine individually in plastic bags so when I ate mine the crumbs went right into the bag. Also the crumbs would make a great topping for ice cream or yogurt. 🙂
I love the idea of using the crumbs over ice cream or yogurt. Yum!
These are fantastic! For school snacks, could tahini paste be used in place of peanut butter? Also, would you be able to provide the nutrition information on these bars?
I have never used tahini paste, so I have no idea if it would work in place of the peanut butter. And sorry, I’m not a nutritionist, so I don’t have the nutrition information. I just like to cook. 🙂
Love these! I used brown rice syrup and pumpkin seed butter so I can send to school. Thanks
These turned out amazing!!!!
These did taste good but were one big crumbly mess.
We love this recipe — it’s so delicious!! Our most recent batch didn’t stay together. Even cold, the just crumble apart. Has this ever happened to you? Do you have any suggestions?
That hasn’t happened to me, so I’m not exactly sure. But you could always add a little less oats so the mixture starts out more wet. Or add a little more peanut butter. Either one of those should hopefully do the trick!
This happened to me as well. It tastes delicious, but unable to make bars out of it.
I had the same issue… I didn’t get bars, I got crumbles
It would have been too wet and not enough honey/sugar to bind it together, I assume. Next time try adding a bit more oats to absorb the extra moisture and maybe a bit more honey and sugar to bind it together better. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of granola bars, too, and this homemade version looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! #client