Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (2024)

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ByHeather Painchaud Updated

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These homemade granola bars are a great way to make healthy snacks for the whole family. Add this easy granola bar recipe to your menu planning!

Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (1)

This Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe is super easy to make and is a tasty snack that can be taken on the go. You also have complete control over the ingredients, making them a much healthier option for your family.

Too busy to make this right away?! Pin it for later! Pin this post to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest and it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

There’s no denying that store-bought granola bars are a convenient snack. Store shelves are packed with options too, in flavor and brand.

They aren’t always so healthy though. The amount of sugar and trans-fats they contain make pre-packaged granola bars less than ideal.

In the last few months, I have been experimenting with all kinds of healthy snack recipes, as we try to reduce the amount of processed foods that we eat. This homemade granola bar recipe is one of our family favorites so far.

They are super simple to make. The best part? You can swap out many of the ingredients for different flavour combinations. Add this to your must-bake list!

Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (2)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tips & Tricks:

  • Use rolled oats, quick oats, or a combination of both, in this recipe. Each one will create a slightly different texture in the finished product.
  • A silicone or rubber spatula works well for pressing the granola bar mixture evenly into your baking pan. Spray it with a little cooking spray to prevent sticking.
  • Cut your bars while they are still slightly warm.
  • When storing, wrap individual bars in parchment paper or plastic wrap. They can then be stacked in your storage container.

Ingredients:

  • 5 1/2 cups oats
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

This recipe makes a lot of granola bars! I love that they last longer than a day or two and are perfect for school lunches. I store them in an air tight container in the cupboard for up to two weeks.

Crunchy granola bar recipe:

  1. Place honey and brown sugar in a small sauce pan and dissolve over medium heat until combined.
  2. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
  3. Pour this mixture over the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  4. Press the mixture onto a tinfoil lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees until golden (about 30 minutes).
Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (4)

Granola Bar Recipe Variations:

  • Add chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks.
  • Try Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds.
  • Unsweetened coconut flakes, raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit.
  • Substitute maple syrup or brown rice syrup for some of the honey.
  • Include some almond butter, cashew butter, date paste, or creamy peanut butter.

Try these crunchy baked granola bars and let me know what your family’s favorite flavor combinations are!

If you love this baked granola bar recipe, please give it a five star review and help me share it on Facebook and Pinterest so that others can enjoy it too!

Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (5)

Yield: 18 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe is super easy to make and is a tasty snack that can be taken on the go. Add it to your must bake list!

Ingredients

  • 5 1/2 cups oats
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

    1. Place honey and brown sugar in a small sauce pan and dissolve over medium heat until combined.
    2. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
    3. Pour this mixture over the remaining ingredients and mix well.
    4. Press the mixture onto a tinfoil lined baking sheet.
    5. Bake at 350 degrees until golden (about 30 minutes).
    6. Cut the baked granola into bars immediately, careful the sheet pan will be hot!
    7. Allow the bars to cool before separating.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 212Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g

All values are approximate and based on ingredients used by the recipe writer. Always calculate your own individual nutritional values for the most accurate calculation.

Did you make this recipe?

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Hello, I’m Heather!

I'm an active mom of twin boys who is always looking for opportunities to inspire creativity through fun crafts, do-it-yourself projects and delicious recipes. This blog has been an integral part of supporting my little family and I am so grateful to have you become a part of our journey! Let's create together... Read more...

Crunchy Granola Bar Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best binder for granola bars? ›

Honey. Sweetens the granola bars and helps bind the dry ingredients together.

Why is my homemade granola not crunchy? ›

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

How to harden granola bars? ›

The better you press, the better the bars hold together.

When you're happy with the pressed mixture, press a spoonful of chocolate chips on top, and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This hardens everything and makes it easy to cut the granola mixture into bars.

What is crunchy granola bar? ›

Crunchy granola bars are a perfect, healthy breakfast or snack! 1 Bowl. They're packed with protein, almond flour and oats and even plenty of chocolate! These granola bars are non-sticky and non-chewy! so they'll also work if you have braces and were missing your sweet granola bars.

What can I use to hold granola bars together? ›

While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey! When added to your homemade granola bars, honey acts as glue that sticks all the pieces together.

What helps homemade granola bars stick together? ›

Honey – Along with the nut butter, it helps all these ingredients stick together! I love its warm amber flavor in this recipe. Vanilla extract – It amps up the bars' warm flavor.

How do you keep homemade granola crispy? ›

Whether it's homemade or store-bought, properly storing granola will help extend the shelf life and maintain crunchiness. Store granola in an airtight container or tightly sealed zip-top bag in a dry, dark place away from heat.

Does homemade granola get crunchy as it cools? ›

Your homemade granola will continue to crisp up as it cools. It's tempting to start eating it as soon as it comes out of the oven, but if you let it rest for 15 minutes on the sheet pan, it'll be extra crisp and toasty – totally worth the wait!

How do you keep homemade granola bars from falling apart? ›

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

What is the binding agent for homemade granola? ›

Nut butter is a super flavorful fat that serves multiple purposes in granola. It acts as a binding agent—along with additional coconut oil and whatever natural sweetener I've chosen—helping to pull the dry ingredients together into a wet, sticky mass for baking.

Should you soak oats before making granola bars? ›

Fill the bowl up with water to completely cover the mixture – enough that you can stir to combine. This soaking process will help the oats and seeds digest better. After the oat/seed mixture has soaked 8-12 hours, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.

Why is glycerin in granola bars? ›

Glycerin helps preserve moisture, prevents sugar crystallization, and adds bulk, smoothness, softness, sweetness, and texture to a range of foods and beverages. It gives the final product its smooth, thick texture.

Why are Nature Valley bars so good? ›

Each bar provides a tasty snack made with whole grain oats, providing 20g of whole grain per serving (at least 48g recommended daily). These granola bars are made with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

What is crunchy granola made of? ›

In a very large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, and seeds. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture in the bowl, stirring and tossing until everything is very well combined.

What are the ingredients in Valley Crunchy granola bars? ›

Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Canola Oil, Rice Flour, Honey, Salt, Brown Sugar Syrup, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor.

What is the binder in granola? ›

The binder is what helps the base ingredients clump together into clusters. Traditionally this is usually a sugar syrup, but it's possible to use any ingredient that has the power to bind. Egg - Egg whites are a great binder for granola if you are trying to avoid sugar.

How do you fix granola bars that fall apart? ›

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

What are the natural binding agents for food? ›

Materials used as binders included egg, wax, honey, lime, whey, linseed oil or bitumen.

What foods can be used as a binder? ›

Binding Agents: In a Nutshell
  • Cracker crumbs.
  • Eggs.
  • Evaporated milk.
  • Gelatin.
  • Ground flax.
  • Guar gum.
  • Oatmeal.
  • Milk.
Aug 17, 2021

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