Have you ever made your own homemade granola bars? These are so much better than anything you can buy at the store, and I think you’ll be surprised at just how easy they are to make!
Today’s recipe includes a video at the bottom of the post showing you just how I make these in my own kitchen!
I’m just about tired of seeing these granola bars, to be honest.
Zach has been eating homemade granola bars every. day. for breakfast ever since I first made them a few weeks ago. I’ve been waiting for him to get tired of them, but he hasn’t (it probably helps that each time I make them differently with different add-ins to keep things from getting boring).
I’ve been making these pretty much non-stop for the past few weeks and even decided to make a video of the process, as you’ll see they’re super simple to make.
You’ll start with oats and nuts, which we’re going to combine and toast before we make our granola bars. You’ll want to use old fashioned oats/whole grain rolled oats, but you can use your favorite nuts.
I used walnuts for today’s recipe and coarsely chopped them (almonds are another great option). The oats and nuts will go into the oven for about 15 minutes to toast.
Once they’ve toasted, we’ll make our homemade syrup, which will serve to bind our granola bars together.
You’ll need unsalted butter, dark brown sugar (you can substitute light if it’s all you have on hand, but I prefer the flavor of the dark brown sugar), honey, and salt.
Melt these together until your sugar is dissolved and then stir in a splash of vanilla extract for flavor.
Next, combine your toasted oats and nuts and this syrup in a large bowl and stir everything together until all of the ingredients are well-coated by the syrup.
At this point, if you have any non-melting add-ins you’d like to add, such as dried fruits, you can stir them in as well. However, you’ll want to wait about 10 minutes before adding any chocolate chips. They’ll still melt a bit once you add them (which we want!), but if you add them too soon you’ll just have a runny melty mess.
Tips for Making Homemade Granola Bars
- You can substitute your favorite nuts for this recipe. I use walnuts but almonds, cashews, or pecans are all great choices!
- When preparing your 9×9 pan for these granola bars, make sure to leave parchment paper (or wax paper) hanging over each side of the pan so that, once they cool, you can easily lift the bars out of the pan and then slice them on a cutting board — this is much easier than slicing them directly in the pan.
- Use a large chef’s knife (if you have one) to cut your granola bars. I’ve found that using a smaller blade tends to cause my granola bars to crack while I’m slicing; it’s better to make fewer long cuts rather than a series of small ones.
- Even though you should refrigerate your granola bars to help them firm up quickly, you do not need to store them in the refrigerator. After cutting them, I wrap mine in a strip of parchment or wax paper (to keep them from sticking to each other) and then store them in a resealable Ziploc bag in my cabinet.
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
How Long Can You Keep Homemade Granola Bars?
We’ve found that homemade granola bars stay fresh for about 1 week when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Any longer than that and they tend to become a little stale.
Enjoy!
How to Make Homemade Granola Bars
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Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats (285g)
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts, almonds would also work great!) (170g)
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces (85g)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar tightly packed (100g)
- 1/3 cup honey (80ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips divided (170g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Evenly spread oats and chopped nuts over the baking sheet and bake on 350F (175C) for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to stir the oats/nuts and return to the oven and bake another 5-7 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Pour your oats and nuts into a large heatproof bowl and set aside while you prepare your syrup.
- To prepare the syrup, combine your butter, sugar, honey, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour syrup over your oats/nuts and stir until all ingredients are well coated. If you plan to add any dried fruits, stir them in now as well.
- Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. While it is cooling, prepare a 9x9 square pan by lining with parchment or wax paper, using enough that some of the paper hangs over the sides of the pan (so that you will be able to lift the bars out of the pan to easily slice them later).
- Once mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, stir in 2/3 cup (113g) of mini chocolate chips. Stir until just combined (the chocolate will begin to melt, this is OK).
- Pour the mixture into your prepared 9x9 pan and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to evenly, firmly, press the mixture into the pan.
- Pour remaining 1/3 cup (57g) of chocolate chips over the mixture and use your hands to gently press them into the bars.
- Transfer pan to the refrigerator and allow to chill for 1-2 hours.
- Lift the bars out of the pan (using your over-hanging parchment paper) and use a large knife to cut into 5 evenly sized slices (about 1 1/2" width) and then cut each slice in half so that you have 10 evenly sized granola bars.
- Wrap with a strip of wax or parchment paper (to keep bars from sticking to each other) and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
Taylor says
I love this recipe, I substituted cheerios for the nuts since I have a nut allergy and they were a huge hit with the family! One question I had is how did you get your chocolate chips on top to stay? I tried gently pressing them in when I put them on but they still just fall off when you eat them.
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Taylor! For the chocolate chips, I do the same thing. I do end up losing some when biting into the granola bar so I make sure to have some extras on top. 🙂
DreamGirlB says
Stumbled upon your recipe. It is great! might be a little too sweet and will reduce the brown sugar next time, but they haven’t cooled yet, so I’m not sure. Im looking for healthy alternatives to give my kids. I might need to tweak a little bit but still looks like a good base.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am glad that you enjoyed it! Feel free to make adjustments as you see fit. 🙂
Marie says
I have made this recipe twice. First with almonds, raisins and chocolate chips. Yum! Second with almonds, dried blueberries and chocolate chips. Yum! I’m going to make my third batch tonight. Just almonds and raisins this time. You cannot go wrong with this recipe no matter what fruit or nut you use! My husband who prefers savory and salty food versus anything with a little bit of sweetness loved all of them and we were fighting over the last ones! 🙂 Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear this, Marie!! Thank you so much for letting me know how the granola bars have turned out for you, I really appreciate it 🙂
Ann Rosendale says
Hi Sam, I have to tell you this story. I made a variation of your granola bars that was astoundingly good. I mean, spectacular. I had never made granola bars before. I Googled a recipe, read about 5 of them, and essentially made your bars with a few minor adjustments. Fast forward one month, when I decided to make them again. I spent two hours trying to find your base recipe again but never found it. There are thousands of granola bar recipes out there!!! Who knew? So I tried one recipe. They were good, but not astounding. I searched again for your recipe for about two more hours. No luck. I made a second batch based on what I remembered and a few recipes I read. Again, they were good, but not over the top. This morning I decided to give it one last college try, and I found your base recipe once again!!! Hooray!!! I can’t wait to make them again to see if I can recreate those delicious, out of this world, granola bars. First I have to eat the rest of the other batch. So, I just want you to know, that your recipe rocks it. For me to have spent over 5 hours trying to find your recipe again should tell you something. You are an inspired baker!
Sam says
That is so awesome, Ann! I’m glad you enjoyed them so much! If you ever have trouble finding something I actually just installed a search bar on the top of my page that I really really like. It is quick and provides accurate results. I guess you’ll have the page bookmarked for next time. 😉
Tracey Brown says
So pleased with this recipe! The bars are a great hit with my family!!!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that they were a hit and everyone enjoyed them, Tracey! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Leslie says
Hello, I have made these and they are great thank you for sharing the recipe ….could I add vanilla flavored pea protein powder to this recipe for added protein? If so, how much.
Thank you again
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Leslie! I personally have not added protein powder to this so I can not advise on how much to add. If you try it, let me know how it works out for you. 🙂
Tracy Karsten says
I love this adaptable recipe! I’ve made it several ways already and it always turns out great. My daughter has as refined sugar sensitivity, so I substitute coconut sugar for the brown…I add a big glob of peanut butter to the simmering sauce….and I put Hershey’s sugar free chocolate chips on top! I want to try it sometime with unsweetened coconut and macadamia nuts!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Tracy, and have been able to easily adapt it. Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Joann Perez says
I just made these today and they came out absolutely great my family loved them and my husband took some to work to share with his coworkers 👏👏👏👍👍!!
Sugar Spun Run says
That is wonderful, Joann! I am so glad that you enjoyed them. I hope that they are hit with your husband’s co-workers. 🙂
Michelle says
Can this be made without nuts? My daughter is in nut-free classroom and I need snacks!!
Sam says
Hi Michelle! It should work, but you may need to add more oats to soak up some of the liquid. I would start with a half cup and go from there. 🙂
Betsy says
I add other cereals as well for different textures and flavor, like All Bran (the twig looking ones with a nice deep flavor) and Grape Nuts for a nice crunch. These extras also help take place of nuts while still giving you the textural differences.
Sugar Spun Run says
Sounds delicious, Betsy! Enjoy! 🙂
DreamGirlB says
hmm maybe that’s my problem, I omitted the nuts! so its too sweet!
Casey W. says
My granola bars come out crunchy/chewy so I add extra syrup. I think it’s because I live in high elevation and have to add more liquid to most things. I also cut my bars before I put them in the fridge and have no problem taking them apart afterwards. I’m so grateful for this recipe! I have made all sorts of flavors: almond joy inspired, peanut brittle (your suggestion of 1/4 peanut butter in the syrup works great) and I just made an oatmeal cookie inspired one with walnuts, coconut, raisins and chocolate chips. These are so good!
Sam says
I am so glad you have enjoyed the granola bars, Casey! I love the sound of the almond joy inspired ones in particular. 🙂