This Easy Granola Bar Recipe is so quick to make and is perfect for meal prep! These homemade granola bars are healthy, can be vegan and gluten-free, and loaded with honey, chewy oats, crunchy granola, and dark chocolate!
If you’re a snacker…like I am…you’ll absolute love this granola bar recipe! It’s packed with wholesome ingredients, perfect for meal prep, and makes the tastiest granola bars!
Ingredients
Not only is this granola bar recipe super quick and easy, the bars are SO nutritious and delicious!
- Coconut Oil – melted to add moisture to the granola bars.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – helps hold the granola bars together.
- Honey – provides just the right amount of sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract – adds depth of flavor.
- Old Fashioned Oats, Granola, and Whole Wheat Flour – gives the granola bars their structure. I highly recommend using pre-made granola in addition to the oats and flour. It adds delicious crunch. Use store-bought or homemade!
- Flaxseed Meal – gives the bars an extra boost of nutrition. Flax seeds are packed with omega-3s, fiber, protein, and other nutrients.
- Baking Soda – prevents the granola bars from becoming too dense as they bake.
- Salt – cuts the sweetness and enhances flavor.
- Chocolate Chips/Chunks – I love dark chocolate but semi-sweet, milk, or even peanut butter chips will work!
- Maldon Sea Salt – for sprinkling, if desired.
How to make
This granola bar recipe is seriously perfect for meal prep because it takes just 10 minutes to prep. Make a whole batch at the beginning of the week and keep them on hand as quick snacks throughout!
- In a very large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and vanilla.
- Add in oats, granola, flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt, and chocolate. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and press firmly into the pan.
- Bake at 325ºF for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and press down with the back of a lightly greased metal spatula.
- Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt then cool completely before cutting and serving.
How do you get granola bars to stick together?
Use moist and sticky ingredients! In this case, the honey, the coconut oil, and the applesauce all act as binders for the granola bars. And bonus, they add healthy fat and natural sweetness too!
Is it cheaper to make your own granola bars?
Definitely! All of the ingredients that make up this granola bar recipe are relatively affordable AND you get 16 granola bars in just one batch.
Plus, chances are you can make more than one batch with the ingredients you bought for the first one!
Tips
- Press the bars firmly into the baking dish. This prevents any air bubbles from forming in the bars which keeps them from crumbling.
- Grease your hands and the spatula. The granola bars will be sticky before and right after they bake. I recommend greasing your hands and the spatula when you press them down so they don’t stick.
- Cool completely. I know it’s tempting to eat them right away but trust me, cooling them fully is worth it. It gives the bars time to become cohesive so they hold their shape rather than fall apart when you take a bite.
- Use pre-made granola. If you’ve got extra time feel free to whip up homemade almond butter granola but to keep these quick and simple I tend to use pre-made, store-bought granola.
- Play around with flavors. Use a blend of different mix-ins. Try peanut butter chips, raisins or dried cranberries, dried coconut, M&Ms, you name it! As long as you use 1-2 cups of mix-ins, you’ve got tons of freedom! Feel free to also check out my vegan granola bars or my dark chocolate chunk quinoa granola bars.
How to store
Leftover granola bars will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To enjoy again, eat straight from the fridge or at room temperature or thaw at room temp if frozen.
– Jennifer
Easy Granola Bar Recipe
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup pre-made granola store bought or use my homemade version (linked)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 - 2 cups dark chocolate chips/chunks
- Maldon sea salt for sprinkling
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. In a VERY large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and vanilla.
- Add in oats, granola, flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips/chunks.
- Stir to combine. Dump mixture into prepared pan.
- Grease your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture FIRMLY into the prepared pan.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and gently press down with the back of a lightly greased metal spatula. This helps keep the bars intact.
- Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, if desired.
- Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting into bars. I let cool at room temperature for an hour, or until pan wasn’t hot, then covered them with saran wrap and threw them in to fridge to cool completely.
- Cut them into 16 bars and store them in an airtight container at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer.
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Meg
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy
Jessica
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy