Recipe Details
Whole-Grain No-Bake Granola Bars
Photo by Izy Hossack
Quick Recipe Specs
| | |
| --- | --- |
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Total Ingredients | 10 (plus optional add-in) |
| Yield | 24 bars |
| Servings | 24 |
Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened puffed brown rice cereal
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup chopped roasted almonds
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped dried fruit (any variety you prefer)
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup brown rice syrup or ½ cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the puffed rice cereal, oats, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, and dried fruit in a large mixing bowl, and stir to distribute evenly.
Warm the peanut butter, sweetener (brown rice syrup or honey), and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat. Stop once the mixture is smooth and runny — do not let it boil.
Pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly to coat every piece. I find clean hands work best for this mixing step!
Transfer the fully combined mixture to a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the pan. For easy, non-stick pressing, use damp clean fingers, or the bottom of a second 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
If you are adding chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the pressed mixture now and press them firmly into the surface.
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and let the granola cool completely.
Once fully cooled, cut the solid block into 24 individual bars.
Wrap each bar individually and store in the refrigerator. I have kept these stored this way for 2 weeks, and they still taste fresh and fantastic!
Community Q&A & Reviews
Community Question
Got a question? Share your thoughts with other home cooks!
I haven't made these yet, but I'm wondering if I can cut back on the honey and add chia seeds or almond flour to help bind the bars. I want to bring these traveling with me and need something that doesn't fall apart. Does anyone have tips for adjusting this recipe for travel?
Reader Reviews
After making these once, I adjusted the recipe slightly the second time: I added a little extra peanut butter and 2 extra tablespoons of brown rice syrup, and used just under 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Instead of cutting into bars, I rolled the mixture into balls about the size of a frozen meatball (slightly smaller than a golf ball, perfect for a single bite). I set each formed ball in a cupcake liner, then vacuum sealed multiple balls per bag and froze them. This recipe comes together extremely quickly, and I used my hands for both mixing and shaping. I still have enough leftover puffed rice cereal to make a second batch!
This looks so yummy! I've made date and sesame bars before, which are a little different from this recipe, but I will definitely try this one out soon! — Chez Shuchi
These bars had a great flavor, but unfortunately they didn't hold together as well as I wanted and crumbled a lot. Even so, the taste was still wonderful.
These bars were very tasty, but turned out really thin when I pressed them into a full 9x13 pan. I ended up pressing the whole batch into ⅔ of the pan to get thicker bars, which worked perfectly. I also swapped the coconut and almonds for walnuts instead. Thanks for such a great, flexible recipe!
Popular Reader Tweaks
This base recipe is highly versatile, and these are the most common successful adjustments home cooks have made:
For thicker, heartier bars: As noted above, the original recipe makes thin bars when pressed into a full 9x13 pan. Use a smaller pan or only press the full batch into ⅔ of your 9x13 to get thicker bars that hold up better for on-the-go snacking. You can easily swap out the original nuts and add-ins to match your preferences (many readers have had success swapping almonds/coconut for walnuts, for example).
Pantry-friendly swaps: You can swap the called-for roasted almonds and sunflower seeds for whatever you have on hand. One reader swapped them for sesame seeds and ground pecans when she ran out of the original ingredients, and still got great, nutty-tasting results. This is a much healthier alternative to store-bought granola bars for a quick sweet snack or pick-me-up, and works great for customizing to your taste.
Recipe submitted by community contributor