These HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS are a total hit with my kids and I love that I know exactly what goes into them. They’re easy to whip up and they always disappear quick. Soft, chewy, and loaded with goodness.
If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you know that my kiddos are homeschooled…well, my daughter is, but my son just started college. They wouldn’t let me homeschool him through that. 😉
Anyway, lunch time and snack time are honestly my biggest challenge with homeschooling. Feeding these kids every dang meal every dang day gets overwhelming and tedious. No one wants to cook three full meals a day seven days a week.
We resort to cereal and sandwiches quite a big, so I like keeping healthier snacks and homemade treats on hand so I don’t start feeling too guilty. 😉
This chewy granola bar recipe is one of those that we keep on hand quite a bit. Plus, it’s easy enough for my daughter to make on her own. I love recipes like that!
How to make granola bars:
Gather up your ingredients. You’ll need: rolled oats, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, brown sugar, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, cinnamon, and salt to start.
Whisk all of that together.
Stir together some honey, avocado oil (or oil of your choice), vanilla, and an egg.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir well to combine.
Press your granola into a foil lined 9×13 baking dish and pop the mixture in the oven.
For chewy granola bars, bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown. For crunchy granola bars, bake for 25-30 minutes.
Let your granola bars cool for about 5 minutes before removing the foil from the pan and slicing your bars. Finish cooling completely before handling or your homemade granola bars will fall apart.
Healthy Granola Bars:
Not feeling the chocolate and peanut butter chips? You can totally swap in healthier options.
Add in some dried fruits or sunflower seeds in place of the chips.
Dried apples + slivered almonds would be great for fall. Sprinkle in a little nutmeg too!
Raisins and sunflower seeds add sweetness and crunch.
Dried cranberries + white chocolate chips would make a festive treat during the holiday season.
How to store homemade granola bars:
To store homemade granola bars, wrap them individually in plastic wrap or place them in individual plastic bags. As long as they are wrapped well, the granola bars should last 2-3 weeks at room temperature.
For longer storage, wrap granola bars individually with plastic wrap or in baggies and then place in a freezer proof zip top bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw on the counter the night before you’d like to eat the granola bars.
Whole wheat vs. white flour:
You may use whatever flour you have on hand. I always have both, so I grab the whole wheat for this granola bar recipe, but white flour works just as well.
More kid friendly snacks to try:
Butterfinger Fruit Dip: Pair with apples and you’re in heaven.
Fruit Pizza: I skip the cookie base and use crescent roll dough instead.
Bold Chex Mix: This makes a big batch so it’s nice to keep on hand!
Restaurant Style Salsa: Add chips and you’ve got my favorite snack!
Sweet Chex Mix: Made with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat!
Homemade Pizza Rolls: My kids make these for a quick lunch or a hearty snack.
Homemade Granola Bars Recipe:
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup wheat germ
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix well.
- Press the granola mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes for chewy granola bars. The edges should just start to turn brown. For crunchier granola bars, bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing from the pan with the foil. Cut into 18 bars.
- Cool completely before handling the bars or they will fall apart.
- Store individually wrapped and air-tight for 2-3 weeks at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
This granola bar recipe was originally published April 2010. It was updated May 2019 with new photos and a video. Original photo below.
Diane Cooper says
Lol… love the look of the granola bars and will try them (do they freeze well??), but I especially love the banter it has caused! And though I am always peeking into others carts (not to score them, just to see what others buy and to pass the time), I was especially curious one day at the grocery store. I am a paramedic and I saw one of the coroners that I run into on calls quite often, but he didn’t recognize me out of uniform. For some reason I was extra curious what was in his cart!!!!!
Love your blog, just found it from TK!
Diane
danielle =) says
Karly – i play the exact same game! i feel so proud when i pack a lunch with that good-for-you-fresh stuff, especially when the kids have to eat in the classroom! =) a full fridge (and vacuumed carpets) are top on my “love” list!
JM says
Hi Karly –
Thanks for the post – I’ve been looking for a good, easy granola bar recipe and this fit the bill! I just put my second batch in the oven 5 minutes ago. I’m trying to shy away from the artificial sweeteners and HF corn syrup too – real sugars all the way here! (And real butter and bacon too, but that’s another post!) I do tend to shy away from anything that pretends to be peanut butter but the real thing, so I added chopped almonds and chopped, dried cherries to the dark chocolate chips. They are GOOD!! I also tried some maple syrup instead of the honey and had good success.
Don’t be too concerned with your comments about looking at others groceries – you’re honesty is refreshing. We all compare ourselves to somebody sometime anyway – that might be why we all come across as insecure! he he…Maybe a little good peer pressure is what is needed anyway. Plus, if people we so confident in what they bought, they shouldn’t care about what anyone else says anyway…perhaps a small guilt feeling is the really the cause of the accusations of judgment.
Blessings!
Malia says
I’ve been on the same quest in my shopping, more fresh, less processed and ixnay on the high fructose corn syrup. Quaker granola bars have no HFCS but it still seemed like cheating to me to get them because they are still a processed, from a box, food. So, I’ve been experimenting with homemade granola bar recipes. And I’m so very pleased to have found this one! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you!
Bethany says
Hello! I tried this recipe tonight with mixed results. The mixed review is this: On one hand, quite tasty! On the other hand, very crumbly and not at all photogenic.
Can you think of why mine weren’t as lovely looking as yours? Do you think my mixture was too dry?
Thanks!
Bethany
Lea says
I made these 4 times since your post! Last batch only lasted 3 days in our house! 🙂 I also added 2 TBS or so of ground flaxseed. It is great to boost the fiber and its virtually flavorless (I sneak it in most things that I make)…it may have a little bit of a nutty flavor. Do you ever use it when you bake/cook?
I tried using white choco chips instead of the peanut butter chips (we have peanut allergies) and they were delicious! I added cranberries and coconut flakes to one batch, and another with all choco chips. Each time they turned out great! I ran out of honey with the last batch and just used more brown sugar – they were my favorite! Can you really ever use too much brown sugar? yum! 🙂 Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
MamaBug says
OK. These are sooooooo (yes,7!) awesome. They are almost gone and I don’t have anymore regular oats. Do you think quick oats will work?
And just a note, or two. If you make them chewy, you don’t need to worry about cutting them soon after. I forgot to cut them and since they stayed moist I was able to cut them fine a few hours later.
And I am too busy keeping the kids from fighting to even look in someone else’s cart, so I’m guessing I’m the mom people are passing thinking “geeze, can’t she control her kids?!” the answer is no.
Shaheen says
I have been wanting to maker granola bars at home for the longest time! I have made them several times at the patisserie I work, but I don’t know why I don’t end up making myself a batch. Your granola bars look so good!
Ashley says
Mmm. Lucky son of yours to have these homemade granola bars!
Tina says
Hi Karly,
Thanks for this recipe. I’ll be trying it this week.
And to let you in on a little secret… I work in a grocery store. Everyone who works in a grocery store is totally scoping out what’s in who’s cart. Not to judge you, but to get a better feel of what items people buy most often. (yes, there are reports for that, but they don’t tell us that the person who bought 8 boxes of Mac/Cheese had nothing but fresh produce for the rest of their order.)
The cashiers (at my store anyway) try to guess how much an order will be before it hits their register. The people who place our orders will often strike up a converstaion with someone who is buying large quanitites of items that don’t often sell.
“Winning” for us is being able to identify which of our guest left their cart on one aisle to grab something they forgot on the last aisle, by nothing but the contents of their cart.
Another way that we “win;” identifying that item that is on their list that they forgot, before they realize that they forgot it.
Anyway, Thanks for the recipe, again!
Elle says
I made these tonight and am holding back from eating them all! My kids are going to love these and I’m going to be happy to buy less packaged stuff. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes and this fabulous blog!
Kristen Doyle says
Thanks for the great recipe. I am always looking for ways to feed my children healthy snacks.
Kristian says
Hi Karly: my girlfriend and I are moms who are on the lookout for that nasty high fructose corn syrup, that unfortunately is in everything. We tried the granola bars from Alton Brown and they were very easy, and not too bad for taste, but I will try these today. Although, I do find it a little odd that they have flour in them. Oh well, will try them today and let you know how they are.
Christine says
I love granola bars. Thanks for sharing. I’m off to the store to buy ingredients and i’ll just make this today.
Miranda says
I made these today. Substituted the chips for sliced almonds, raisins and sesame seeds. They came out great! So easy and quick.
BethieofVA says
These were the best!! Here is my post and your credit!! http://youknowwhatyououghtado.blogspot.com/2010/04/karlys-granola-bars.html
Barbara says
When it comes to regular grocery trips, I hate it. But we have some nifty specialty grocery stores I could spend hours in.
Your granola bars look really good. Much healthier than mine! Hope they go over big with your family.
(And I am so impressed you are home schooling! Good for you!)
Sue V. says
Found your recipe and blog through PW’s TK. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m with you and the cart situation, some days are great, many are not.
Granola bars have been a real hot point for me lately. Several companies have recently added artificial sweetners (sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K) to their ingredients with no mention of the change on their box. Of all the bad stuff, artificial sweetners is at the top of the list for our family. It’s getting harder and harder to find foods that don’t have artificial sweetners.
I am so excited to have this recipe – hope my kids like them!