These homemade granola bars with chocolate chips are thick, soft, chewy and perfect for a healthy, wholesome snack to fill you up and fuel your day. This easy 1-bowl recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep and can easily be adapted to be peanut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegan.
We are back from a super quick weekend beach trip and man, was that so lovely!
It was less than 48 hours, but we packed in some serious beach time, pool time, great eats and lots of fun family playing!
Plus, the salt air and pretty horizons just seemed to breathe some new life into me. It had been too long I think!
(Also so thankful that we should be able to go back next month for a slightly longer trip. ☀️)
Today though, I am so, so, so excited to finally be sharing these homemade granola bars with you.
They have been a LONG time coming.
I’d say I have a ton of healthy snack recipes because of my very active young children.
And that’s partly true.
They are very active, therefore I need lots of healthy snacks to keep up.
Seriously though, these granola bars are one of many snacks I use as fuel and that I share with my kids for an after-school snack, lunch box treat or just a general afternoon pick-me-up.
(And in the summertime, we love these healthy no bake granola bars that don't require heating up the oven.)
Other favorite healthy homemade snack recipes:
- Healthy chocolate chip muffins (another longtime fave)
- No bake chocolate chip cookie balls (just 4 ingredients)
- 5-ingredient homemade granola (grab a handful!)
- Favorite trail mix (easy to customize and very portable)
- Healthier no-bake cookie bars (just 6 ingredients)
And if you love packing snacks for busy days like I do, check out these 29 healthy snacks on the go.
Today’s recipe though, is by far the one I have made the most. (And shhh, that I love the best. ❤️)
What makes this the best homemade granola bar recipe?
- They have a great texture and hold together REALLY well. These are soft and chewy, not hard and gonna break a tooth. And they're not going to crumble to pieces on you. You can hold it in your hand and take bite after glorious bite.
- Chocolate chip granola bars are the only way I roll and these have melty chocolate chips spread out just right. You get some in every bite but you’re not eating a chocolate bar.
- They don’t use Rice Krispies. Sorry, but I don’t always have those on hand, so I like that these are made without them.
- They are made with oats and whole grains. (But you can use whatever flour you have.) So they are hearty and healthy.
- They are low in sugar. I use a combination of honey and brown sugar and it gives the perfect balance of flavor, depth and sweetness.
Plus, they can be made peanut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and/or vegan if needed. Read on for details.
But really, it’s the TASTE that makes these the ultimate homemade granola bars.
They are soft and sweet, chewy and chocolatey! They taste almost like a really thick chocolate chip cookie bar.
And yet, they feel wholesome and hearty. They will fill you up and fuel you for your busy afternoon without weighing you down.
Also, I’ve been making them for YEARS and YEARS.
In fact, I made these the second day of being home from the hospital after J, my second child, was born. We had run out of them after I had my husband bring one to the hospital for me.
I couldn’t possibly go a day without one, brand new baby or no.
I was sleep-deprived, sore and rarely had a moment to think, but I made these granola bars in the few precious moments I could get two hands to myself.
And they were totally worth it.
And because they are totally healthy and homemade, I feel perfectly happy snacking on these on a daily basis.
One piece of advice: Don’t make these granola bars while your kids are napping and leave them on the counter to cool while you all go to Trader Joe’s after they wake up.
You will come home to find that your sweet dog, who has never taken anything off of a table or counter, who does not beg, who doesn’t even bark, who is super well-behaved, has in fact, eaten the entire pan of granola bars.
Every last crumb. And the baking dish is now lying on the floor of the kitchen.
I know they’re good, Dixie, but come on! ♀️
Now, I’ve got some additional notes, tips and substitutions coming up for this recipe. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making homemade granola bars:
- I use white whole wheat flour but you can substitute regular all-purpose flour. You could also do a gluten-free flour blend for a gluten-free granola bar recipe.
- The peanut butter in this recipe adds a good binder but not a ton of peanut flavor. You could also use almond butter for a peanut-free option.
- Or you could substitute more applesauce in place of the peanut butter for a low-fat granola bar. It’ll lose some of its richness, but should still be really good.
These granola bars are dairy free as is, as long as you use dairy free chocolate chips.
Want to make vegan granola bars?
- Substitute a flax egg for the egg in the recipe.
- Use dairy free/vegan chocolate chips.
- Substitute maple syrup or agave in place of the honey. Easy!
How do you store homemade granola bars?
These granola bars can stay in an airtight container at room temperature (such as on the counter or in the pantry) for up to a week.
I usually put mine in a large plastic container with wax paper between the layers. You could also store them side-by-side in a large plastic ziptop bag.
How many granola bars does this make?
I cut these into 14 rectangular-sized bars (you know, like a regular granola bar shape). That’s also what the nutrition info is based on in the recipe card below.
You could also do smaller squares and get up to 28 square granola bars. That would be particularly good for kids or a picnic or party for a larger group.
Can you freeze granola bars?
Yes! You can freeze granola bars just as you would cookies.
Once they are baked and completely cooled, wrap the granola bars individually in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped bars in a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze for 3-4 months.
I really hope you try these. They have been a kitchen staple of ours for a long time and I just know you’re going to love them every bit as much as we do. ❤️
Happy snacking!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Love healthy homemade recipes? Me too.
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Ultimate homemade granola bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour (see notes)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (oats through salt) and mix well.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and add remaining ingredients (egg through vanilla extract). Stir the wet ingredients together in the well and then mix with the dry ingredients until well combined. It takes a minute to get everything coated so there are no traces of flour or oats left.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and pat down in an even layer. (You can wet your fingers with water and press it down that way if it’s sticky.)
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan and then cut into 14 bars and let cool completely.
- Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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