Ultimate Homemade Granola Bars

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.

Today, 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.)

Today's recipe though, is by far the one I have made the most. (And shhh, that I love the best. ❤️)

Recipe Highlights:

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. Plus you can use whatever flour you have on hand - all purpose, whole wheat, white wheat, etc. 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. Details in the recipe card.

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.

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

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4.16 from 13 votes

Best Homemade Granola Bars

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.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Yield: 14 granola bars

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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 degrees F. 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. Enjoy immediately or store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

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Notes

Flour: I use white whole wheat flour but you can substitute regular all-purpose flour or use a combination of all purpose and wheat flour.

Peanut butter: The peanut butter in this recipe helps with consistency and binding, but doesn't add a ton of peanut flavor. You could use almond butter for a peanut-free option.

These granola bars are dairy free as is, as long as you use dairy-free chocolate chips.

To make these vegan, substitute a flax egg for the egg, use dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips and substitute maple syrup or agave in place of the honey.

Yield: I cut these into 14 rectangular-sized bars but you could also cut them into 28 small squares if you prefer.

Storage: Store the granola bars 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.

Freeze: 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.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

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Always in need of healthy snacks? I've got you.

These healthy chocolate chip muffins are another longtime fave and can be enjoyed any time of day. These easy no bake chocolate chip cookie balls are just 4 ingredients.

In the mornings and for on-the-go days, we love this 5-ingredient homemade granola as well as our favorite trail mix, which is easy to customize and very portable.

And if you love packing snacks for busy days like I do, check out these 29 healthy snacks on the go.