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    Home » Recipes » Healthy snacks

    No Bake Granola Bars

    By Dannii · Published 10th March 2021 · Updated 10th March 2021 · 24 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 1207 words. · About 7 minutes to read this article.

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    No bake granola bars on a plate and serving board with a text title overlay.

    These No Bake Granola bars taste so much better than store bought ones, and not to mention cheaper. Easy to adapt with your favourite granola ingredients, they require no baking and just 5 minutes of prep time. Sweet and crunchy, they make a great snack.

    Rows of granola bars next to a plate with more bars on it,

    I used to always grab granola bars when I went shopping, but then realised just how easy they were to make myself. Not only could I make them a different way every time, using my favourite nuts and fruit, but making them myself saved me a fortune. Oats, fruit and nuts are such budget friendly ingredients, these make a great cheap snack.

    Jump to:
    • Why should you try it?
    • What you will need
    • Step by step
    • Are granola bars healthy?
    • What can you put in them?
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More snack recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why should you try it?

    • Cheaper and healthier than store bought granola bars
    • Easy to adapt with your favourite ingredients
    • A kid friendly snack
    • No need to bake them
    • Just 8 ingredients for our basic recipe

    What you will need

    • Oats - This is the main ingredient in granola bars and helps to make them nice and chewy. We used rolled oats. If you are wanting these to be gluten free, make sure that your oats are gluten free.
    • Nuts - These add lots of crunch, protein and health fat. We used almonds and pecans, but you can use any nuts.
    • Dried fruit - This is where you can easily adapt the recipe by using different dried fruit. We used apricots, raisins and cranberries, however we have suggestions below on what else you can add.
    • Honey - This adds lots of sweetness to the granola bars, and also helps them stick together. If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can swap it to maple syrup (but follow our tips in the FAQs).
    • Chocolate chips - I don't think this really needs any explanation. Chocolate chips make everything better and chocolate and nut butter is such a great combination.
    • Almond butter - This helps to bind the granola bars together, as well as adding protein and healthy fats. We used natural almond butter, however you could use peanut or cashew butter. You could also use sun butter if you prefer.
    • Cinnamon - We love cinnamon in anything sweet. If you don't like it, you could either leave it out or add ginger or nutmeg instead.
    • Vanilla - This compliments the sweetness perfectly. You could leave it out though.

    Step by step

    One: In a saucepan, melt the nut butter until it is runny.

    A saucepan with nut butter melting in it.

    Two: In a bowl, add the oats, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips and melted nut butter. Mix well.

    An oat, nut butter and dried fruit mixture in a bowl.

    Three: Press the mixture into a lined tray and refrigerate for 2 hours.

    Granola mixture pressed down into a baking tray.

    Four: Remove from the fridge, and slice into bars.

    A slab of granola sliced into bars.

    Are granola bars healthy?

    Healthy is definitely a relative term, and looking at the calories and fat of these they are quite high. However, the calories come from the nuts and dried fruit, and they are full of nutrients.

    However, when you compare these no bake granola bars to store bought ones, they are much healthier. We have sweetened them with a little bit of honey (and the chocolate chips), rather than loads of added sugar and there are no hidden nasties in them. We also haven't added any salt.

    thirteen granola bars arranged in rows and columns.

    What can you put in them?

    The great thing about granola bars is that they are so easy to adapt. We used almonds and pecans for the nuts and apricots, raisins and cranberries for the fruit, but there are lots of other things you can add (just make sure you use the same ratios as in the recipe, so everything sticks together):

    • Desiccated coconut
    • Peanuts
    • Dried cherries
    • Dates
    • White chocolate chips
    • Sunflower seeds
    • Chia seeds
    • Walnuts
    Granola bars on a plate with more bars in the background.

    FAQs

    How to store no bake granola bars.

    Once the bars have chilled and cut, you can store them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week. They can also be frozen, making them a great batch cook snack. If you are freezing them, wrap them individually and then store them in a freezer bag. Let them thaw for about 30 minutes before eating.

    Can you make these vegan?

    Yes, you can make these no bake granola bars vegan. You will need to swap the honey for maple syrup, and then roll the mixture in to small balls as the maple syrup won't bind it together enough for bars.

    Extra tips

    • If your nut butter is already really runny, then there is no need to heat it with the honey. Just mix the wet ingredients together and stir them in to the dry.
    • It might be tempting to cut and eat these straight away, or to cut the chilling time. But they do need the full two hours in the fridge to set.
    • You need to use mini chocolate chips for this recipe. If you can't find any, then you can finely chop up dark chocolate to add.
    • Make sure your nuts and dried fruit are chopped up really small, otherwise the bars will not stay together.
    • Press the mixture down in to your pan really well. This will make sure that the bars will stay together when cut.
    • You could skip the chocolate chips and add a drizzle of dark chocolate over the top before putting them in the fridge.

    More snack recipes

    • Baked Tortilla Chips
    • Healthy Gingernut Biscuits
    • Banana Oat Muffins
    • Easy Sausage Rolls
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    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓

    Recipe

    A pile of no bake granola bars on a white plate.

    No Bake Granola Bars

    A recipe for No Bake Granola Bars that will rival store bought and save you a lot of money. The perfect snack.
    An illustration of a v-shaped plant.
    Vegetarian
    5 from 10 votes
    Pin Print
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
    Allergen:
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of four different nuts.
    Nuts
    Servings: 15 servings
    Calories: 206kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures
    • 200 g oats
    • 130 g mixed nuts roughly chopped
    • 100 g dried fruit
    • 100 g chocolate chips
    • 125 ml honey
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 200 g almond butter (or any nut butter)
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • In a saucepan, melt the nut butter until it is runny.
    • In a bowl, add the oats, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips and melted nut butter. Mix well.
    • Press the mixture into a lined tray and refrigerate for 2 hours.
    • Remove from the fridge, and slice into bars.

    Notes

    • If your nut butter is already really runny, then there is no need to heat it with the honey. Just mix the wet ingredients together and stir them in to the dry.
    • It might be tempting to cut and eat these straight away, or to cut the chilling time. But they do need the full two hours in the fridge to set.
    • You need to use mini chocolate chips for this recipe. If you can't find any, then you can finely chop up dark chocolate to add.
    • Make sure your nuts and dried fruit are chopped up really small, otherwise the bars will not stay together.
    • Press the mixture down in to your pan really well. This will make sure that the bars will stay together when cut.
    • You could skip the chocolate chips and add a drizzle of dark chocolate over the top before putting them in the fridge.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
    « One Pot Orzo Soup
    Spinach and Sundried Tomato Gnocchi Bake »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katherine Hackworthy

      March 11, 2021 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      I love these! So many great flavors and awesome that they're no-bake.

      Reply
    2. Alison

      March 11, 2021 at 2:27 pm

      5 stars
      These granola bars look so simple to make! I'm going to give a batch a try this weekend! My kids go through granola bars so fast! This is a great cost effective alternative to store bought!

      Reply
    3. Tracy

      March 11, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      LOVE that these are no bake! And they're so customizable. So so easy, thank you!

      Reply
    4. Beth Sachs

      March 11, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      These no-bake granola bars are perfect for a quick grab-and-go breakfast or post work-out energy fix.

      Reply
    5. Gina

      March 11, 2021 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      Homemade ALWAYS beats store bought when it comes to snacks like this and I just love how flexible and adaptable this recipe is. Not to mention how easy too!

      Reply
    6. Kay

      March 11, 2021 at 1:04 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter had to make snacks out of oats, as part of her home education cookery course last week. We all loved them so much that she has decided to make another batch today!

      Reply
    7. Jacob Lenaerts

      April 02, 2019 at 7:14 pm

      I want to dat thank you to who posted this recipe! I am a persoon who eats very much so I often get hungry in the evening or in the afternoon. When I get hungry, I always go searching for some snacks. The problem is when I search for a snack, I always pick the unhealthy snack. So I started looking at this recipe and try to make it. I have to tell you I’m not The best cook, but it still was very easy to make. It also tasted very good and is also super healthy.

      Reply
    8. Ellen

      November 04, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      These will be great to pack for a mid-morning snack at work!

      Reply
    9. jan

      November 24, 2013 at 2:23 pm

      Hi,
      I just made you granola bars, slightly adapted due to a lack of coconut chips & carob or choc chips. I used dried cranberries, blueberries & dates - just 2 dsp spoon in total & 2 small bananas to loosen the almond butter. I'll post what they came out like! I am not sure what my alterations have done to the total calories, but like you I struggle to eat enough some-days. I also eat 'clean' and have lost over 50lbs since last Sept. I have gone from no exercise to intense gym (cardio & weights) & running. I recently did a 5k twilight race for life in 37 mins (slowish I know, but it was dark!). My focus now is fitness/health and exercise as a way of dealing with stress & anxiety - which works! Great website,

      Reply
      • Dannii

        November 25, 2013 at 11:02 am

        Well done on losing 50lbs. And 37 mins for a 5K is not slow at all - I would say that is pretty quick.

        Reply
    10. Stephanie

      March 24, 2013 at 5:08 am

      Hi. I just made these bars, they're really delicious, only problem is they were too dry and fell apart as soon as I tried to cut them, even though I added extra honey and some water. Any suggestions? I think there are too many oats.

      Reply
    11. Karen

      January 14, 2013 at 2:13 am

      Hi,
      I love homemade granola bars and just tried this one out. Are you sure about the quantities? 350 g is a lot of oats; I just could not make the ingredients make stick together, although I added more butter and some liquid. Still - the result was somehow dry.

      Reply
    12. Jennifer

      September 15, 2012 at 3:20 am

      Hi, this looks like a great recipe! Do you have a calorie count per serving? And serving size?

      Reply
      • HHHAdmin

        September 15, 2012 at 9:57 am

        I haven't worked out the calorie count yet. I shall do that today :)

        Reply
      • HHHAdmin

        September 15, 2012 at 10:09 am

        I have updated the nutritional information now :)

        Reply
        • Jennifer

          September 16, 2012 at 5:24 pm

          Thanks!!! I'm gonna make these today:)

          Reply
          • HHHAdmin

            September 16, 2012 at 6:16 pm

            Let me know if you like them :)

            Reply
    13. Maria @ runningcupcake

      July 26, 2012 at 5:07 pm

      Wow those granola bars look lovely :)

      Reply
    14. Eleanor

      July 19, 2012 at 9:41 pm

      I knew when you mentioned these on my blog that I'd like the look of them and now I can see exactly why you've had to hide them! Most of my favourite things in one bar and the texture looks perfect :-)

      Reply
    15. Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies

      July 19, 2012 at 6:21 pm

      I LOVE homemade granola bars. This recipe looks great!

      Reply
      • HHHAdmin

        July 19, 2012 at 8:34 pm

        They may be *too* great. I can't stop eating them!

        Reply
    16. Brigette

      July 18, 2012 at 10:41 pm

      Could you let me know what else besides nut butter you could use in this? My daughter is allergic to all nuts. I assume the creaminess of the nut butter adds to it.

      Reply
      • HHHAdmin

        July 18, 2012 at 10:51 pm

        You can buy or make sunflower seed butter than could be used instead.

        Reply
      • HHHAdmin

        July 18, 2012 at 10:52 pm

        Is she allergic to almonds too? As they are not technically a nut. My husband is allergic to all nuts, but can have almonds - so I use almond butter.

        Reply

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    Welcome! My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist, along with travel, home and family life and general happiness.
    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food and lifestyle blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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