These homemade granola bars make a satiating breakfast and snack. They are made with wholesome ingredients and without added sugar.
For more healthy breakfast recipes, try our oatmeal, granola recipe, and banana oat muffins.
Louise and I are always juggling between running our blog, filming new recipes, and making sure to eat healthy. So we really need reliable snacks 😅.
These homemade granola bars have become a staple in our kitchen, alongside our granola recipe and roasted chickpeas. They’re naturally sweetened, packed with fiber and plant-based ingredients.
Granola bars are excellent for a quick, nourishing, and satisfying breakfast that you can prep in advance. Whether it’s for a mid-morning bite, a pre-workout boost, or something to tuck into a lunchbox, these bars tick all the boxes.
They hold together beautifully, are super easy to customize, and stay fresh for days in the fridge or freezer, making them perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
- Dates: Any variety works—Medjool, Deglet Noor, or pre-chopped. Naturally sweet and sticky, they bind the bars together. Use homemade or store-bought date paste if available.
- Nut Butter: Peanut, almond, or cashew butter all work. A mix of peanut and almond butter adds balance. Choose smooth, runny types for easier mixing.
- Rolled Oats: Also called old-fashioned oats. Provide chewiness, fiber, and complex carbs. Quick oats are a softer-texture substitute.
- Puffed Rice (or Other Puffed Cereal): Adds lightness and crunch. Use puffed rice, quinoa, barley, or spelt. Choose unsweetened varieties with no added sugars.
- Dark Chocolate: Chips or chopped bars—70% cacao or higher is ideal. For a milder taste, mix in semi-sweet chips or use a lower percentage.
- Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, flax, and chia seeds add healthy fats and texture. Use one type or a mix.
- Flavor Add-Ins: Grated orange zest adds brightness and pairs well with chocolate. Alternatives: cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, or cardamom.
How to make homemade granola bars
STEP 1: Date paste. First off, blend the pitted dates till you have a smooth date paste.
If your dates are dry, soak them in hot, almost boiling water, for 10 minutes, then blend them with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the soaking water.
If you have date paste at hand, then you can skip this step and use date paste instead.
Tip: I like to prepare a jar of date paste in advance and keep it handy. It stores for 3 months in the refrigerator.
Then to a bowl, add 1/2 cup (150 grams) of the date paste, and 1 cup (150 grams) of peanut butter (or any other nut butter).
Add your aroma of choice, I use the grated zest of an orange and half a teaspoon of salt. Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are well incorporated.
STEP 2: Mix. Now add 1 cup (110 grams) of rolled oats, 1 cup (35 grams) of puffed rice, 1/4 cup (45 grams) of dark chocolate chopped into pieces, and 2 tablespoons of seeds of your choice, such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds.
Mix the ingredients with the same spatula until you have a homogeneous mixture.
STEP 3: FREEZE. Now transfer it to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Here we use a square baking pan that is 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 centimeters).
Push down the dough with the spatula until it is distributed throughout the pan, then put another piece of baking paper on top, and continue to flatten it with your hands, and compacting it very well.
Once flattened in the baking pan put it to rest in the refrigerator for an hour, or in the freezer for half an hour.
Then remove it from the baking sheet, put it on a cutting board, and cut it into bars, or even into squares. I usually cut 10 bars.
Storage
- Fridge: Store the healthy granola bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for weeks.
- Freezer: For up to 2 -3 months.
- Thaw: Let them thaw for a few minutes. I honestly love them as cold as possible, almost straight out of the freezer.
Variations
More nuts? Add 1/2 cup of chopped toasted almonds into the mix.
Sweeter? You can easily add a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup or agave syrup to the mix to add a touch of sweetness to the bars.
More fruit? Add some dried and chopped apples or bananas, in small pieces though, or the bars won’t stick together. You can also add raisins or chopped cranberries.
Don’t like dates? Try dried prunes instead. They have delicious ones in California that you can use just like dates, that is, blend them and use them as a sugar replacement.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Oatmeal cookies
- Muffins with oat flour
- Birchermüesli
- Granola recipe
- Tofu scramble
- Vegan breakfast burrito
If you tried these homemade Granola Bars or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Homemade Granola Bars
Equipment
- Baking pan 8 x 8 inches
Ingredients
- ½ cup dates pitted
- 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter, or 50% peanut and 50% almond butter
- 1 orange zest grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup puffed rice
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax or a mix)
Instructions
- Line a 8×8 inch baking pan with baking paper.Blend the ½ cup dates (pitted) until you have a smooth date paste. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot, almost boiling water for 10 minutes, then blend them with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the soaking water.Tip: I like to make a jar of date paste ahead of time and keep it on hand. It will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
- In a large bowl, add the date paste, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 orange zest (the grated zest) and ½ teaspoon salt.Mix with a spatula until all ingredients are well incorporated.Add the 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup puffed rice, ¼ cup dark chocolate chips and 2 tablespoon mixed seeds.Mix with a spatula, gently, rubbing the dry ingredients into the nut butter paste. Do this until the ingredients come together.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and press firmly with a spatula. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and press down firmly with your hands. The dough should be pressed firmly into the baking dish.
- Cool for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator or at least 30 minutes in the freezer. Then take out, cut into bars and store in the freezer or refrigerator.
Notes
- Fridge: Store the healthy granola bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for weeks.
- Freezer: For up to 2 -3 months.
- Thaw: Let them thaw for a few minutes. I honestly love them as cold as possible, almost straight out of the freezer.
- Dates → Any variety (Medjool, Deglet Noor, chopped, or date paste).
- Nut Butter → Peanut, almond, cashew, or a mix.
- Rolled Oats → Quick oats (for softer texture).
- Puffed Rice → Puffed quinoa, barley, spelt, or any unsweetened puffed cereal.
- Dark Chocolate → Chips or chopped bar; 70%+ or semi-sweet.
- Seeds → Pumpkin, sunflower, flax, chia; any combo.
- Aromas → Orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, cardamom.
- Salt → Optional, but enhances flavor.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
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Thank you. I am definitely going to include it in my goodie baskets for Christmas.
Thank you so much for directing me to this recipe. I am definitely going to include it in my goodie baskets for Christmas.
My pleasure, Lesley – and a granola bar in a goodie basket sounds like a wonderful gift. Have a great Sunday!!
Kindest, Louise