These no bake granola bars are jam-packed with goodness and couldn’t be easier to make. There’s a date base which keeps it all together and wholesome ingredients like chia seeds, almonds and oats. Totally portable, these homemade granola bars make for a delicious breakfast on busy mornings or afternoon snack.
Do you love granola bars as much as we do?
Well, forget store-bought and make your own scratch-made granola bars with some simple, wholesome ingredients.
Once you make your own, there’s no going back!
Plus, this granola bar recipe is easily customizable so you can use what you have on hand or enjoy. Sound good? Let’s get to it!
If you like these scratch-made granola bars, check out this homemade granola recipe!
How To Make Granola Bars
Full details on how to make these homemade granola bars are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- To processor, add dates, almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and vanilla. Process. Mixture will be thick and paste-like.
- Stop processor, uncover and add oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, almonds and cranberries. Process until combined. Mixture will be moist, but loose.
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper, just enough to overhang over the sides (for easier removal later) and pour granola bar mixture into dish.
- Press down hard with your hands or use a measuring cup (or the like) to really compact the mixture.
- Freeze.
- After freezing, cut into bars.
Storing and Enjoying
Store these homemade granola bars in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within a week.
Tips and Variations
- The key here is to press down the mixture into the parchment paper-lined pan. Like, really, pack that goodness into the pan. Just when you think you have it packed in enough, press again.
- Don’t have almond butter on hand? Use peanut butter!
- Have walnuts on hand and no almonds? Use those!
- Rather use chocolate chips instead of dried cranberries? Go for it!
These no bake granola bars are pretty versatile, which makes it easy to use what you have on hand.
If you make this homemade granola bar recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Easy No Bake Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups dates, pitted
- ¼ cup almond butter, or peanut butter
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
Instructions
- To a food processor, add dates, almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract. Process until combined and dates broken down, about 2 minutes.
- To processor, add remainder of ingredients and process until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- In a wax paper or parchment paper-lined freezer-safe dish (I used about a 8-inch x 11-inch dish), add mixture and firmly press down until packed into pan and level. Freeze until firm, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and cut into bars (I cut into 16 pieces, but you can do more or less, depending on the size you want). Store these homemade granola bars in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within a week.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Elaine Williams
Hi, gosh these look delicious and so healthy. I’m curious about the texture, are they chewy or crispy? Thanks again for the awesome and video!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Elaine! They are chewy, but do have a lovely textural component from the almonds and chia seeds 🙂
Cindy
This is exactly what I need in my life right now. It is hot right now in SoCal and I would love to give my food processor a little workout and keep the heat out of the kitchen. Love the video, the pictures, and I am super inspired by this recipe.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Cindy 🙂
Justine | JustineCelina.com
Dawn, these look so yummy! I’m with you on recipes that are simple and approachable, so I totally appreciate the substitution suggestions you offered. I’m currently working on a loose granola recipe but totally love granola in bar form too. Great recipe!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Justine! Gotta have options, right? Have a wonderful week!
Amanda (Peppers & Pennies)
Dawn! The texture of these bars look A-MAY-ZING! I also looooove the ‘use what you’ve got’ mentality. It is a great way to save money, use up the bits and pieces from other baking projects and really get comfortable with adapting recipes to suit your needs. Keep it up!
Girl Heart Food
Yay!! Thank you Amanda!! Definitely love to use what ya got – waste not, want not, right? Have a wonderful week!
Marissa
Dawn! These look incredible. And the fact that you don’t even need to bake them!? I’m in. We love to hike and bike this time of year and this is just the kind of portable, delicious snack I want in my backpack!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Marissa!! These would be perfect for hiking 🙂
Janice http://www.kitchenhealssoul.com/ Lawandi
As somebody who isn’t very experienced with no-bake foods, the video is super helpful to visualize the textures and how long to blend in the food processor. I’ll definitely add this one to the list of recipes to try (it’ll be a nice way to get a sweet treat and balance out all the butter in my life, hah!)
Girl Heart Food
So happy to hear you say that, Janice! Glad it was helpful!! Hope you enjoy them and I definitely understand ya about the butter – love that stuff a little too much, lol.
Katie Crenshaw
These look brilliant Dawn. I love that you don’t have to bake them and they are easy. I am always looking for a healthy snack for my husband to bring to work. I will make him a big batch of these. xoxo
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Katie! I love to make a batch every week! Hope you guys love them as much as we do! xoxo
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
Where was this before I left on my backpacking trip a few weeks ago??? Lol. I make my own trail mix, but so far I haven’t tried making granola or granola bars.. I so should have made a bunch of these last month!
Girl Heart Food
You need to try ’em! I’m sure you’d love@ Maybe make for next time 😉 Thanks Sarah!
Colleen Milne
Love a healthy granola bar, perfect for a post workout snack. Thanks!
Girl Heart Food
Definitely 🙂 Thanks Colleen!
Girl Heart Food
Definitely good for that, Colleen! Thanks so much 🙂
Terri@foodmeanderings
I need to make my own granola bars ( my “bar” has been lowered to the point that I am giving my kids Fibre 1 bars) These look so healthy and easy!
Girl Heart Food
Haha! That’s so funny Terri! Give these a try – I’m sure you’d love ’em 😉
Jessica
I love making my own granola bars – pretty much one of the main reasons I got a heavy duty food processor, haha. I always make a pan every week (we go through them pretty quickly), so I have to try these and use up the dates that are hiding in the back of my fridge. Have a great Friday!
Girl Heart Food
I hear ya!! I usually make a pan every week too and just grab and go – so convenient! Have lovely week 🙂
Jolina
We love making our own granola bars too! So easy and so fun. We haven’t bought ready-made ones in a long time. Oh this week was craaaazy. It cannot be weekend soon enough. I am counting down the minutes as I type. I just plan to sleep this weekend I tell ya. Hope you have a lovely one! Hope it’s not Sunday too soon. PS: Love love love the video!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jolina! Appreciate it!!
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper
LOVE these granola bars and how it’s all good stuff for us, no weird additives or tons of sugar! Yay! Nicely done!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Gabrielle 🙂
Adina
Sound like you had a great Friday, I love this kind of evenings too. Wonderful granola bars, I haven’t had something similiar in a long time, I would love to try them.
Girl Heart Food
We did! Thanks Adina 🙂 Have a great week!!
Denise from UrbnSpice
I know of four little people who would love these granola bars and the big people would love them, too. I must make them! Thanks for the inspiration for this healthy snack for everyone.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Denise 🙂 Hope you guys enjoy!!
Marie-Pierre Breton
I’m definitely going to try this out! It looks so easy breezy to do and super yummy! The perfect bite for a last minute morning also, when the alarm rang… and rang and you snooze and snooze until it’s way too late to have breakfast. Than just grab one of those granola beauties!
Girl Heart Food
Most definitely! Perfect for on the run 🙂 Thanks Marie!
Shashi at Savory Spin
Dawn, you and your hubs so rocked that second video! I missed the first one but heading there to check it out too. I’m with you on the whole time flying dealio – it goes by way way too fast – did you every watch Click with Adam Sandler and that remote that paused and stopped time? Somedays, I sure wish that remote existed for real – I’d be rewinding and slow-mo-ing time ALL the time! TBH, That remote would come in handy while munching on delicious no bake bars such as these – I’d eat one then rewind and relive the whole deliciously delightful sensory experience! YUM times infinity – with all that rewinding! 🙂
Happy Thursday, friend!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Shashi! Appreciate that! Oh yeah, I remember that movie!! Imagine if we could do that in real life, huh? Happy Thursday to you too, my friend!
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com
No bake recipes are fantastic and I love how easy this recipe is, addicted to watching your videos too 🙂 Great healthy recipe for when you are on the go without all of those nasty additives! Love homemade pizza – should have made one on the weekend since I was home alone – husband was travelling for business and I have not found a good gluten-free recipe for homemade pizza yet so weekends like that are a great opportunity for me to indulge in pasta, pizza, bread etc…. Have not heard of love connection yet – watched Bloodline on the weekend which rather addictive! Have a wonderful weekend, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Miriam! Appreciate that! Have you tried a cauliflower crust for pizza? I haven’t tried yet, but may be a good gluten free option for you and your husband 🙂 So awesome when you find a show that you love like that, isn’t it? Have a wonderful weekend too!