An easy recipe for homemade no bake granola bars made without peanut butter and without honey! Using just 4 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes, these soft, chewy and delicious granola bars make the perfect nut-free and refined sugar free snack!
No Bake Granola Bars
Quick and easy snacks are my favorite, and even better if they require no baking!
We clearly love our no bake snacks here, like this cashew cookie no bake bar, brownie larabars, and my favorite nut-free energy balls.
It’s time to go back to basics with the classic lunch box staple- The humble granola bar.
Depending on where in the world you are located, you may refer to these snack bars as either granola bars, muesli bars or something similar. Regardless of what you call them, they are the same thing- Dry cereal mixed with nuts/seeds and held together by sugar, oil, honey or a combination of them all.
Now growing up, I ALWAYS had granola bars in my lunch box. I can’t recall a time where I didn’t have one daily.
However, finding the healthiest granola bar is incredibly difficult, and most are glorified candy bars. Granola bars are generally unhealthy, as they contain several types of sugars, and loaded with oil and butter.
I’ve been meaning to create an easy, fool-proof granola bar recipe, but with one major caveat- It can contain NO nuts and to keep it vegan, I wanted to make it without honey.
The ‘no nuts’ one is a biggie, as many schools around the world are putting strict policies in place to keep lunch boxes nut free, so making these granola bars without peanut butter was important.
Taste-wise, these granola bars taste BETTER than anything from a box, and why not- They are made with wholesome ingredients! They are sweet, bursting with dried fruit.
Texture-wise, they are soft, chewy and deceptively hearty, thanks to the rolled oats.
To make my homemade no bake granola bars, you only need FOUR ingredients-
- Rolled Oats
- Tahini
- Maple Syrup
- Dried fruits and seeds
That’s it!
HOW TO MAKE THESE GRANOLA BARS WITHOUT OATS
Using a large flake-like cereal is mandatory, otherwise, your snack bars will fall apart.
I used gluten-free rolled oats, which also ensured a thick, chewy and hearty texture. Avoid using quick oats or steel cut oats.
If you cannot tolerate rolled oats, you can substitute it for quinoa flakes or buckwheat flakes.
TAHINI SUBSTITUTIONS
Tahini is a fantastic, nut-free spread, which helps hold the bars together, and provides a subtle richness.
Other nut-free options include sunflower seed butter or wow butter, which is based on soy nuts.
REFINED SUGAR FREE SWEETENERS
Making these homemade granola bars without honey was easy, thanks to pure maple syrup.
Using pure maple syrup helped hold the bars together, provided ample sweetness and also left a light maple flavor.
Other refined sugar free sweeteners which work include brown rice syrup and agave nectar. Be wary if you use agave nectar, as it is a little weak, and may need a tablespoon or two more to hold together.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS
These granola bars can keep at room temperature, in a sealed container. However, they tend to remain soft and will be quite sticky in texture.
To combat this, keep your granola bars refrigerated, as they will remain firm and also keep longer- They will last up to 2 weeks!
These granola bars are also freezer friendly and can be kept frozen for up to 6 months.
More No Bake Snack Recipes
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Keto Protein Bars
- Chocolate No Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Truffles
- Edible Eggless Cookie Dough
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4 Ingredient No Bake Granola Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini Can sub for another seed spread
- 1/2 cup maple syrup * See notes
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats Can sub for quinoa flakes or buckwheat flakes
- 1/4-1/2 cup dried fruits and seeds
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, combine your tahini and maple syrup and heat until melted.
- Add your rolled oats and mix until combined. Fold in your dried fruits and seeds and mix very well, until fully incorporated.
- Transfer your granola bar batter into the lined pan and press firmly into place. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until the bars have firmed up. Cut into 16 small bars or 8 large ones.
Notes
Nutrition
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There are some bars that I have an unhealthy obsession for–I used to eat CLIF bars by the handful and it was a problem. I’d always be ravenous after swim practice and eat two or three CLIF builder’s bars! I still love my granola bars, but I definitely would have more control over the ingredients if I made them myself. I love that you can totally make this recipe sugar free, which is what I would do if I make my own granola bars!
These are delicious. I used a good quality tahini, honey, a couple of pinches of Chinese 5 spice powder, toasted rolled oats, gold coloured dried fruit (pear, mango, apricot and apple), toasted white and black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and toasted walnuts. Although I made them for my daughter, I couldn’t resist eating two. Crispy, chewy, a bit sticky and finger licky – yom nom.
What fabulous additions- Thanks for the feedback, Nicolle!