Grain Free Granola Bars
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These Grain Free Granola Bars combine all the salty, crunchy nuts, with raisins, chocolate chips, and almond meal – and are held together with a combination of honey and peanut butter. So much better than store bought bars PLUS you know exactly what’s in them!
For another delicious grain free recipe on the blog, try my Dark Chocolate Covered Energy Bites!
Grain Free Snacks
Admittedly, I don’t follow any specific diet. I basically eat what I want, but in smaller portions. Exercise is a very important part of my life – for mind and body.
So while I don’t necessarily eat grain free, I LOVE these bars. And they happen to be grain free! You could use quick oats in place of the almond meal to add grains. If you want!
We love having snacks at the ready for something to grab for pre-workout or even a healthier dessert after dinner. Some of our favorites are Peanut Butter Power Balls, Almond Butter Energy Bites, or some No Bake Monster Cookie Balls.
These granola bars are packed with nuts but are different in that they lack the grains. A nice change from our regular snacks, and delicious too.
The dry ingredients
The dry ingredients are the “meat” of the bars. Lots of nuts with some raisins and chocolate for good measure!
- almonds
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- raisins
- mini chocolate chips
The wet ingredients
These are the ingredients that help make everything stick together. The honey and brown rice syrup are interchangeable, so use what’s convenient. I order the brown rice syrup on Amazon and it IS delicious in these bars (actually my preference).
- honey (or brown rice syrup)
- peanut butter (either creamy or crunchy)
- vanilla extract
How to make Grain Free Granola Bars
Step 1
Prep. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add parchment paper to a 9×13 pan, leaving some overhang so you can easily remove the granola bars.
Step 2
Chop almonds. Do a rough chop on the almonds.
Step 3
Mix the dry ingredients – the chopped almonds, sunflower kernels, mini chocolate chips, pepitas, raisins, and almond meal.
Step 4
Heat the wet ingredients. In a measuring cup, combine the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Heat in the microwave for about a minute and a half. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
Step 5
Press mixture into the prepared pan. Use your hands to press the granola bar mixture into the pan, pressing evenly to all sides of the pan. Using cold water on your hands will help prevent sticking.
Step 6
Bake. Bake the bars for about 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
Step 7
Cool. Remove the granola bars to a cooling rack, using the parchment paper to lift them from the pan. Slice into 16 even pieces.
BONUS –> You know EXACTLY what’s in these trail mix bars. There are 9 ingredients and that’s all. There is NOTHING hard to pronounce in them – just a bunch of nuts, raisins, chocolate, peanut butter, almond meal (which is just crushed almonds), and honey.
Recipe Tips
- You can sub out the mix-ins for others, if preferred. Just use same quantities, and make sure the nuts are chopped.
- When pressing the mixture into the pan, use cold water on your hands to make it easier.
- I like to keep these granola bars in the fridge. They are just slightly sticky so I think they hold their shape better being cold. They’d probably be alright on the counter for a few days though too.
- These granola bars are a perfect school-box snack. Just wrap them up in parchment paper, and tuck them in your kids’ lunches. Adults love them too!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Grain Free Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey – or brown rice syrup
- 1/2 cup peanut butter – crunchy or creamy
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups almonds – roughly chopped
- 1 cup salted sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup raisins – or Craisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper is hanging over the edges for easy removal.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – the chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, mini chocolate chips, raisins, and almond meal. Mix.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a glass measuring cup – the honey, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Heat up in the microwave for a minute and a half. Then pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and mix until very well combined.
- Pour the entire mixture into prepared baking sheet. Press down with a measuring cup or your hands until it's level in all areas of pan. Using cold water on your hands will prevent mixture from sticking to them.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven to let cool. Use parchment paper to lift bars to a cooling rack.
Notes
- You can sub out the mix-ins for others, if preferred. Just use same quantities, and make sure the nuts are chopped.
- When pressing the mixture into the pan, use cold water or a little oil on your hands to make it easier.
- I like to keep these granola bars in the fridge. They are just slightly sticky so I think they hold their shape better being cold.
- These granola bars are a perfect school-box snack. Just wrap them up in parchment paper, and tuck them in your kids’ lunches. Adults love them too!
I have been wanting to make these and finally found almond meal.
Worth the wait!! Even out of the fridge they are chewy, nutty and delicious. A great energy booster any time you of day.
These are awesome and only 9 ingredients!