Granola Bars
Everything in one bowl and that’s it. You can use my “extras” or invent your own. Some suggestions: chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans or peanuts, dried blueberries, cherries, cranberries or raisins & chocolate chips. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 12
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick or instant)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (works with 1 Tbsp.)
- 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut (unsweetened works well)
- 1 cup of “extras” - I like chopped toasted walnuts, almonds &
- pecans, dried cherries or raisins & chocolate chips (mini or regular)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Line a 9” x 9” square pan with 2 criss-cross sheets of parchment paper (not foil) leaving extra overhang on all sides. Click to see how.
- Combine oats, brown sugar, coconut and extras in a large bowl.
- Combine honey, oil, and vanilla in a measuring cup.
- Add honey mixture to oat mixture and take time to combine thoroughly - about a minute.
- Spread in baking pan, pressing down very firmly. Try pressing down with the back of a spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. (mine takes an hour to cool on a cooling rack)
- Remove from pan (using parchment handles) to cutting board. Remove paper and cut into bars.
How Do I Store My Granola Bars? click here.
Bars not holding together? Try pressing them down again after baking. Let them cool for 10 minutes and press down firmly while warm, then let them cool COMPLETELY before cutting.
Bars Too Brittle? Two Options: 1) Bake for only 27 minutes. 2) Place the 9 x 9 pan on a baking sheet to bake. That might keep the bottom of the bars softer.
Merci from Quebec!
I like all your recipes. Do you have alternative without nuts? The kids can’t bring nuts at school (allergy purpose).
I’m sorry I do not.
I use seeds (sunflower and pumpkin seeds) some time chocolate chips and it always work for me.
Tried your granola bar recipes and the family enjoyed them. I ended up using condensed milk instead of honey in a 9 x 13 pan. I probably need to cook a little longer and add more honey or oil so they don’t break. But they were great tasting and not too sweet. So I will be making another batch.
They turned out great, l want to eat more. Next time l will add a few more extras
I bake this every week to take to work. They turn out great. Very easy recipe to follow. Thank you.
All of your recipes are pure fun🤪
Great looking recipe! I am making it for the first time using coconut oil because we prefer it. It looks a little oily but hopefully it turns out ok?
I made the bars but I think I overbaked them. They were a little too hard. Maybe next time I’ll try less time and less chopped nuts. They were really good after I softened them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Didn’t wasn’t to break a tooth! I need to experiment a bit.
I let the bars cool, cut them into rectangles, and then baked them a second time at 325 for 15 minutes for a crispier texture (double-baked, like biscotti. Just don’t bake them on a rack or they will stick and fall apart when you try to take them off.)
I’ve been looking for a granola bar recipe for awhile…many seem like they have too much sugar. These were so easy and sooo good… I can’t wait to make them again!
My husband and I enjoy these Granola Bars. And we made them with ingredients we had on hand in our pantry. They were delicious!
I find it’s actually okay to cut the granola bars while they’re still warm. I let them cool down in the pan for 30 minutes, lifted them out carefully onto a cutting board, still on the parchment paper. I cut them and left them to cool completely before removing each one with a spatula. I will try this again and if it works as well, I will add that option to the recipe.
Do you grease the parchment paper? I used cooking spray and the bottoms of the bars were oily.
Parchment paper should not be greased.
Do you have nutritional information on these bars?
Jenny,
Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I made the granola bars they turned out fabulous. I will never buy store bought again.
Thanks eh! … grateful Canuck
I made these for the first time 3 days ago. They turned out perfect. I put in chopped and toasted walnuts, almonds, pecans and cashews. Also, dried cherries, and blueberries.
Before that, I bought a new 9 x 9 dark pan.
Thank you so very much for this recipe!
I just made this granola bar recipe again this morning & several times previously – great every time. Thanks so much Jenny – love your recipes (& your humour). Maybe ppl are not pressing down the mixture enough so they fall apart or not following the recipe. Mind you, I use quick oats (sorry Jenny), but they still come out great!
Boil Honey and oil 1 second. That is the trick
These bars are disgusting. They fell apart and basically became like a wet granola. I won’t be trying any of your other recipes.
They are not disgusting. Mine fell apart too but I made them into bombs and my husband and children enjoyed them immensely! I also made a bowl of cereal out of lose crumbs with milk. That when down nicely too! Lady, use your imagination! Your dupa doesn’t care if its bar, bomb or cereal!
Jeez lady, chill out. They are very good actually. There are suggestions as to make them better. Stop being so bitter – they’re just bars for Chr*st sake!
For anyone wanting to reduce the sugar, I tried and they turned out well:
~ Reduce the brown sugar to ONE Tablespoon.
~ Reduce the honey to 1/4 cup.
No, no brown sugar at all this time. Amount of honey is plenty for me.
Mine didn’t all stay together it crumbled a lot!
Just wondering because I omitted the brown sugar if that would do it!
I double the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan with parchment paper!
Think not putting brown sugar would do that?
Thanks
Lori
I can only guarantee this recipe if you make it as written, including the size of the pan. I have never made my granola bars any other way and I make them 2-3 times a month.
These are very tasty, but they are not bars. I pressed evenly and really hard before baking. I bake often and rarely have mishaps. We still ate this, but it is better for yogurt or as cereal with milk. I think it might need eggs to become solid bars.
What is the carbs in the nutritional nut granola bar.
My third time making & this time I used candied orange peel (chopped up very small), cranberries, pumpkin seeds, & chocolate chips & orange blossom honey for sweetener. YUMMY.
What an inspiring combination of ingredients! You have reminded me of a commercial breakfast bar flavored with cranberry and orange that I have always liked.. What a great way to make a healthier version, thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jenny for sharing your recipe and tips. It worked really well. My family loved it.
mine became verrrrrrrrry dry and awful
Can I use steel cut oats for this granola bars?
No, you can’t.
Will this recipe work with steel cut oats?
I love these! Last time I combined almond butter with avocado oil , so good!
I think I might use maple syrup next. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work . If it doesn’t I will have clusters or a good crumble. I can think of many uses for thousands!
About parchment paper – I find Target’s brand to lie the flattest – without rolling up. If you have a kind that rolls, simply (but carefully) crumple it between your hands, as into a ball. Then flatten it out and place in the pan. Makes life a little easier.
That’s a good tip, thank you.
or roll the paper in the opposite direction…
Jenny, I love these!! And I am so happy you are now using avocado oil instead of canola oil:) I have been using avocado oil for a while now. It’s so much better for our health! It’s great in baking and in regular recipes! By the way, you are a great cook! I visit your youtube channel on a regular basis.Thank you for sharing your talents and your positivism with us:))
I made half a batch, looked fine in the oven and while cooling but crumbled badly while slicing? Did I overcook? Any suggestions ?
Some of mine cumbled. I just put it into my hubby’s smoothie
Just wondering about a substitution for the honey to make these vegan. Do you have a suggestion?
Thanks, Beth
Bees are an insect, not an animal, so why can’t you have honey?
So which kingdom do you think insects belong in, exactly? Plantae? Fungi? Must be protista or monera, because they surely can’t be in animalia. Lol.
Maple syrup ?
I use date paste, personally, and think it adds a great taste. I’ve found it cheapest at a Mediterranean grocery store, or if that’s not available to you, Indian markets will generally sell cheaper deglett dates than the pricey medjool dates you will find at a regular grocery store.
There is a Canadian company that makes “vegan” honey in Ontario now. It’s called a “vegan honey substitute”. I’ve seen it on store shelves, but you can probably order it online.
I substituted maple syrup, and I think I even prefer it!
hey jenny…i used wax paper. big mistake. it stuck to it so i broke it up and made it into granola. delish on yogurt, ice cream , even alone.
this will definitely be one of my regulars.
thanks.
Hi Jenny, These granola bars were a hit with my 5 grandchildren. I made them for Valentines Day and they loved them. Thanks so much for your enjoyable recipes and videos! Are you planning any new ones?
Joanna
What are the calories per serving?
What brand of vanilla flavor you used ? you said it is very good , not artificial
It was Nielsen-Massey but I have switched to Simply Organic. See my blog under “Products I Use.”
I always use that vanilla…love it. its all I use. definitely worth the price.
Hi,
I try your granola bars it’s good and fabulous
I see on video you use canola oil and butter mixture, I want to know how do you make it please and how you store it
Thanks
Look under Snacks/Misc.
OMGosh! These were delish!! Even Hubs, who doesn’t like oatmeal and nuts, LOVED these. I’ve been trying to get him to eat both for health reasons with no luck. Until this recipe. My cup of extras included: chopped toasted almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds and chopped butterscotch chips. The possibilities are endless and I’ll be making these again and again. Thanks Jenny for another keeper.
Is that one cup total or one cup of each
I’m pretty sure it’s one cup total.
I’ve had cholesterol issues since I was in my 40s. Prior to that I don’t know if the doctors even checked it. Well, the latest set of results are in and they are fantastic!!! All I can think of that I’ve been doing differently is eating these yummy granola bars…and lots of them!!! I am such a happy camper!!! Thank you Jenny!!!
Foods containing soluble fiber, like oats, are reported to lower cholesterol so congratulations!
I been following you For a while because I enjoy trying to make your dishes sometime right mostly wrong. I remember you now from tv.
Jenny,
Love your recipes.
I spread the ingredients on the parchment backing pan and use an additional piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and use a rolling pin to flatten the mixture.( verses the spoon to flatten.)
That’s how I make my dog treats too.
🌷Thanks for the tip of topping with parchment paper and using a rolling pin to compact the bars so they will stay together. I have been looking for bars that use very little sugar. Thanks and thanks to Jenny🤗
OMG the BEST ever!!! I made these in a larger pan and Increased ingredients to make a batch and a half. I’m a recipe tweaker so I added both vanilla and almond flavoring, half a cup or so of white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and I toasted the slivered almonds along with chopped pecans and unsweetened coconut. Also used dark brown sugar instead and a dash of cinnamon. I like your idea of using the parchment paper in a crisscross fashion. I do think the secret was constantly pressing the ingredients into the pan both before and after baking. One of the best recipes ever. I don’t think these will last 24 hours in my house! Thank you!!!
These came out so great! I was nervous because I only realized after I had put them in the oven that I had forgotten to grease the parchment, but they did not stick at all! They came out perfectly crunchy and chewy. Thank you so much!
Just fyi, parchment paper never needs to be greased.
Good to know. The video shows the parchment paper being greased with canola oil and butter.
There is a card on the video saying “No greasing needed.” It’s the only way I can indicate a change in my videos so it’s always best to use my written recipes.
Did not get crunchy but ate anyway! Really tasty!
I just found your site, OMG where have you been all my life lol told my g/fs about your site too…
I have tried a few recipes, your no kneed ciabatta bread came out fabulous, did add some Italian seasoning in the 2nd time around and came out wonderful…Now I want to try your granola bars, has read all the comments, and saw where you had stated “coconut is used as a glue”…I don’s really like coconut, is there something else I can substitute instead of as glue? and they come out OK?
I heard her say that it was the honey that holds it all together. Also other granola recipe sites say the same thing. No need to use coconut if you don’t want. Sometimes I leave it out and it does not change the texture.
Hi Jenny,
I love your channel and recipes. I made the granola bars twice and love the taste. I put in almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds My question is why it’s oily and the honey seem to sink to the bottom of the pan. I did toasted the oatmeal and nuts first. Is this making it oily? What did I do wrong? I read all the comments and no one mentioned theirs coming out oily. Thanks for the recipe.
What kind of oil did you use, and what kind of oats? I will try to help.
Hi Jenny,
I used old fashioned oats and canola oil.
Thanks,
Al
It’s a bit of a mystery because I make granola bars every couple of weeks. I’m going to assume you used a 9 x 9-inch pan and if so, it might be you are not combining the mixture enough. It takes me about a minute of mixing, in fact I now do it with my hand and I will make that note in the recipe. Also you may not be preheating your oven long enough, or your oven calibration is off. Use an oven thermometer if you can. Try again and do not change the recipe in any way and please let me know if it helps. We live on these bars.
Hi Jenny, just made these granola bars and the turned out perfect! Followed your recipe couldn’t be easier. I think your right about pressing them down really hard. I would buy these bars they are the best since they are made with all my favorites toasted nuts, chocolate chips and toasted coconut. They are my go to bar forever.Thank you for such an easy treat!?
Jenny your granola bars are delicious but I am upset after following the recipe to the T they r not sticking together it’s granola not granola bars what did I do wrong?
I love the bars please tell me
Thank you and for all other recipes.
Can you please list all of your ingredients and be very specific. And what size pan did you use? I make these all the time with no problems so I’ll try to figure out what went wrong.
I just make’em they’re already in oven easy to follow recipe but could’nt stop tasting it spoon after spon hahaha,theyre yummy as it is . tks jenny ur awsome
Perfect! Not to sweet. I have gluten intolerence some I substitue the oat by 1 1/2 cup of buckweet flakes and 1 cup of quinoa flakes. I press firmly before and after cooking. This is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you ?
I hope that you realize oats are completely gluten free. If you are choosing a gluten free lifestyle you can enjoy oats and oat flour to your hearts content,,,
Cross-contamination can occur in facilities or even in fields where wheat, rye or barley are also present. Important to only get the certified gluten free oats.
Bob’s Red Mill makes organic, Gluten-Free, old-fashioned oats. They’re really good, too!
I found this recipe easy to make. I chose to add large chocolate chips, raisins, chopped prunes, and sunflower seeds. The husband loved this! I did too. It was perfect sweetness with the 2 tbsp. of brown sugar. I really didn’t taste the flaked coconut. But it was in there. It took me all of 5 min to get this all together. I think I was too impatient and didn’t properly wait for it to cool entirely. Some parts broke off as I cut it. But overall, it stayed together and I loved how shiny it looked on one side. I chose that for the presentation side. Thanks for the recipe. I will share it with all my friends.
These are just delicious,easy to make I tried with almond extract and used raisins and pecan bits, Needless to say I have shared with everyone I know, Low in sugar and makes about 14 bars.Thanks Jenny ( I used no parchment paper and had no problem getting them out or cutting them into bars )
Great recipe and easy to follow!
I have some in the oven right now. Doubled the recipe, because I didn’t have a 9×9, so I lined a 9×13 biscotti pan. I have plenty left over mix I will use later. Wish me luck 🙂
My kids go through granola bars like crazy so I started making my own and I have to say this is probably the best I’ve made so far 🙂 I did use coconut oil instead of the canola cause I didn’t have shredded coconut on hand. They tasted amazing! Thanks for a great recipe that I’m sure will become a regular at our house
love all your recipe you are awesome
This Jenny – has not idea about how or what ingredients to use and what chemicals they contain. Everything can be made delicious by adding Sugar. Beware!!
These are so good, I need to stop myself from eating too many.? Easy to make and ?. Thank you Jenny
Jenny,
Wondering where I can find coconut that doesn’t contain propylene glycol? This is a known cancer causing solvent and it seems to be an added ingredient in recent years to flaked coconut. Also, can I substitute whole wheat flour in your pizza dough recipe? Thanks for your help!
Can you please send a link to the research that shows it’s a known cancer-causing solvent? If this is true, I am not aware. Thank you.
It was a book by scientist Hulda Clark, who later opened a clinic in Mexico so she could help cure people of cancer. Clark said that everyone with cancer tested positive for the solvent. It takes the liver 7 days to detoxify the solvent out of your body after you stop ingesting it. Good news though….I was able to find Bob’s Red Mill flaked coconut at my health food store, and it does not contain any harmful ingredients. Thanks!
Hulda Clark died from cancer herself and her claims were widely dismissed as unfounded and potentially fraudulent. There is no cure for cancer, only treatment that, thanks to continuing research, is more and more effective and saves many lives.
I only disagree here because I don’t want to scare people with inaccurate claims about a commonly used additive found in many foods and cosmetics, even deodorant and toothpaste.
Thank you for replying to these false claims. As a cancer nurse I see so much false information and we need to call it out!
Correction, Bobs Red Mill flaked coconut is unsweetened. Can I still use it? Perhaps I can mix some honey with it? What do you think?
Get unsweetened coconut instead. It’s minus the sulfate preservatives, too. Bob’s Redmill makes both flaked & shredded. Also several organic brands out there.
Should the granola bars be chewy or crunchy?
On the granola bars.. do you have to roast almonds and the walnuts or whatever nuts you use ???
The ingredients list “toasted” nuts so yes, toasting nuts makes them taste better. You can see my “How To” blog category to see how to toast nuts.
I found them. Thanks Jenny!!
Alma
I have looked all over your website and I love your recipes but can you please tell me what the mixture is that you smear in your pans instead of using Pam?