Homemade Granola Bars (2024)

These Homemade Granola Bars are chewy, crispy, and loaded with mini chocolate chips. Super quick and easy to make, without preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, and unbelievably delicious!

Other great family-friendly snacks we love include our stovetop popcorn and hot buttered cheerios!

Easy Homemade Granola Bars

Store bought granola bars are a nightmare when you’ve got kids with peanut allergies. They’re the biggest culprits for peanuts, and therefore used to be my nemesis – until I found out how easy and fast it is to make them. I’ve tried a gazillion recipes for homemade granola bars; some have been like candy, and some have tasted and felt like cardboard.

This granola bar recipe is hands down my favorite! Soft and chewy, with a slight crunch, sweet, and without preservatives or HFCS. And no nuts. We love them so much that one batch doesn’t last long – great as a snack or breakfast on the go.

Ingredients Needed

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these chewy granola bars.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Quick-cooking oats – You need quick-cooking oats for these granola bars to turn out. Avoid rolled oats or steel cut oats.
• Rice Krispie Cereal – Offers a nice bit of crunchy texture. You can use the name brand cereal or an off-brand copycat.
• Brown Sugar, Honey, & Butter – These ingredients not only lend sweetness, but more importantly act as a binder so everything stays together. If you need the bars to be honey-free, brown rice syrup is a good substitute. Avoid maple syrup, which isn’t sticky enough.
• Vanilla extract – For a touch of added flavor.
• Mini chocolate chips – Mini chips are key here, since their tiny size won’t make the bars fall apart, plus you get some in every bite.

Are These Homemade Granola Bars Healthy?

Let’s just say these granola bars are health-IER. I mean, they still have brown sugar, butter, and mini chocolate chips. But, they don’t have any preservatives or high fructose corn syrup, so that’s healthier in my book.

How to Make Homemade Granola Bars

These granola bars are SO easy to make. 10 minutes, if that.
(Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions and don’t miss the video below.)

1. Combine the oats and cereal. In a large bowl, stir the oats and rice cereal together.
2. Boil brown sugar, honey, and butter. Bring the brown sugar, honey, and butter to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Pour sauce over the oats and cereal; mix well until everything is moistened.
4. Press mixture in pan. Transfer mixture to a parchment lined 8×8 baking pan; press down so it’s very tightly compacted. Sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips and press down lightly.
5. Cool. Cool at room temperature until fully set, slice and enjoy.

Tips for Success and Variations

• Use quick cooking oats. This granola bar recipe requires quick cooking oats to turn out. Avoid rolled oats or steel cut oats.
• Make sure the honey mixture boils long enough. If your granola bars aren’t staying together once you cut them, it’s possible the honey mixture didn’t boil long enough. (Alternatively, if you boil the mixture too long, then they’ll be too hard to eat.)
• Pack the mixture tightly. You really want to press the mixture compactly into the pan. The better you press, the better the bars will stay together once you slice them.
• Don’t make the granola bars too thin. This granola bar recipe calls for pressing the mixture into an 8×8 square pan. Don’t try using a bigger dish or the mixture will be spread out too much, be too thin and can fall apart.
• Chill for a bit. You can try placing the bars in the fridge for 15 minutes or so, but be careful not to have them in there too long or they’ll become super hard and difficult to eat.
• Possible add-ins. If you want to tailor these a bit to your family’s taste and replace the mini chocolate chips, go for it! Just keep the ratios the same. Some possible mix-ins include coconut flakes, raisins, cinnamon, and yes, even nuts.

Video: Homemade Granola Bars

How to Store Homemade Granola Bars

These are best enjoyed at room temperature. I prefer not to refrigerate or freeze them since once hardened and thawed, they lose their wonderful chewy, crispy texture. After the mixture has set, cut into individual bars, then wrap each one in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store all of them together in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

More Snacks To Try

• Stovetop Popcorn
• Homemade Granola
• Almond Joy Stuffed Dates
• Fire Crackers
• Ranch Pretzels
• Hot Buttered Cheerios

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full onTikTok,Facebook,Instagram,Pinterest, andYouTube!