I used to think of granola bars as something less than ideal. They were what I grabbed when I woke up late, was running low on groceries, or had no other options.
I mean, they aren’t bad, but I never thought of them as tasty.
Then my sister-in-law let me taste one of her “healthy” homemade bars. I wasn’t too excited and had very low expectations, but one bite, and I was floored!
They were chewy, gooey, crunchy, sweet and savory – all at once! I immediately asked her for the recipe. Now they are something that I make every two weeks (the recipe makes 16 bars).
Every morning I get excited to have my chocolatey oatmeal bar with my coffee. Plus, these bars have fixed 20 years of digestive issues for me! I’ve never felt better.
Note: After making these bars for a few years, I found a new recipe that I like better only because it is much faster and requires no cooking! If that interests you, check out my recipe for my Superfood Cookie Dough Bites.
Homemade Granola Bars
5 cups dry oats
1 cup peanut butter OR almond butter
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
2 TBS ground flaxseed
2 cups of preferred mix-ins: blueberries, raisins, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, dried cherries, sunflower kernels, chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, chia seeds, etc.
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Press into a greased 9×13 pan with a spatula.
Bake for 18 minutes.
Cool for 20 minutes.
Cut into 16 bars.
Wrap individually with plastic wrap.
Freeze.
Thaw 1-2 at a time as needed.
HomeSweetHomeMaker 
Do you happen to know the nutritional value?
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Hi Daphne! I just added a nutrition facts label to the post. Obviously, they may differ slightly if you choose different ingredients according to your diet (almond milk, agave nectar, etc.) or add extra add-ins. I only calculated the flax meal and slivered almonds. Any extra add-in’s would be extra sugar/fiber/protein. 🙂 Hope that helps!
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There used to be nutrition information on your homemade granola bars. I can’t find it anywhere now. What am I missing?
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I still can’t find the nutrition facts for these, but they sure are good!
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Hi, Eden! I’m terribly sorry about that. I just tried to add them again. Let me know if you don’t see them still.
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Hi.. can this be made with Quaker oats??
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Hi, Sharon! I’m so sorry that I didn’t see this earlier. Absolutely! I just use regular oatmeal oats. 🙂
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I made these yesterday, and they were excellent. I added several ingredients (cranberries, coconut, pecans, chocolate chips) and maybe got carried away 😂, because they were a little crumbly. How much moisture ingredients would you add based on the add-ons? Thanks again, great recipe!
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Yay! I’m so glad you like them! Honestly, I do a lot of guessing and sometimes they turn out differently depending on what I choose to add. I generally add about 1/2 a cup of add-ons. So I would increase your peanut butter, honey and milk in proportion to that. I guess I should add that measurement to avoid that problem for other readers in the future. I hope they work out better for you next time! 🙂
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Hi Jamie! I am so sorry. That’s strange as I don’t recall every removing that information. I will work on getting that done right now. Sorry!
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Regarding the add ins. How much would it be for two different ones?
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Hi Joan! I honestly don’t really measure… I just throw stuff in. I usually use 4-6 add-ins, so I will sprinkle out of the container over the mixture. I do measure flax meal though and put 1/4 cup in.
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How long would these do well without freezing? Would you recommend still keeping in the fridge or is counter top ok?
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Hi Kelsi! I haven’t tried to keep them on the counter before, so I’m not sure about room temperature. But all of the ingredients are things that don’t go bad quickly in the cabinet, so I assume they last a really long time. I actually keep them in the fridge and we eat them over a months time. I’ve never had one make us sick or smell/taste bad! Let me know if you figure out they can be kept at room temperature well 🙂
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Hello! Do you use quick cooking or old fashioned oats in this recipe? Also, do you have a preferred combo of mix-ins? Thank you!
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Hi Tina! I use old fashioned oats. My favorite mix-in’s are raisins or craisins, chocolate chips, slivered almonds or walnuts, flax meal, sunflower kernels 🙂 My sister in law loves using chia seeds! Really it’s just whatever you want. I like to do a good mix of fibrous and high protein things, as well as some sweet items.
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