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These homemade Granola Bars are deliciously chewy AND crunchy. They’re also easy to make in about half an hour and they’re filled with oats, fruit and seeds, making them the perfect after school snack or breakfast on the go.
I love having a batch of Granola Bars ready for peckish children after school, or when snacks are needed for packed lunches, or just to enjoy with a cuppa during a break myself!
Not only are they really easy to make and delicious, they’re also WAY better than processed, expensive pre-packaged snacks.
The texture is just right and there’s a lovely hint of cinnamon that elevates the whole flavour.
You can also whip these up in about half an hour with very little faff or fanfare. Just solid, simple, healthy treats for everyone!
Why you’ll love this Homemade Granola Bars recipe
⭐️ Crunchy, chewy homemade deliciousness
⭐️ Ideal for lunch boxes and snacks
⭐️ Packed with filling nutrients
How we came up with this recipe
I first published this recipe for Granola Cereal Bars in 2014 (oh my!) and George and Harriet were only 2.
These soon became a regular in the house, especially when they started school and I needed a healthy, homemade alternative to sweet and shop-bought snacks when they were ravenous at 3.30pm.
I made sure I kept this recipe simple so I could make them quickly and easily, and I could also get them involved with a little bit of baking too.
Along the way I discovered a few tips and tricks to make sure this recipe is just right, so follow my foolproof Granola Bar recipe below for chewy, crunchy, healthy deliciousness.
Granola Bar Ingredients Notes
- Butter – Use unsalted for this if you can
- Porridge oats – See notes below for more on oats. Basically I use a combination of types but you don’t have to
- Mixed seeds – Use whichever combination you like or have in
- Honey – Use whichever kind you like for this
- Light brown sugar – This gives a nice light caramely flavour
- Dried fruit – This can be the combination of your choice. You can also chop this to your desired chunk-size
- Ground cinnamon – I think this really adds a little something comforting and delicious. You can leave it out if you prefer but it’s a worthy addition
How to make Granola Bars
1. Warm the butter, honey and sugar gently in a saucepan, making sure the mixture doesn’t boil.
2. Add the oats, seeds and the dried fruit, plus the cinnamon, to the saucepan. Mix until coated.
3. Press the mixture lightly into a lined baking tin and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 160C.
4. Allow the mixture to cool in the tin completely before you remove and slice into bars.
Substitutions
- Additions – You can customise these bars however you like with the kind of seeds, nuts and fruit you add into the mixture. Only like raisins? That’s fine. Fancy a sprinkling of choc chips? Go for it!
Leftovers
Store these in an airtight container.
You can freeze these for another day if you like. Thaw thoroughly before eating.
TYPE OF OATS
I use half jumbo oats and half rolled oats to make these Granola Bars.
If you only have one type, that should be fine too, but I like the texture that the combination of the two makes – which is crunchy and chewy!
Rolled oats are more likely to be used in porridge. They absorb moisture well and carry flavours.
Jumbo oats tend to be bigger and crunchier, keep their shape more, and are more likely to be used for biscuits and cereal bars.
Tips
Allow to cool
Allow the bake to cool completely in the tin before you slice into 12 bars (with a sharp serrated-edge knife), otherwise they will crumble.
Fruit and nuts
Chop these up to the size you like in a mouthful. If you like full raisins and chunky nuts, keep them large, but if you like a bit of everything mixed together in small amounts, chop them more finely.
More oaty favourites…
Sweet Things
Easy Flapjacks {Foolproof Recipe!}
Slow Cooker
Easy Slow Cooker Granola
Breakfast
Breakfast Cookies
FAQs
I usually use a tin like this for my tray bakes. It measures 20cm x 20cm and gets the best thickness. You can use another size or shape but just be aware your squares might be thinner or thicker.
Yes! Make sure you do this so you can get the cereal bars out quicker and without breaking.
I use this baking parchment or baking paper for almost everything I bake. No sticking, ever.
I buy it in bulk from Amazon so I don’t run out, and it works out cheaper. Be careful not to confuse it with greaseproof paper, which isn’t suitable for no-bake cakes.
This is probably down to overbaking. Next time, turn your oven down a little and cook them for 5 fewer minutes.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Granola Bars {Easy Recipe}
Ingredients
- 100 g Unsalted butter
- 200 g Porridge oats, See notes
- 200 g Mixed seeds
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 100 g Light brown sugar
- 100 g Dried fruit, See notes
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C. Line a small shallow tin (about 20cm x 20cm) with baking paper.
- Warm the butter, honey and sugar gently in a saucepan. Don't let the mixture boil.
- Add the oats, seeds and the dried fruit, plus the cinnamon, if you like it, to the saucepan. Mix until everything is nicely coated.
- Top into the tin, press down lightly and bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow the bake to cool completely in the tin before you slice it into 12 bars, otherwise they will crumble.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried these today. Mine turned out a bit crumbly but I think it was due to the size of the tin I baked them in. The flavour is absolutely amazing I will definitely be making more to take to work (I don’t think this batch will last the weekend!)
Wow delicious and healthy bars, love the brown paper styling too and your kids are beautiful! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays we’ll be making these!
Thanks lovely, hope all well with you xx
These are great- we made a similar version a while ago and the went down a treat! I love that it’s a perfect first baking recipe for toddlers to get involved with. Gotta start em young, that’s what i say! #tastytuesdays
Hi Sarah. It’s great to read your review as it’s one of the few cookbooks I don’t own. I’ve been meaning to make flapjacks for ages and these ones sound delicious. I shall have to make a batch. Looks like your little helpers had loads of fun. xx
Wow look at your daughter face! Thats a good proof that its good! I also do this with cookbooks! Try to change some things and not follow everything by the book =P #TastyTuesdays
Arrr such beautiful pictures! The fruit bars look and sound delicious xx #TastyTuesdays
Great review, really we’ll written. The more I hear about this cookbook from Mumsnet the more impressed I am. These lunch box bars look great. GG
I am so making these lunchbox bars! They look lovely. I have to say you did very well getting your twins to help with so much! Hmm, family meals are usually made from a book I made which is basically scraps of recipes cut out of newspapers or magazines stuck into a file! Not very inspiring!! X