Chewy Granola Bars
These homemade chewy granola bars are super tasty, extremely quick and easy, and they cost about 3 times less than buying them from a store!
These quick little granola bars are tasty.
Really tasty.
And who doesn’t love making a knock-off of something usually wrapped in plastic, stored in a box, and costing at least 3X as much as a homemade version (which is not a scientific price analysis, just a descriptive analogy)? Raise your hand(s)?
I’ve tried several homemade chewy granola bar-type recipes over the last few months. They’ve been good. Really.
But these are the best of the bunch. Sure, the mini chocolate chips on top don’t hurt matters any, but the granola bars themselves are delicious, too.
Read through the recipe and additional notes completely – toasting the oats is optional but divine and pressing the mixture firmly ensures the granola bars don’t fall apart and become crumbly instead of chewy. Crumbly = bad. Chewy = good. Enjoy!
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Chewy Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups (200 g) quick cooking oats
- 1 cup rice krispies cereal
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (43 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 9X11-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. If you don’t have a pan that size, use a similar sized pan, like a 8X12-inch. This recipe is a bit small for a 9X13-inch pan but if that’s all you have, just pack the granola bar mixture into a smaller portion of the pan – the mixture doesn’t spread so that should work fine.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats and rice krispies. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, honey and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture comes together, stirring frequently. Cook at a simmer (so the mixture is lightly bubbling) for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the wet mixture over the oats/rice krispies and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down very firmly. If the mixture isn’t pressed down well enough, the bars will be crumbly once they cool. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top. Press lightly if you want them to stick to the bars. Mine tended to fall off, which was just fine since there were a lot of little fingers ready to eagerly pick them up and eat them anyway.
- Let the bars cool for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Cut into rectangles. Store well covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Lauren’s Latest via Rachael Ray
108 Comments on “Chewy Granola Bars”
I can’t count how many times I have made these. My kids love them & I make them all the time for take-in meals. I usually make double in a 9×13 pan and add a large scoop of peanut butter to the wet mixture.
Thanks Mel for another awesome recipe.
I made them my daughter & her family of 2 boys (1 teenager, & 5 yr old ) & husband lived them . I made them a/out rice crispy cereal .turned out good, my friends lived them & wanted the recipe,of course told them where the recipe came from. Making another batch now for my other daughter & familyc
No rice crispies or chocolate chips here so I went with cinnamon raisin. They taste exactly like store bought chewy granola bars just better of course! They are sweet- the same sweetness as store bought
what can i use in the place of honey?
You could try pure maple syrup or agave nectar but I’m not entirely sure how it would work (haven’t subbed those myself).
I’m clearly late to this post’s party but if you are still replying I was curious if you can substitute agave for honey. And if so, are there any ratio changes etc for doing that. Thanks so much!!
We haven’t tried that, but it’s certainly worth a shot. I’m not sure if they will hold together as well though. Let us know if you experiment and try it.
Hey! I made this recipe yesterday and I can’t get them to stay together. What did I do wrong?! What should I do to help?
Next time you can try adding more honey…also make sure you are pressing them down really, really well.
We made these yesterday and really liked them. I followed the recipe exactly. I might try to add some chia seeds like another commenter did to use up my bag if them. I used the back of a measuring cup to push the chocolate chips down and they stayed in my granola bars just fine. Some got a little melty, but none fell off! I love the texture of these. I cut mine into 18 bars (I used an 9×11) because I had a Quaker bar and I wanted to cut them the same size. (Granola bars have gotten tiny!) My kids and I did a cost analysis for fun and they worked out to be 10 cents each. Thanks for another great recipe!
These were so much better than any granola bar I’ve ever bought from a store! The butter and honey together are a perfect combination but do you have any recommendations for a replacement for the rice krispies? My grocery store doesn’t carry them so I tried using this granola-esque cereal with a few bits of puffed rice (maybe?) in it and they turned out pretty stiff and tough. The flavor totally made up for it though haha
Hmmm, the rice krispies are a tough substitution. I can’t think of anything that will give quite the same texture. Let me think on it and get back to you if I come up with something!
Hey Mel! Have you tried substituting the butter for coconut oil yet? I think you mentioned that in one of your comments, so I was just wondering.
Thank you!
Yes, works great!
Can you freeze these? I’m trying to get ahead on snacks before school starts.
Yes!
Hi! I’m a fairly new follower. I have tried many recipes and will continue to try more as I have had great success with them. Our current favorite is the oatmeal pancake mix. Anyway, I wanted to share the one and only tried and true recipe I have since you have shared so many with me. We make these granola bars on a weekly basis. My kids wish I’d make them more, but I’m worried they’ll get sick of them.
I found this recipe in Parents Magazine and it’s by Catherine McCord.
Chocolate-Cherry Trail-Mix Bars
Active time 20 minutes
Total time 1 hour (it really took an hour minus the cooling off time)
Makes 16 servings
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped (my kids won’t eat the cherries so I substituted more choc. chips :).
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 13x9x2 in. baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining three ingredients. Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined.
3. Press combined mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Allow to cool completely, then cut into sixteen 4 1/2 in. x 1 1/2 in. bars. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving…
231 calories; 3g protein; 11g fat (3g sat. fat); 32g carbs; 16g sugar; 3g fiber; 1g iron; 4mg calcium; 32mg sodium
Just made these for a sugar bush picnic and they were great. I like that they’re small, so even though they’re quite sweet, they are a nice little kid-sized snack. And yes, at least one of the children plucked off each little chocolate chip first! I like the additions suggested in the comments.
These are amazing! I’ve made this mini chocolate chip version (with chocolate krispies) and a dried cherry one. My husband devoured his chocolate ones, he requested a pb version next. Off to make batch #3 :). Thanks for another great recipe,
These have a wonderful flavor, but mine always get super hard instead of chewy. Only thing I could think of is maybe I’m cooking the syrup a bit too long?
Yes, that might be it, try even just melting the liquid ingredients and not simmering very long (or at all).
My goodness these are tasty. I bet they taste even better when they cool down and I’m not sneaking pieces from the pan. Never thought I would be making granola bars, this one is a keeper!! Thank you!!
I just made these again for the twelfth time or something like that. I love this recipe!! My favorite variations are adding coconut & almonds (1/2 cup of each subbed for 1/2 cup oats and cereal to keep the wet/dry ration even). A new one I just tried subbed peanut butter instead of the butter and worked great! I suppose that could be vegan/dairy free!
Thanks! Love those suggestions! 🙂 Since I have sworn off NatureValley and other GMO, BHA, BHT, artificial this and that, we have gone without good granola bars. These sound even better!!! 🙂
Hi Mel, can the sugar (honey + brown sugar) in the recipe be reduced, and if so what’s the minimum amount one can have in there while not compromising the result? The flavor and texture of your bars turned out real nice but the sugar level was too high for me! Thanks.
Feel free to experiment with those, Nisha – I haven’t cut down the sugar so I’m not sure how it would affect the texture.
I cut sugars in half with all recipes,doesn’t affect outcome at all ,in fact goodies taste better , last longer don’t get hard after while
You know? I have tried several of your recipes and they are ALL SO GOOD! I tried the granola bar recipe today and I can honestly say it will now be a permanent recipe in our home. Thanks!
T
I made these with some unsweetened coconut added, I just omitted some of the rice crispies and made the amount up with coconut. I doubled it and put it into a 9×13. I packed them down by spraying the outside bottom of a smaller pan with some coconut oil and pressed it on top of the bars, worked fantastic and they’re well packed. Thanks for the recipe!!
Brilliant idea!
I wanted to thank you for this AWESOME granola bar recipe! They are SO easy and taste SO good!
I do make a couple changes, but the recipe is basically the same. I use sorghum instead of honey. I love honey, but I generally don’t like the taste of it in other things, so the sorghum works wonderfully for me. I also throw in some flax seeds. I also like to double the recipe and press the mixture into a cookie sheet.
Again, thank you, thank you, thank you! =D
can you substitute rice krispies with corn flakes?
Corina – I haven’t tried it. You will have to experiment and let us know how it turns out with that substitution. Good luck!
My family LOVES these! We make them once a week! I have played with the recipe a bit to use less sugar. I usually triple the recipe and add 1 c. raw honey and reduced brown sugar (equal equivalents). I also use half butter, half coconut oil. I always toast the oats and the last three minutes throw on unsweetened coconut, so its toasted too. Last tip, I throw in a handful of chia seeds, I think it helps bind them together better. They never fall apart. Thanks for all the great recipes!! 🙂
I added shredded coconut and they were delish! Mine crumbled despite my efforts to pack them tight but when I put them in the fridge they were great!
I’ve made these many times and my family loves them! I found the honey to be too sweet and swapped it out for an equal amount of agave nectar. Perfect! I’ve found the humidity and weather really play into the outcome. If it is a humid or rainy day cooking the wet mixture for about a minute longer works great for me. These have become a staple in our home!
Ok, so I’ve made these a bunch of times 🙂 so yummy. But I took these to an all new level today and I just had to share… We added 1/4 cup of nutella and instead of chocolate chips we added 1/4 of crasins! Holy cow! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
These are so yummy! I used coconut oil instead of butter, and it worked great. I thought the honey flavor was a little too strong for my taste, so maybe next time I’ll add a spoonful of peanut butter or something to offset that. However, they were perfectly chewy and my kids loved them too!
fantastic! I have been an open critic of store bought granola bars and i had a friend recommend this recipe … done and done – i added 1/4c of peanut butter – worked so well! they are a bit crumblier than the packaged ones but oh well. I can now play around with adding other good stuff – thanks for this recipe!
Add cocoa powder to the wet stuff, and brown the butter first. 2 easy ways to up the flavor! I love this recipe!
Hi, I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I will soon. I just tried a recipe today that I found online that used. I didn’t add the brown sugar, but did press down on the mixture in the pan and baked at 300 for 30 minutes. After letting cool for 1 hour, it was breaking apart. Do you have any other tips besides the ones I listed below on how to make it more intact? Do I need to heat up a brown sugar solution to the candy stage and mix that up with the crumbly oats? I know that you can reheat fudge slowly add some more raw chocolate to temper the sweetness and then let it cool again. Why not for granola bars? I REALLY like the coconut oil as it adds a nice coconut flavor (1st time I used it). Thanks for reading this! DAve
From your comments, I learned some possible fixes:
1) Need to press the oats much harder next time
2 Need at least 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of honey
3) Add rice crispies or brown rice crispies
5) toast oats for 4-7 minutes at 350 F and then pulse rolled oats a few times
6) add freshly ground peanut butter ( I have a vitamix)
7) Place in fridge to cool and harden more?
Here is the recipe I tried:
4 cups organic rolled oats,
1.5 cups total of toasted & chopped (almonds, cashews, & pecans),
1/2 cup of coconut flakes,
1/2 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil,
1/2 cup of organic ground flax seed,
1/2 cup of sunflower seed,
1 teas vanilla
1/2 cup of honey,
1 tablespoon of organic Agave nectar
1/2 teasp sea salt,
1 teasp cinnamon,
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Hi Dave – it’s impossible for me to know what may have gone wrong with the recipe you tried since it isn’t one from my site and I’ve never seen it before or made it. It looks like you have a good list of possible fixes, though! Homemade granola bars can be a bit finicky if the liquid to dry ratio isn’t spot on. Good luck with your experiments!
I’ve made these several times. Love them! I like to add peanut butter–a couple of large globs. Once I forgot until they were packed in the pan…honey came thru pretty strong on that batch. One tip: I cut a square of wax paper and lay it over the bars when I pack them down…keeps my hands clean and seems to be easier to pack them evenly. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so happy I have finally found a granola bar that my kids can eat without breaking a tooth. I got really creative (for me) and threw in half a banana and some peanut butter…so delicious!…I’m also glad I got to finally put my CIA cook book to good use; using it to press the bars for 2 hours…I think that is the longest I have ever had it off the shelf. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
These sound amazing! Has anybody tried these without rice crispies cereal? Is there some kind of alternative for someone who doesn’t have any?
I made these with my 4 year old this morning and had to make another batch just now so there would be some left for Daddy. I covered them with plastic wrap before pressing on them which allowed me to smoosh them more effectively and with less mess 🙂 Thanks for a keeper!!
Mel!!!!
I had a baking day with my SIL yesterday and we made two versions of these-the regular with extra dark ch. chips, and another with craisins, coconut and extra dark ch. chips! (Swoon!) These taste amazing! We also used local organic clover honey and Mexican Vanilla! Wow! THANKS for this recipe! I was amazed at how easy it was! I will definitely make these on a regular basis! My 5 yr-old could not wait for them to cool down, so he had one warm on a napkin! The rest I chilled over night in my fridge. They are the perfect consistency and are healthy and taste out-of-this-world! My husband has been asking for snack options for work. They only provide chips and pop. THANKS AGAIN!!
I love these! I love plain granola bars, but of course I have to add a few chocolate chips to appeal to my kiddos.
I use corn syrup in place of the honey and they turn out just fine.
Just made these and they turned out perfect! Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!
These are delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Thanks so much!
Jill, if they are extra crumbly, it’s probably due to the different properties of coconut oil vs. butter. Try adding a bit more honey – the extra stickiness might help the crumbles. I freeze them all the time – works great!
I made this today, they are yummy! I replaced half the butter with coconut oil and they turned out fine. I pressed them very firmly in the pan and they are still a little crumbly. Not bad but definitely way more than store bought. Is that normal?
Have you tried freezing them?
Thanks!
We ate the first batch so quickly I had to make more! So this time I doubled the batch and used 1/2 honey and 1/2 corn syrup, resulting in a much more neutral flavor. I’ll make them like that from now on, I think. I also followed a couple of tips from other comments and spread half the oat mixture in the pan, then sprinkled on chocolate chips, then topped with the rest of the oat mixture, packing everything down using wax paper. Worked like a charm, and the granola bars came out firm but chewy, with no chocolate chips dropping off. Thanks again for a great recipe!