No-Bake Healthy Granola Bites
Packed with crunch and creaminess and lots of good-for-you things these homemade no-bake healthy granola bites are the perfect after school snack or lunch solution!
Um, yum. These little babies are an absolutely irresistible healthy, bite-sized snack.
Ever since these simple chewy granola bars entered my life, we’ve been on the homemade granola-snack train. But, like many of my life plans, summer kind of derailed any homemade granola making.
Summer has a way of just creating lots of happy chaos, asked for or not.
But with the onset of school quickly approaching, I am hereby recommitting to snacks.
Recommitting to healthy-ish snacks!
Recommitting to homemade, healthy-ish snacks! And these granola bites are a perfect way to start.
Packed with crunch and creaminess and lots of good-for-you things (think: flaxseed) and some extra treats (think: mini chocolate chips), we had a hard time leaving any of these for storing away in the freezer for when after school snack time rolls around or when I’m popping goodies in lunch boxes each morning.
No biggie though; they are so simple to throw together (no cooking or baking!) that I can easily order my 9-year old to make another batch pronto which he’ll gladly do since he announced yesterday that his life’s work will be complete when he gets to be on Cutthroat Kitchen (a fun, new show on The Food Network) and apparently making granola bites puts him on the fast track to chef-dom.
These are truly a divine solution to the snacking days (and lunch-packing) days ahead of us!
No-Bake Granola Bites
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) quick oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal, like Rice Krispies
- 1 cup (255 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (96 g) ground flaxseed
- 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup (227 g) honey or agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing gently so the crispy rice cereal doesn’t get crushed. Mix until well-combined.
- Using a cookie scoop (or roll small amounts in your hands), drop rounded tablespoonful-sized portions onto a parchment or wax paper lined cooking sheeet. I used my cookie scoop and then rolled the scooped portion out between my palms.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. At this point you can serve them or combine the chilled granola bites in a large tupperware-type container or ziploc bags to freeze or refrigerate. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week or for a few months in the freezer.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe Kira W. sent me (added coconut oil, took out coconut flakes and increased rice cereal, used agave nectar and honey in different batches, etc.) – thanks, Kira!
134 Comments on “No-Bake Healthy Granola Bites”
Do you think I could bake these so I wouldn’t have to refrigerate? Trying to find grab and go pantry stuff for kids. Kind of like the made good granola balls.
Certainly worth a try!
We have a severe nut allergy in our house – to just about every kind of nut. Is there something else I can use in place of the peanut butter? Note: We also have a sunflower allergy, so sunbutter will also not work for us.
Other than searching out other types of non traditional “butters” – I’m not sure what to suggest. Sorry I’m not more help!
How many calories are in 1 of these.. approximately? Thank you!
I’m not sure, but I’m adding nutrition facts to all my recipes and this one should be updated soon!
Would it be ok to leave the flax out, or replace it with something else?
Yes, you could leave it out.
I saw someone ask for a way to make them not sticky…try rolling them in cocoa powder, still a little messy but not sticky!
I love this recipe. I have made it a few times. The first time I made it with agave, I think the honey version is better. A couple of pointers: I make mine with old fashioned oats, because they are more nutritious and it works! Second, if you are looking for nutritional value, make sure to use the higher quality ingredients like avoiding the partially hydrogenated coconut oil and using a peanut butter without the hydrogenated oil/ the term “pb spread, etc. Third, add a pinch of salt! Last– if anyone uses agave over honey, agave was a bit runnier and slightly changed the texture. You really need to put in the fridge for ~15+ minutes before rolling into balls. It is easier this way. Overall, I feel like this is a healthy version of a cookie! My husband and I eat them for breakfast with coffee or as a pick me up after a work out. I also make these for my friends as a treat.
I made the recipe & loved them, I go for a walk, & get back & have my energy bites with coffee! You published it with ,how many carbs & etc. this is, but don’t see it here?
Love love love. Make them all the time. Great for on the go work day, kids lunch box treat, or to take on a hike. Throw in anything- it’s always good.
Thanks for the recipe suggestion. I’ve been looking for an alternative to the Minimalistbaker 5-ingredient granola bars. The dates in those are awesome for sweet, fiber and binding of the other ingredients, but just too time consuming to make (cleanup of food processor, etc).
I’m a fan of simple recipes, and with a treenut/peanut allergy, I always use soynut butter instead of peanut butter, and roasted soynuts instead of almonds.
Here is my version of this:
1 cup quick oats. Toast for 12 min at 350 deg.
1 cup soynuts – crushed. (Good Sense salted-roasted is a good choice)
1/2 to 1 cup flax seed
1/3 to 1/2 cup 50% reduced sugar craisins
2 to 3 squares of 72% dark chocolate bar, broken in small bits (giardelli, etc)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soynut butter (Wowbutter creamy works great)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Start toasting the oats (Breville oven works great). Then mix the soynuts, flax, craisins and dark chocolate in a med-large bowl. Next, in a small pan on the stove, warm up the honey and soynut butter and mix together, adding the vanilla at the end. Oats are probably ready by this time, so add them (still warm) to the bowl and mix together. Then mix in the warm honey/soynut butter. The chocolate should melt with all the warmness. Roll into balls (ping pong size), makes about 18. Refrigerate for 15 min on wax paper cookie sheet, then transfer to quart zip bag to continue stay in refrigerator.
Tips:
Adjust flax and/or liquid ingredients as needed to get the right consistency for binding.
I have used 1/2 c quick and 1/2 c regular oats just fine.
A heavy rolling pin works good to crush the soynuts in a zip bag.
Chopping up the craisins would be best, but if that’s too much work, they can work whole.
Some soynut brands bother my nut allergy (because they are processed in a nut facility), but those listed above work for me (Wowbutter, Good Sense).
And chia seeds just don’t work for me in this. They don’t expand/swell until in your mouth and between your teeth – so flossing is needed after eating this snack.
I need to comment on these and thank you for the recipe we make them ALL the time!! The are the perfect sweet healthy treat! Sometimes you just need something small to tide you over waiting for dinner. They have also been a life saver for after school snacks and something quick to eat in the car in the way to sports practices. Half of my kids are old enough to make them on their own. So thank You!!
I love that your son’s life’s work will be
‘complete’ ! You must be a great mom, to raise such a funny, goal-oriented child.
I make the no-bake bites for church, – we keep them in the freezer, and they still don’t ‘last’ very long!
Thank you so much for adding the nutrition facts. I purchased your meal plans for the next year and I noticed it doesn’t tell me the serving size… It will say 17 carbs but I’m not sure if that includes one granola ball or two… Is there anyway of knowing? Thank you!
That’s odd, Jaime – it should have a serving size on there on the top right corner.
Do you have the nutrition facts for this recipe?! I would love to know the calories!
I don’t – sorry!
Wow, I’m 6 years late to this post. I’ve read everything as thoroughly as I can but was hoping to ask given the need to chill factory, how these hold up throughout the day? Like if I’m careful with the sticky vs dry ingredients, could these hold up in a Kid’s Lunchbox and bag pack say 5 hours without becoming a huge mess?
Yes! For sure, they make a great lunchbox addition.
Is there a peanut free version?? Or something I can substitute for peanut butter?
You could try another type of nut butter (or nut-free butter like sunbutter)
I just used your recipe but didn’t add the chocolate chips, instead I dunked them in white chocolate & call them “golf-nola balls.” I tucked away for a last burst of energy on the last nine.
If I dont/cant use flax seed. What do I use instead? Do I do another cup of oats?
Yes, you can just increase the oats.
Just wondering what the calories/fats/etc stats are on these per ball? Did see that written anywhere.
I don’t have that info – sorry! An online nutritional calculator may help though if you want to plug in the recipe.
These are so tasty. I think maybe a little to sweet. If I use less honey next time would I just add extra peanut butter? My 2yo doesn’t like that they make his hand sticky. I was thinking about rolling them in something. Suggestions would be appreciated.
I actually usually just half the amount of honey when I make them. I don’t even change any of the other ingredients. Our family loves them. I’ve also used agave instead of the honey, but it’s much more runny so I believe u halved the amount of agave/honey and I also added more oats.
These were delicious – even my fussy kids liked them free they eventually tried them.
How many balls do you usually get out of those recipe? I’m hoping to make it for a large crowd.
Oops *this recipe
About 30, but it depends on how big you make them.
I don’t know what I’d do without these little bites in my life! We snack on them every single day and they keep me from indulging in a less healthy sweet fix. I’ve been making these for years and thought I’d share how we’ve adapted the recipe to make them even easier to roll out. I do a few quick pulses in the blender with both the oats and the Rice Krispies. Having them broken down a bit makes these so much easier to roll out. When you make double and sometimes even triple batches of these to keep in the freezer this extra step really helps speed things along. For texture, I like to do half creamy and half crunchy peanut butter. So good!
These were SO GOOD!!! We ate them straight from the freezer!! We ran out of honey so we used half honey and half raw cane syrup. We added some chia too! When we mixed it up, it was extremely wet, so we added 1 extra cup of oats/Rice Krispies. Can’t wait to make them again! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Taste great! Have you thought about baking them for a few minutes to make them dried/crunchy? Do you think it would work?
I haven’t tried that, but definitely worth experimenting!
I llllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee this recipe!!! My mom loves it too, and she makes me make these delicious snacks almost every week since she gave me this recipe. Please keep making amazing snacks like this!*
These are delish! I usually make a double batch and keep them in the freezer. My ultrarunner husband, cross country/track running son, and weight-lifting daughter all love them.
Easy to make, swap ingredients (if you want, but I do this recipe straight up), and super yummy! The husband loves these & asks that I make him before his Tough Mudder run so that he has them for energy!
I made these yesterday but substituted the peanut butter with half almond butter and half nutella (We have a peanut allergy in the family). I also added just regular chia seeds and sunflower seeds. Delicious! I would make these again!
yum Annie! Same at our house, but hadn’t thought to sub with half nutella!!!
Highly addictive, maybe not so good for the waistline. I did put the Chia Seeds in and it worked out great!
Hey Mel!! Do you have any idea how many calories are in each ball? Trying to get a rough estimate.
I don’t, Deb, sorry! I know there are some free nutritional calculators online but I don’t calculate that info for each recipe (sorry!).
We make our own maple syrup in the winter which I use when I make granola. Have you tried using maple syrup instead of honey for these delicious-sounding balls?
Yes, and it works great!
I was just gonna ask this! 🙂 woohoo!!
I made these today and divided the batch into 3. Then I did 1/3 cup choc chips in 1/3 of the mix, caramel chips in 1/3, and butterscotch chips in 1/3. My kids loved the butterscotch, I loved the caramel, and the choc chip ones are good, but we loved the other 2 so much I don’t think I’ll do the choc chip ones again. They are kind of getting forgotten. But overall they are all yummy!!!
I finally got around to making these and must say that we LOVE them! I won’t even tell you how many I sampled while I was making them…. Seriously, I am not sure I can keep these in my house – they are so addicting. Thanks again for another great recipe!
I have made these too many times to count. Every time I take these somewhere I get asked for the recipe. Delicious and healthy snack.
We loved these. Just FYI for those counting calories, although these are nutritious, we got 36 of these from a single recipe, and they are 130 calories each. It’d be pretty easy to consume a hefty amount of calories mindlessly snacking on these.
I made these and added a little salt and a few big shakes of cinnamon (from the Costco size bottle). The cinnamon made them over the top yummy!!
**So it as actually half PB and half Nutella
I just made these and ran out of peanut butter. I used Nutella instead. Wow! They taste great! I know that definitely cuts down on the healthy factor, but I’m thinking my kids will love them. Thanks!
Seriously- these are goo-ood! My whole family loves them, and that’s saying a lot since they are leery of “healthier” food.
Mel, just had to tell you how much I loooove these. They are a great pick me up snack mid-afternoon. The tad of chocolate and and the rest is enough to keep me from eating my whole pantry full of chocolate. 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Mel, I have made these and love them! If I want to make them a tad less sweet next time what should I change without compromising too much? Thanks!
You could definitely try cutting down the sweetener to 1/2 cup. It might mean you need to use just a tad bit dry ingredients so they still stick together so keep your eye on that.
My boys love these! My oldest isn’t a fan of chocolate in any form (so sad!) so I’ve thrown in heath toffee bits instead and it’s a hit!
I have absolutely loved your blog! It is always my go to for snacks or when I have no idea what to make for dinner. These have become a household, neighborhood, and even my children’s soccer teams favorite treat! Thanks so much for sharing!
I found these much easier to roll after chilling the dough slightly. They are good, but I think next time we’ll tweak a bit : sub some ground up dried fruit so we can reduce the pb and honey. I think they’re a good jumping off point for us to find our own perfect snack ball.
Have you tried using maple syrup as a sweetner instead? I know its thinner so I might test it out with less. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
I haven’t – but I definitely think it is worth a try.
Have you made them with corn flakes in stead of rice krispies?
amy – I haven’t tried that…sounds like a good experiment.
These are delicious! I was searching for a healthier dessert option to have on hand and made these. Love them!! I even forgot the vanilla and coconut oil in my haste and they are still wonderful! Look forward to adding these to lunch boxes for snack 🙂
For the mothers sending these to school whit there kids just place a damp paper towel in a plastic bag it will do te job. No sticky hands.
We love these! I add a TB or two of cocoa powder instead of the chocolate chips and they are our favorite new snack! Another family favorite from MKC 🙂
Hey Mel! Just made these today for the first time. They are delicious. However, they do seem to be quite sweet. I’m wondering if you use an all natural, no sugar added peanut butter. I used “natural” peanut butter, but it still has sugar added. Yours also looked a lot more textured than mine, which came out more smooth and a little “stickier” looking than yours. I followed the recipe exactly, so perhaps the peanut butter again? Just curious, because I know all natural peanut butter, like Adam’s brand, tends to be a little more dry.
Tracey – I just use Jif natural creamy. You could definitely cut down on the sweetness by adapting the other ingredients since it probably will depend on the sugar in the peanut butter. Good luck!
We make these all the time and love them! In an effort to cut out processed food, I sub the rice krispies for 1 cup of mixed nuts. We usually do sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cashews or pecans. I chop the bigger nuts a bunch to help the balls stay together. We’ve used all variations of natural nut butters. Almond butter helps them stick together the best. I also cut down the honey to 1/2 cup. I’ve also made them without the coconut oil, but only once. I could really tell a difference and thought they were lacking something great. I make half a batch with chocolate chips and half without. My kids eat both versions like candy. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!
I made these today & they are delicious! I love the variations that everyone has mentioned here, too.
I made these little babies tonight – man they are good!! They were the carrot I used to persuade my toddler to eat his broccoli on his dinner plate and boy did it work!
Thank you, Mel! You’ve brought so many wonderful tastes, smells, and full-happy-tummies to our home… I can never thank you enough! God bless you and your family!
Hi Mel, I’m Len from Manila, Philippines and I was inspired to make these really yummy graham bites. I loved them so much I included them in our menu! Originally selling chewy graham munchkins but wanted to have a healthy variety through these babies. Again, thanks for this recipe! 🙂 http://www.facebook.com/munchkinsurprise is our FB fanpge of you want to check it out! Bless you more!
These things are amazing. We have made them twice and the only last a day or two. My family of 4 can’t get enough of them!
I made these and they were awesome! We all loved them, and my husband wants a crunchy version now. Granola clusters?
I just made these, and they are delicious! i only had rolled oats on hand, and my mixture ended up crumbly, just like has been mentioned. Then I thought about the “wet hands” trick that works so well with rice crispie treats, keeping the mixture from sticking to your hands while you work with it, and I tried it with these, and it worked! No more sticking to my hands or crumbly mess when I used wet hands to form the balls! Also, I used the 2 Tbls Chia Seed. I scooped out 1/4 cup and split it in two to form 2 Tbls spoon balls. I got 42 balls this way, and they each are 122 calories, 7 grams of fat and 3 grams of protein per ball, according to myfitnesspal.com
On a side note, my four year old daughter was standing on a chair in my kitchen while we were making these, and she started singing a made-up song and pretending to conduct an imaginary choir (which she regularly does:) and the words of her song went like this today: “I do everything I do at My Kitchen Cafe.” So Mel, you made the words to my daughter’s spontaneous song! You are a part of our lives:) Thanks!
Can I leave out the flaxseed? I live in the Middle East and can’t find it. Any suggestions, greatly appreciated!
Hi Megan – sure, you could definitely leave out the flaxseed. You might need to increase one of the other dry ingredients just slightly so kind of keep an eye on the texture of the mixture.
Made these three times. Simply fabulous! Thank you:)
Um, these are totally amazing! We just made them and it will be hard to let them sit in the fridge! 🙂 delicious!!! I won’t be buying granola bars anymore….if I can keep up with demand of these little bites! Thank you so very much for sharing!
I absolutely Love that these are SO easy to make! I make them gluten and nut free for my son. My favorite pb alternative is almond butter, super healthy and so completely delicious! It doesn’t have quite the same consistency as pb so I just add a little bit more of the coconut oil. Approved by my husband, and all three kiddos! 😀 Thanks a million for this recipe!
I love these! I have been using them as post-workout snacks!
Update – made 100 of these babies for the ‘after-run’ Half Marathon party. I was so intent on making them gluten-free that I forgot to blend the oats and Melissa is right – they do not form balls when using rolled oats. Here’s how I saved my quadruple batch…..I blended another 2 cups of oats till fine (like flour) and mixed in to the mess. Then I drizzled a small amount of water (very small – can always add, but can’t take away) over the whole thing and it worked like a charm – they came together beautifully! Thanks again, Mel. You rock.
Would these be as successful without the coconut oil? My daughter is allergic to coconut.
Hi Shari – I haven’t made them without the coconut oil but you could definitely try – the original recipe didn’t have the coconut oil so it should work ok.
I just got done putting these together as a trial run (no pun intended) before serving them at the end of a Half Marathon this weekend – they are going to be fabulous. I decided that since I was heating the coconut oil, I would throw the rest of the ‘liquid’ ingredients in as well. The mixture was a bit warm going into the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips melted, which resulted in a happy accident – my kids think they are No Bake Cookies. 🙂 Anyway, they came together very well. Thanks again for another great recipe!
I’ve made these twice now; my kids love them, and so do I. Using the whole amount of honey/agave (I used a mixture of both) made them a tad too sweet, so next time I made them, I cut down the liquid sweetener to 1/2 cup. As expected, this change made the mixture a little more difficult to form into balls, but with a bit of elbow grease, it worked. (Meaning, I gently compressed each ball in my hands to stick it together but not break the rice krispies.) I think next time, I will experiment with adding back in another tablespoon of honey and maybe another tablespoon of peanut butter to see if that helps matters. I also use unsweetened pb and cut the chocolate chips down to 1/2 cup. I keep these in the freezer; every day my younger kids take 2 each for a school snack, transported in a little gladware container. They also help themselves with one or two after school some days. They used to take store-bought granola bars for snack and they’d be hungry 30 minutes later- now they are full till lunchtime! (They have a very late lunchtime.) Yay for this recipe; thanks for sharing it!
I made these for my kids after school lunch this morning, and ate half the batch myself. They are that good. This will be a regular on our list. I love your recipes and your website Mel.
My daughter (8) made these all by herself one morning. She used butterscotch morsels instead because that is all we had with chia seeds since she couldnt find flaxseeds. They were amazing. Her and her brother eat them everyday for a snack at school. Next time we will use quick oats but since they go in lunches frozen they are usually still ok by snack time. Thank you so much for more snack options!!!
I ended up with a crumbly mess. What I was able to squeeze into balls did taste good.
Might try your granola bar recipe next time.
I have nicknamed these POWERBALLS!
I made these last week and they were a huge hit in my house. Thanks for the great recipe. Love your site!!!
I am excited to try these. We just found out my son who is three had a peanut allergy so I am going to try Sunbutter or Almond butter. I think it will be ok? Thank you!
I followed the recipe and thought they were delicous. My son is a picky eater and I made them hoping it would give me a snack alternative. His extra sensitive palate could the detect the coconut oil, I could not. (He is the only one I know that can taste the difference in cows milk one gallon to the next) so I will make them again omitting the oil or substituting with something else on hand. My husband thought they were too sweet, so I may also reduce the honey to 1/2 cup, but I’m not sure if they will still stick together
Mel, these are outstanding! I made them for my husband who has a hard time remembering to eat breakfast. Not only does he love them, but I cannot stop eating them either!
These were a hit at my house! My kids liked them and my oldest couldn’t wait to get some in her lunch today! And I’ve been snacking on them right out of the freezer. 🙂
I knew I would love these and I was right. Thanks for another great recipe!
Any tips for grinding flax seed? Or do you buy yours already milled?
Hi Melissa – I usually buy mine already ground but when I have whole seeds, I use my blender (I have a blendtec).
I just made a double-batch to keep in the freezer for easy lunch additions. Wetting your hands every few minutes makes it easier to roll into balls. If anyone wonders, I used natural peanut butter (even crunchy) and it worked great. Thanks for another excellent recipe.
These are awesome! I made them yesterday and substituted Sunbutter because my daughter’s school is nut-free. Thanks Mel for another goodie! What else is new?!
Made these with gluten free oats and gluten free rice krispies. I also added some chia seeds. We loved them. With the peanut butter and chocolate, they reminded me of no-bake cookies. I actually used old-fashioned oats (not quick oats) and I must have been lucky because they worked alright. Next time I will try blending them a touch and maybe that will make them even better. Thanks for a great recipe!
What would be a good substitute for the coconut oil? My friends have tree nut allergies. I hope you do more snack ideas Mel, you are the best!
I can’t wait to try these! And p.s. I love your food styling on this one. Looks awesome.
OH, huge hit with the football team tonight Mel!! Thanks a bundle! My son (11) and I made them this afternoon and they are a keeper! He was pumped that he made such a great treat!! The football team really liked them as well! Thanks for a great new staple!! (EVERYTHING i make from here becomes a staple in our house!!) Thanks so much for sharing!!;)
Do not use old fashioned oats! They will not form into balls. Learn from my mistakes as I sit here with a bowl of it!
Time for another batch! I am intrigued by the additon of oil since I have been making them with the coconut flakes and no oil…. Going to have to try it! You always know best!
Hmm, the end got cut off but those “fudge babies” have many different flavors like Pb&j, German chocolate, etc. They also freeze nicely for lunches.
My kids took granola bites in their lunchbox today- how cute! I’ve been making these for over a year now. I make at least a double batch but add a few different thing to each batch for variety like craisins, wheat germ, cashews, etc. The kids help roll them out and we freeze them so they can easily go in lunches in the morning.
This summer I came across a recipe that added a few tablespoons of cocoa powder – such a big hit here.
Also chocolate covered Katie has a vegan version called fudge babies in
My daughter has given me the green light to try these for her snacks. I have two questions. First, can I use old fashioned rolled oats instead of quick oats? Second, can you recommend a substitute for the flax seed? Thanks so much!
For all those that have asked, old-fashioned rolled oats won’t work the same way as the quick oats (it will make the mixture much more crumbly) so if you only have old-fashioned oats, try giving them a blend first to make them similar in size and texture to quick oats.
I just made these last night and kind of had a happy mistake. I only had the old fashioned oats instead of the quick oats. As I was reading through the ingredients I thought it would be pretty difficult to mix it all together. So I threw the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil into a bowl and microwaved it until it was a smooth consistency. As I was pouring it into the dry ingredients I realized it was going to melt the chocolate chips…and it sure did. It mixed up really easily, but I had to
let it sit in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before I could form them into bites. They taste great and are holding their shape nicely because of the melted chocolate.
My kids are so beyond school lunches…thankfully they are also beyond college tuition…so these would be for ME! I love making my own snacks; I work through lunch most days and having something easy that I can eat is important. I only started making my own granola in the past couple of years and it’s SO good…time to move to granola snacks!
How do these rate on the sticky /messy factor? Thinking ahead for school lunches. Thanks!
Kerry – I’ll definitely be putting these in my kids school lunches. They aren’t so sticky that they’ll mash up in a lunch box (unless, you know, your kid is stomping on his/her lunch box) – they keep very well.
Thanks for the peanut butter free ideas! I have a bunch of the regular rolled oats, if I blend them up a tiny bit do you think they’ll work ok in this recipe or should I just go buy some instant?
Hi Mel! Thanks for all the awesome recipes! I print at least two a week off! I’ve never had anything I didn’t like from this blog….and I’m picky! Anyway, just wanted to let you know that FOX is starting Master Chef Jr. My 11yo is planning on auditioning next year (we’ll see!) and since your little guy is into cooking too, he might enjoy at least watching it! It starts next month. 🙂
By carefully choosing which type of oats, cereal, peanut butter and chocolate chips, these are easy to make gluten free, soy free and dairy free! These have been a favorite treat at our house. For those who have allergies to milk or soy, “Enjoy Life” brand mini chocolate chips work perfectly!
These sound great for lunches!! But my daughter hates coconut-can I just use regular oil? thanks for the recipe!
I have a child with a peanut allergy and I recommend Sun Butter as a peanut butter alternative. It is made with sunflower seeds so it meets the no nut criteria and it taste a lot better than the soy alternatives. I buy mine at Super Target but i’ve seen it at other grocery stores and you an also buy it at Trader Joe’s.
Kelsey – my son goes to a school that is nut-free too. There are alternatives that are delicious and taste just like peanut butter. School safe “Wow Butter” (made from soy) and “Peabut Nutter” (made from peas) are peanut alternative spreads I use for my son’s school lunches.
For those of you new to the coconut oil world, it comes in solid form but melts at low heat (around 70 degrees I think). I warm it slightly to add to this recipe in liquid form (you can easily use expeller pressed which doesn’t have a coconut taste or the extra-virgin kind that does have a hint of coconut).
Kelsey – sounds like you have a lot of good ideas from others on the alternatives to peanut butter! My nut free friends use sunbutter and love it.
Trader Joe’s Sunflower Seed Butter is our preferred brand. I almost prefer it to good ‘ol PB. It is roasted and sweet.
What can i substitute the coconut oil with? I have a bad allergy to coconut.
Tammy – you could try butter or another mild oil like vegetable.
I need to make these for our plane snack for this weekend! Thanks 🙂
I just bought a grinder to grind flaxseed, so this recipe came at a perfect time! I love granola, and I think these bites sound delicious.
Mel . . .you are like the energerizer bunny. You just keep on and on delivering wonderful food ideas and delicioius recipes. @Kelsey . . . wow, I sure wish my kids could go to a school that was “nut free”. 🙂
These look so healthy and delicious, and I love that they are easy! It’s awesome that your son loves to help you cook, Mel. I love Cutthroat Kitchen!
My son goes to a nut free school where no form of any nut is allowed. Do you have any suggestions for an alternative to the peanut butter? Your granola bars don’t have them, so i was hoping for some wisdom from you! Thanks.
try sunflower seed butter- either buy it at the store, or grind up seeds in your blender with honey and salt