These Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars -- featuring wholesome oats, your favorite type of nut butter, superfood coconut oil, and honey as a natural sweetener -- can be whipped up (and will be gobbled up) in a matter of minutes!
Do y'all like granola bars? Because we are big fans at my house. Not only are they universally enjoyed around here, but they also win this mama's approval as a ready-to-go, or on-the-go, breakfast or snack. Unfortunately, store bought granola bars can contain some questionable, processed ingredients, and while there are all-natural options out there, they tend to be fairly expensive. So what's a granola bar-lovin' family to do?
Well...have you ever tried making your own?! Doing so not only allows you to control the ingredients, but you can also make a whole slew of them far more economically than buying a small box of the organic ones.
Many granola bar recipes call for a stint in the oven, and while delicious, the results can be more on the crunchy side than the chewy. That's all good and well, but if you prefer a chewy granola bar experience instead, I've got you covered!
I must admit that I have a thing for coconut oil. I first discovered the superfood wonder that is coconut oil around the time that I was expecting my first child, around seven years ago. Coconut oil wasn't quite as mainstream and easily found back then as it is now, so I ordered it online in bulk and experimented with it to my heart's content. In fact, I still do order it online in bulk, because I go through a ton of it and it ends up being a lot more affordable than buying the little jars you can find at the grocery store. Furthermore, plenty of experimentation has taught me that it can be effectively substituted for vegetable oil in most baked goods with excellent results...which means I use it all the time.
So back to these granola bars. The ingredient that gives them such a great texture without the benefit of baking is -- you guessed it -- coconut oil! Coconut oil is solid up to 76°F, so it melts as you mix up these bars and then solidifies again once you pop them into the fridge. But mixed with the oats and nut butter and honey, it creates a soft and chewy texture that rivals any storebought granola bar, whose chewy texture is likely attributable to artificial ingredients.
The other great thing about this recipe is that you can totally customize it to make it your own! Think of the base as oats, coconut oil, and honey. Now decide on your favorite nut butter to use. Peanut butter is the obvious go-to choice, but feel free to substitute almond butter, cashew butter, or for a nut-free version, sunflower seed butter (I use sunflower seed butter for my little ones until they're old enough to try peanut butter, and then even afterwards, since they like the taste). If you don't care for the addition of shredded coconut in this recipe, you can use a cup of chopped nuts, seeds, and/or dried fruit instead. And while I like to sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top to complement the peanut butter, you can definitely leave them off (or add more!). Just be forewarned that if you decide to stir chocolate chips directly into your warm oat mixture before pressing it into the pan, there's a good chance that some or all of your chocolate chips will melt, resulting in a brown-tinted, chocolate/nut butter granola bar. In no way is this a bad thing...just thought I should warn you. 😉
Since coconut oil does become soft and melt in warmer temperatures, I recommend storing these in the refrigerator...unless it's winter and your house happens to be cold, in which case these granola bars will be just fine sitting out on the counter. The good news is that they are totally tasty cold, but if you prefer, you can certainly let your granola bar come to room temperature for a few minutes before enjoying it. Just don't toss one of these into your purse on a hot summer day and expect it to remain solid. You'll end up with a melty, albeit delicious, mess.
So seriously, friends...if you haven't jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon yet, this recipe is a great place to start! After all, how can you beat a yummy, convenient snack or breakfast-on-the-go that's chock full of wholesome, natural ingredients, takes mere minutes to whip up, and only dirties one pot and a measuring cup? I call that a win, win, win, win, WIN!
P.S. I'd love to hear what you think of these if you end up trying them! And if you're interested in where to buy high-quality coconut oil for a good price in bulk, let me know in the comments and I'll share my favorites with you. 🙂
P.P.S. If you're on Instagram, and if you are as obsessed with it as I am, I'd love to have you join me for behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of Five Heart Home food and fun...like this little turkey photobombing my granola bars in an attempt to steal some chocolate chips. 😉
More Wholesome Snack Bars
- Copycat KIND Bars
- No-Bake Oatmeal PB Energy Bars
- Soft-Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Crunchy Oats & Honey Granola Bars
Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars with Coconut Oil
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or your favorite nut butter
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup coconut oil, NOT liquid coconut oil
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- In a medium pot set over medium-low heat, melt together nut butter, honey, and coconut oil, stirring until smooth. Remove from stove and stir in oats and coconut. Pour mixture into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips (if using), and firmly press down with the back of a spatula or clean hands. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Slice into squares or bars (I like to cut 3 rows of 4 bars each) and remove from pan. Store granola bars in the refrigerator, either in an airtight container with wax paper separating the layers, or individually wrapped in plastic wrap.
Geeta
Ridiculously GOOD!!!! Samantha you have changed my granola bar game for life - THANK YOU!! I’ve always haters buying the artificial stuff in stores until your recipe showed me how anyone can make a yummy AND healthy granola bar and the ingredients are things I have at home already! And I agree the coconut oil is the secret ingredient to the whole thing. Seriously thank you so much !!! ♥️
Rachel Bailey
I was wondering what type of coconut oil you use for these bars - refined or unrefined. Also, did you use sweetened coconut or unsweetened coconut? Thank you for clarifying! Looking forward to making these! They look delish!
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Rachel! I typically use unrefined coconut oil and unsweetened coconut, but the recipe will work either way. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
JoyLynn Guzman
I'm wondering if anyone has made these or something similar without nut butter??
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi JoyLynn! I've made these with sunflower seed butter ("sunbutter") before for a nut-free alternative.
Carol
Hands down, my favorite granola/snack bar ever! I love how simple this recipe is to prepare from wholesome natural ingredients that I keep in my pantry. I was able to use even less honey in future preparations with great success. Thanks so much! 😀
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So happy to hear that you love this recipe so much, Carol! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Susan
I made theses tonight, I added dried cranberries, raisins, shredded coconut and semi sweet chocolate morels. I used all ingredients I already had except got coconut shreds, 1.50$ later, I was mixing and blending, I springled sea salt lightly on the mix after placing it as n glass dish, FRANTASTIC AND SUPER EASY ❤️
Heather Renee
My 2 year old got thrush and research mom started. The fight for her to take the meds mouth was to much. Stress for everyone. So natural antifungal, cinnamon, ginger and on top coconut oil. Cinnamon tea is a winner, I hope these are too. Thank you recipe.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Good for you for researching natural ways to help your son, Heather! I hope these granola bars worked out for you and that you found some of the other recipes on this site incorporating those ingredients. 🙂
Mag
Looks yummy! Quick question. How long do these last for?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Mag! These granola bars disappear pretty quickly at our house, but I think they'd keep just fine in the fridge for a week to 10 days. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Lee
These look really good but I realized that they are really fattening with the fat from the coconut oil and peanut butter.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Lee! Yes, coconut oil and peanut butter are high in fat, but they are mostly constituted of "good fats." I buy high-quality, all-natural coconut oil and peanut butter, so I'm not afraid of recipes like this that include them. 😉
Zehra Lakhani
Just put these in the fridge to cool!
Thanks for the healthy recipe. I used organic peanut butter, added almonds and fresh blueberries. In the morning, I'll taste the final product.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hope they were a hit, Zehra! 🙂
Gina
This is my very first time cooking with coconut oil, in fact I bought it for this recipe. I'm trying to lower my sodium intake and store bought have over 100mg each bar. This recipe the only thing with sodium is the peanut butter. It has about 600 mg in the entire thing but you definitely get more out of it than 8 tiny bars. Plus its nice to know exactly what your eating. I found a trick for the chocolate if you put the bag in the freezer while you do the other stuff they don't melt when you put it on top. Thanks
Jennifer
These are so yummy!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home
You're very welcome, Jennifer...I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy them! 🙂
gadir
Wow!! I tried these yesterday and they tasted amazing i used unrefined coconut oil it smells and tastes like coconut and went very well with peanut butter the flavours together are so good....I've tried alot of other recipes both bake and no bake granula bars and so far this is the best! Can you please tell me how many calories is in each bar?
Ana
Hi Samantha!
I am so ready to begin my journey with coconut oil. My question is do you use instant oats or regular? Also, can I add sea salt to them?
XOXO
Ana
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi, Ana! I make this recipe with regular rolled oats, which makes the granola bars chewier. And you can absolutely add sea salt to them! Enjoy, and have fun with your new-found coconut oil! 😉
Beth
This is awesome! I tried a batch, and liked them so much I made another batch an hour later (with cranberries added, and to be stocked for a bit). I think these are going to be my new favorite dessert for a while, thank you so much! Do you happen to know how long they last, and can they be frozen if made in larger batches?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi, Beth! I'm so happy that you enjoyed these enough to make them twice in one day! 🙂 Gosh...I'm not positive how long they last because they're always gone within a couple of days around here! In the refrigerator, though, I bet they'd be okay for several weeks. As far as freezing, I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Sorry I can't be of more help with your questions, but I hope you have a great weekend!
Maria
These are so good! I followed the recipe exactly and our 5 kids love them! I wish they liked sunbutter because then I could send them to school with them. They will be out go-to after school snacks I guess!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So glad that these were a hit, Maria! I wonder if the other ingredients would disguise the flavor of sunbutter enough that your kids would like that variation? At the very least, I'm glad they'll be able to enjoy these granola bars as an after-school snack. 🙂
Sherry
These are so delicious! I can't get enough of them! I did not use the shredded coconut so next time I need to increase the oats. I also want to add protein powder and see how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
You're welcome, Sherry...I'm so glad you enjoyed these! They're definitely easy to tweak if you want to change up the ingredients. And I think adding protein powder is a great idea...thanks for sharing! 🙂