These homemade, all-natural Oats and Honey Granola Bars are baked until slightly crunchy, making them perfect for breakfast on-the-go or as a wholesome, portable snack.
I’m so excited to share this recipe with y’all today! Awhile back, I posted my beloved No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars, which my family adores and which went on to become a reader favorite. After all, they’re easy to make, customizable, and downright delicious. The only downside to that recipe, however, is that they get pretty soft if they’re not kept chilled. This makes them great for eating straight out of the fridge but not-so-great for throwing in your purse or diaper bag as a convenient snack.
The Oats & Honey Granola Bars that I’m sharing today, though, don’t need to be refrigerated. More along the lines of crunchy Nature’s Valley-type granola bars, these baked treats not only travel beautifully, but they’re loaded with oats and pure honey goodness!
These snacks are not soft and chewy, but they’re not rock-hard crunchy either. Rather, I would consider them to be firm and moderately crunchy. Don’t mistake that for crumbly, though…I’ve actually been extremely pleased with how well they hold together, even in the backpacks of my rough-and-tumble kids. They take them to school for snacks and request them for breakfast on busy mornings. I may enjoy one here or there as well… 😉
Granola Bar Ingredients
So what goes into these wholesome, homemade granola bars that actually travel well and hold together at room temperature?
- Rolled oats. The star ingredient.
- Crispy rice cereal. It doesn’t take much, but this ingredient prevents the bars from becoming too packed down…AKA, rock-hard.
- Oat flour. By using oat flour, this recipe can be made GLUTEN-FREE (assuming that the oats you use throughout the recipe are all gluten-free). That being said, you may opt to use whole wheat pastry flour in place of oat flour.
- Brown sugar. But just a tad!
- Baking soda. For the slightest rise.
- Salt. To balance the sweet.
- Honey. This helps hold the bars together and acts as the primary sweetener in the recipe.
- Coconut oil. You may substitute another neutral flavored vegetable oil (such as sunflower oil) if you wish.
- Pure vanilla extract. Because…flavor.
How to Make Granola Bars…a Tip!
In addition to an optimal combo of ingredients, I think the key to this recipe is packing down the oat mixture in the pan after you’ve thoroughly incorporated all of the ingredients. And I mean you really need to pack it down.
Rather than using a Pyrex 9- by 13-inch baking dish (which would work just fine, mind you), I decided to make these granola bars in my metal baking pan with perfectly square corners. Consequently, I searched my cabinets and found a mini bread pan that also boasts perfectly square corners. I then used it to press down the granola bar mixture as firmly as possible.
I did this before baking and again immediately after baking and, as a result, I ended up with firm, crunchy-ish, non-crumbly granola bars. Success!
So if you love granola bars but don’t care for the artificial additives in store-bought ones…or if you splurge on all-natural/organic granola bars but could do without the high price tag…or if you’re looking for a wholesome, homemade, portable breakfast or snack…these Oats & Honey Granola Bars are for you! I’m happy to have a crunchy version to alternate with my aforementioned favorite chewy recipe, and I hope that you have a chance to try them (and love them!) both. 🙂
Oats & Honey Granola Bars Recipe
Oats & Honey Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal
- 2/3 cups oat flour (see Tips & Tricks below) OR whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together oats, crispy rice cereal, oat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Measure honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla into a measuring cup, then drizzle over oat mixture and stir until all ingredients are completely combined.
- Transfer oat mixture into prepared pan and press down very firmly into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown on top. Remove from oven and use the flat bottom of a small pan or dish to press down granola bars again. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, and then use parchment paper sling to carefully lift granola bars out onto a cutting board (you can leave them sitting on top of the parchment paper). Cool for 5 more minutes and then cut into 12 bars. Remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- To make oat flour, use a blender or mini food processor to grind 3/4 to 1 cup oats into a fine powder. Measure out 2/3 cup of oat flour for the granola bar recipe after grinding. If you have leftover oat flour after measuring, you can always save it for a Blueberry Muffin Healthy Oat Smoothie. 🙂
- To save a dirty dish, I melt the coconut oil in a measuring cup in the microwave and then measure the honey and vanilla on top. The coconut oil helps the honey slide out of the measuring cup.
- Baking these slightly longer will make them slightly crunchier, but be careful not to burn them! My granola bars were perfect at 22 minutes.
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie
Post originally published on January 22, 2015
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
- Wholesome Breakfast Cookies
- Green Chile Cheddar Egg Bake
- Healthy Oat Smoothies ~ Blueberry Muffin & Peach Cobbler Flavors
Amy Veselsky says
We love these oat bars and I have been making them for about three weeks (2 batches for a week of bars for 2 people) and love the recipe! We add a tablespoon of cinnamon to the mix and sprinkle on top. Thank-you!!!
crisha says
These are fantastic! Instead of flour I us powdered peanut butter and they turn out great. My picky husband asks for more!
Bridget Harrison says
How much powdered peanut butter did you use?
Mike Fuller says
Thanks for the Oats and Honey recipe. been looking for a good recipe to use the honey I have
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
You’re welcome, Mike…hope you enjoy! 🙂
Emma says
Hi there!
I am really looking forward to baking these bars on Saturday! I was wondering if there was any way to make this a chewy bar instead of a crunchy one. What ingredients/measurements would I change?
Thanks.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
Hi Emma! I don’t know that this recipe could be adapted to be chewy instead of crunchy, but I do have some good chewy granola bars on my site that are entirely different:
https://www.fivehearthome.com/chewy-no-bake-granola-bars-with-coconut-oil/
I also have some soft-baked oatmeal bars and energy bars that are on the chewy side:
https://www.fivehearthome.com/?s=oatmeal+bars
Hope that helps!
Lisa says
Is there anything else I could substitute for the coconut oil? My daughter is allergic to it, but lives granola bars. I would like to make some for her and these look so good but I can’t use the coconut in them.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
Hi Lisa! You should be able to substitute any baking-suitable vegetable oil (such as safflower or canola). Enjoy!
Tatiana Guido says
I’m making these right now as I’m typing this message. It smells so good and super easy to make. Can’t wait to try them!!
Risë says
I love these crispy granola bars! We use sprouted crisp rice for our crisp rice cereal and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, but I doubt it alters the flavor. I love a crispy treat with wholesome ingredients! Thanks!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
Glad these were a hit, Risë! And thank you for sharing your modifications…they sound delicious. 🙂
Nicole says
Is there a way to make these with out the oil?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
Hi Nicole! I haven’t tried making these granola bars without the oil, so I’m not sure how well they would hold together.
Sedrah Riaz says
Hi dear Samantha,
Me and my husband really like healthy food and also granola bars 😀 he asked for nature’s granola bar as lunch snack from me and i thought why not to make some at home and I stumbled upon your recipe which looks really nice. I just had one query can I skip baking soda in the recipe?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
Hi Sedrah! I haven’t tried making these granola bars without the baking soda, but they don’t rise much, so leaving it out shouldn’t affect them too much. Please let me know how they turn out if you give it a try! 🙂
Gina Dwyer says
Hi Samantha! Question for you: Do you think I could sub some seeds/nuts for the cereal as I don’t have any currently? These look yum! Love that I found something that travels well 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
That should work, Gina! Your granola bars may just turn out slightly harder/denser without the rice cereal to puff them up a bit. 🙂
Lori says
Hi there, I’ve made these several times and they are a hit! We love them, my kids especially :). Do you think I can substitute regular organic flour instead of oat flour? Just thought I’d try but don’t want to ruin them so I wanted to ask you first. Thanks!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
That should work fine, Lori! 🙂
Melanie says
As someone who eats honey frequently right from the jar, I admire your restraint! These granola bars look wonderful and are one of my favorite snacks but I rarely make them at home. Thank you for inspiring me to try again!
Bouthaina Hossam eldeen Elgindy says
been doing this recipe for months now and they really are addictive! I also add cinnamon and coconut shreds.
Thank you for this awesome recipe
Shelly M DeWitt says
Great recipe. I sent them into work with my husband and they devoured them and wanted the recipe. Thanks for a healthy recipe.
Mary Gillespie says
Really like the recipe. The first time I made it i was rushing didnt come well(because of me) , but this next batch looks really good oh and i add a tablespoon of amish butter with the coconut oil…yummy…along with a tablespoon of peanut butter…thanks for the recipe 🤗
Do you have a recipe for vegan oatmeal pies?