Oats & Honey Granola Bars
Oats and Honey Granola Bars are homemade, all-natural, and 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. 🙂
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
- Wholesome Breakfast Cookies
- Classic Homemade Granola
- Green Chile Cheddar Egg Bake
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola
- Healthy Oat Smoothies ~ Blueberry Muffin & Peach Cobbler Flavors
- Crunchy Slow Cooker Granola
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Oats & Honey Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cups crispy rice cereal
- ⅔ cups oat flour (see Notes below), OR whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup honey
- ⅓ 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.
Equipment Needed
Video
Notes
- To make oat flour, use a blender or mini food processor to grind ¾ to 1 cup oats into a fine powder. Measure out ⅔ 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.
Nutrition
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie. Post originally published on January 22, 2015, and updated on August 30, 2019.
Thanks for the Oats and Honey recipe. been looking for a good recipe to use the honey I have
You're welcome, Mike...hope you enjoy! 🙂
These are fantastic! Instead of flour I us powdered peanut butter and they turn out great. My picky husband asks for more!
How much powdered peanut butter did you use?
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!!!
These are amazing. I added peanut butter to mine and they came out smashing!!!
I have now made your granola bars at least 4 times and they are always a huge hit! I have made one substitution, however as we don't really keep much cereal in the house. Instead of the Rice Krispies, I use crushed up Kashi Sprouted Grains which resemble bran flakes. They are delicious and I think a bit healthier than the Rice Krispies. Thanks so much for the great recipes!!
Hi Michelle! I'm so glad your family enjoys these granola bars, and thank you for sharing your ingredient substitution! I usually use "puffed brown rice cereal" when I make these, but I love the idea of trying crushed up Kashi Sprouted Grains instead...sounds yummy! I appreciate you taking the time to share and I hope you have a great rest of the week... 🙂
I'm so excited to try this recipe! Do you have any advice for storing? I plan to send it into a care package and don't want it to go bad! Thank you so much!
Hello, I just discovered this recipe and am eager to try it for a low budget snack! I was wondering if I could add other ingredients to this, such as seeds or dried fruits, or would that end up altering the makeup of the "batter" too much? Thanks!
HI I TRIED YOUR RECIPE IT TASTE AMAZING BUT IT NEVER GIT CRUNCHY IT ACTUALLY GOT SOFTER WHEN IT COOLED WHAT DID I DO WRONG
I'm sorry to hear that, Danielle. 🙁 Without more information, I'm afraid I can't be of too much help, but my first guess would be that maybe your granola bars needed to be baked a bit longer? At any rate, I hope these turn out to your liking if you try them again!
I gotta say these are exciting to me. My son loves granola but all of the bar recipes I've found contain nuts which my son is very allergic to. I can't wait to make these! Thank you!
Oh, I'm so glad this recipe will work for your son, Jessica! Hope he enjoys them! 🙂
These look fantastic, Samantha. Do you think it is essential to use coconut oil, or can I use canola? I want to try these soon, adding to my "snacks" board.
Canola oil should work just fine in these, Mila. 🙂 Hope y'all enjoy these!
Loved these! Thanks for the tip about pressing them down. Those tips are one reason why I love your blog so much. Any idea how I might incorporate nut butter into this recipe for a variation? Thanks for the great recipes!
Oh, I'm so happy that you find those tips helpful, Kirsten! Sometimes I worry that I over-explain a bit... 😛 And it's funny that you ask about a nut butter variation, because I actually tried one this past weekend! But it got mixed reviews from my kids and I'm not 100% satisfied with how it turned out, so I'm going to keep tweaking it. Stay tuned...eventually I plan to share it! 🙂 Thanks for the comment and hope your week is off to a great start!
Great recipe for "clean" granola bars. So much better than the processed ones at the store! Visiting from Create Link Inspire.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Lisa! I hope you enjoy these if you have a chance to try them. 🙂
Thanks so much for mentioning the pressing of the granola! I just made my first batch of home made granola bars last week (peanut butter & Nutella!:) and didn't know they needed to be pressed. As a result, they were unusually crumbly! But I will definitely be making this recipe next week for sure. Thanks again!
You're welcome, Adrienne! I actually have a version of peanut butter granola bars in the oven right now and I made sure to firmly press them down -- ha. 😉 Hope these turn out well for you when you try them!
I love that this is something I can make at home and know exactly what is in it rather than the processed stuff. Thanks for sharing at the Motivational Monday Link Party!
Bethany from The Southern Couture
Thanks, Bethany...and I honestly think it tastes way better! 😉 Thanks for taking the time to comment and I hope you have a great week!
Thanks so much for sharing these great recipes. My kids love granola bars but they are so expensive - especially when you have 5 kids that like to snack! I will totally give these a try.
You're so welcome, Diane! And I can't imagine how many snacks five kids go through...I feel like my three kids already eat me out of house and home! 😉 Hope your crew loves these...I need to make another batch this weekend myself!
I love granola bars, but haven't had a lot of luck making my own. Can't wait to try these!
You're a mind reader! Lol, I was just talking to my husband about making our own granola bars last night 🙂 And you made it look so easy! Pinning and making soon 😀 ♥
Awww...I hope you love these, Amanda! They are definitely easy to make. 🙂 Thanks so much for the pin!
These bars are fantastic! You're right--the store-bought bars either are packed with ingredients I don't recognize, or are uber expensive, so I really love your homemade option! 🙂 Looks delicious!!
Thanks so much, Anna! I hope you enjoy these if you have a chance to try them. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!