Thick and chewy No Bake Granola Bars that wont fall apart! This easy recipe is easily adaptable to include your favorite add-ins, like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut and peanut butter!
I feel like a supermom when I have homemade snacks on hand for my kids. It just makes life easier! Whenever I make these no bake granola bars I have to factor in my husband taking some to work too, because we all love them so much!
I’m not going to tout these as the healthiest granola bars ever, but I love that I can at least control what ingredients go in them. Store-bought granola bars are typically packed with sugar and they don’t even taste very good.
There are a few reasons I obsess over these no bake granola bars.
- No baking required: all you need is a microwave or stovetop. I live in Arizona, so turning on my oven during the summer months is just not an option.
- They are thick and chewy and they wont fall apart when you cut or eat them!
- You can customize these granola bars a million different ways. Take the base recipe and add coconut, dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter etc. You can’t go wrong.
If you’re looking for an even healthier kids snack, you should definitely try these Healthy No Bake Granola Bites.
How to make No Bake Granola Bars:
Line an 8 or 9 inch pan with parchment paper, or no-stick foil. Leave some overhang on the sides so that you will be able to pull the bars up and out of the pan when it’s time to cut them.
Add the oats, rice krispies cereal and flaxseed to a large mixing bowl.
In a separate large bowl add the butter, brown sugar and honey. Be sure to use a large bowl so the mixture doesn’t boil over in the microwave.
Cook for 1 minute, then stir the mixture until the butter has melted and everything is smooth. Microwave again for 1 ½ minutes.
Carefully remove from the microwave and stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture over the oat/cereal mixture and stir gently to coat.
Stir in chocolate chips. Just give them a quick stir, so they don’t have time to melt too much.
Pour mixture into lined pan and smooth into an even layer.
Grab another piece of parchment paper and lay it over the top of the bars. Use the palms of your hand to press down really firmly on the bars. You can’t press them too firmly. This will help them stick together well.
Press extra mini chocolate chips on top, if you’d like. Refrigerate them for 1 to 2 hours. If you’re in a hurry you could stick them in the freezer for 20 minutes or so until they’re really firm.
Once you see how easy granola bars are to make from scratch, you’ll never go back to the packaged ones.
Also, did I mention you can FREEZE the finished bars? They’re perfect for those of you who are uber organized and want to have grab and go snacks ready for your family.
LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS? TRY SOME OF MY OTHER FAVORITES:
- Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins
- Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie
- No-Bake Granola Bars
- Healthy No-Bake Granola Bites
- Tomato Avocado Melt
- Citrus Fruit Salad
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
No Bake Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
- 6 Tablespoons butter (*see note)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips , or other favorite add-in's
Instructions
- Line 8 or 9’’ square pan with parchment paper, with paper some overhang.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together oats, rice krispies cereal and flaxseed.
- Add butter, brown sugar and honey to a large microwave safe bowl and heat mixture on HIGH power for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir mixture until butter has melted. Return to microwave and heat on HIGH power for 1 ½ minutes.
- Carefully remove from microwave and stir in vanilla. Pour over oats mixture and stir gently until coated evenly. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan. Lightly grease your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture evenly into the pan.
- Lay a piece of parchment or wax paper over the top of the bars and press extra firmly all around the pan to flatten the bars. This is the most important step to insure they don't crumble when you cut them.
- Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top and press them gently onto the tops of the bars.
- Refrigerate for about 1-2 hours before pulling up on the parchment paper to remove them from the pan and cut them.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for firmer bars or at room temperature for softer bars). Bars are best enjoyed within 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe in May 2015. Updated May 2018.
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Absolutely love these granola bars. ❤️
Love how well they turned out, in terms of texture and how they stayed together so beautifully. Buuttt they were so incredibly sweet! No one in my family could have more than a few bites (and that’s saying something for my 8 and 4 year old)!
I am hoping there is a way to make these way less sweet but still have them stick together?
Chia seeds?
No peanuts!
Thanks
Fantastic! My sons have a peanut allergy so I was glad to find a granola bar recipe without peanut butter. This is sweet so I would probably serve this as a dessert. Oh so good!!!
To get away from more chemicals I substituted the rice crispies (which are loaded with crap plus bht to boot) with arrowhead mills brown rice puffs. It is just the puffs nothing more! I use the stove top too. I Add pb, chia seeds, nutritional yeast and collagen too. Sooooo good! My kids prefer Lily’s white chocolate chips. Thank you for this easy recipe!
Excellent!
I added 1/2c. flaked sweetened coconut and 1/2c. Craisins.
I used cupcake liners in a muffin pan to make individual treats with no clean-up!
Outstanding! Made it as is, although I think I used the wrong oatmeal…old-fashioned instead of quick cooking. But even with that mistake the bars are delicious. As with just about every recipe I’ve tried from TBFS, this is one is a keeper.
This is the recipe I return to when I want to make granola bars. I reduce the sugar to 1/2 c and add about the same amount of natural peanut butter. They stay together and taste great!
Made these and found them to be way way too sweet. Will make again with 1/2 the brown sugar and honey.
We loved these. My son has a peanut allergy so homemade granol bars are hard to find, as most have peanut butter in them. These were so tasty. My picky eater took a bite and then took 6 bars! He said they were like the marshmallow rice crispy squares. I put in paleo oats and coconut sugar and they were amazing!
A make again treat in our house. Thank you!
If I added peanut butter, would I reduce the butter in the recipe?
I was searching for a homemade version of the granola bars my kids love. These were easy to make, fun for kids to help with, and seriously DELICIOUS. We will be making these again for sure.
Even though I reduced the honey & sugar, these bars were too sweet for me. They also crumbled even though I pressed them into the pan as firmly as possible. I’ll never make these again.
Hi Laura, you can’t reduce the honey and sugar and expect them to stay together (those are the “glue”). Sorry you didn’t like them!
This was easy to make.
I cannot believe how easy and fabulous these granola bars are. I did a trial run with the family last night and after 2 hours they were ALL devoured. Today I made a double batch and my family was so ecstatic to have more. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
These turned out amazing after reading concerns with the granola bar staying together I decide to reduce brown sugar to 1/2 cup and mixed in 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter.
These granola bars are fabulous. My husband says they’re the best he’s ever had. I’ll be making them regularly!
Love these! I didn’t have honey and used maple syrup instead, and reduced the brown sugar. Also added Chia seeds.
This is such a delicious recipe! My friends and family asked me for the recipe after they tasted how delicious they were. They are very easy to make by anyone. I am ten years old and can make them by myself. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
This recipe is delicious. the kids love them. The only complaint I get is that they fall apart, what am I doing wrong? I have tried this recipe 5 times and it’s the same thing every time.
Thank you for this recipe! I made them today and they turned out great.
instead of rice crispies I use raisin brad cereal with bananas
Can I freeze these granola bars? Thank you for the recipe!
Yes, you could freeze them. I would suggest wrapping each individually in plastic wrap and freezing them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, to keep them freshest.
we love love these granola bars! i started making our own because we would go through so many packaged granola bars, and now i make a batch of these and we still fly through them in just a few days! 😀 at least we’re saving on money and packaging, and getting to eat many more granola bars in a go. sometimes i use coconut oil instead of butter, and only do 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and have found that to be plenty for us. thanks so much for a fabulous recipe!
That makes me so happy, thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is delicious! I have made them twice and both times they were so yummy. The only problem I have is they completely crumble and fall apart so I have it in a bowl more like snack mix.
Love it! It stays together and I can send it to school!!!
I started making these as an alternative to store bought granola bars. My kids love granola bars, but I kept thinking I could make better. Being summer, I hate using the oven, so these were perfect. They love these more than any other bar they’ve ever gotten at the store. I add a non salted nut and fruit trail mix for my dried fruit and chop it up with a handful of chocolate chips in a mini chopper to make them easier to mix and eat.
I do need to play around and see if I can make a lower sugar version for my diabetic in laws….this is such a yummy, filling snack that I want to share with them at the next get together but definitely have to tweak. Any suggestions would be immensely helpful….
I purchased Nature’s Path Organic Love Crunch dark chocolate, cinnamon and cashew granola. How can I use your no bake recipe with this product?
I’m not familiar with that brand of granola, so I couldn’t say for sure–it would just require some testing–you could make a bigger batch of the syrup to pour over it and you may not end up using it all–just pour and stir until it seems the right consistency to press into a pan.
Hi Lauren! I just have to share with you my latest add-ins for your fabulous recipe (can you tell I’m a bit obsessed with it?):
1) orange zest, crushed anise seed, cinnamon and bits of candied ginger, 2) toasted unsweetened coconut flakes and dry-roasted, unsalted almonds, with a skinny drizzle of Ghirardelli dark melting wafers; 3) a scant teaspoon of instant espresso, walnuts, and a skinny drizzle of Ghirardelli dark melting wafers. I drizzle on the chocolate after cutting the bars while they’re still cold from the fridge. That way, the chocolate hardens immediately, and I can divide the bars into baggies and store them in the fridge.
Sometimes, I add too many nuts and other bits and the bars crumble in places. I use the crumbles to top my overnight oats.
Brilliant, Lauren! I’ve made these bazillion times over the past few weeks, and everyone loves them. I don’t know how you came up with the microwave caramel base, but a million thank yous for this recipe. For my add-ins, I use one cup Triple Berry Nut Trail Mix from Sam’s Club, which, in addition to dried berries, has almonds, cashews, walnuts, and some dark chocolate.
I also recently decided to try a sesame-peanut version (2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (with, not instead of, the flax), 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, and 1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts. For a a little less sweetness, I subbed corn syrup for the honey, and I used Special K instead of rice krispies, because that’s what I had. And it works! Your recipe is so versatile. I can’t stop sharing the bars and the recipe.
Those sound amazing, thank you for sharing your ideas! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe 🙂
I was looking for an alternative to store-bought granola bars, and stumbled upon this recipe. It is incredibly easy, and the bars are absolutely delicious! My 17-year-old daughter loved them. I plan to make a triple batch to take to my co-workers this week.
Is there any way to reduce the sugar
Hi Breanna,
You could try cutting down the brown sugar and/or substituting a different sweetener!
I am working on my third batch. Just love this recipe and I do not get hungry all morning. I do add coconut and dried cranberries .
My kids love these but they are too sweet for me. Anyone have an idea how to reduce the sugar or honey but still have the stickiness needed to form the bars? A friend of mine suggested cinnamon which is a nice touch to counter balance the sweetness.
I would leave out the honey and replace it with a little bit extra butter.
Hi Lauren,
I’m looking forward to making these. I have a question. Do you need to use quick oats for this recipe to turn out? Or is it possible to use slow cooked or even steel cut oats? I have your skinny banana bread recipe in the oven right now and I’m really looking forward to trying it. Thank you for posting your recipes.
Hi Melissa, I haven’t experimented with steel cut oats–I don’t think they would soften enough if you add them raw, but If you par-cook them a little it may work, you’ll just need to play around with the dry/wet ratios of the mix until you get the right consistency to press them into the pan. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the banana bread! (Also, I have an energy “bites” recipe that you may like instead that uses steel cut oats and you don’t have to cook them. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/oatmeal-peanut-butter-energy-bites/ )
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. I can now take this to my office so that I can control my cravings and at the same time remain fit. I would like to try it with different mixings. Keep posting such yummy recipes.
If you wanted to add in the peanut butter would you do it in place of the honey? Or in addition to? Not sure how to incorporate it!
Hi Katie, I would try cutting the butter down to 4 tablespoons, adding 1/4 cup honey, and 1/3 cup peanut butter. Stir the peanut butter into the butter mixture after it’s comes out of the microwave. I’d love to hear what you think!
I just tried this with the peanut butter as you suggested, but without an add-in to check the base recipe. I would suggest a little more than a 1/3 cup peanut butter and maybe even go to a 1/2 cup if you really want that peanut butter to really stand out. Next time will be doing half and half for the add-in with peanuts and chocolate chips.
So tasty. Used Maple syrup instead of honey and gluten free to accommodate dietary needs. Delicious would never know fod map and gluten free friendly
I’m glad you were able to make them gluten free. Thanks for sharing!
My whole family LOVES these! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Jill! Always good to get the thumbs up from the family 🙂
I can’t believe how good and easy these granola bars are! I think I will be making these a lot at our house and trying different mix-ins. Thanks!!
I’m so happy you got to try them, and liked them! Thanks Anj <3
As soon as I saw you post these I had to make them and I’m so glad I did! AMAZING. Never buying store-bought again. I can’t believe how easy they are to make.
They really are so easy and way better then store bought granola bars. I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Lauren, I need to make a batch of these for my husband to take on hikes. Of course, I’ll hold a few back for myself, to have with a cup of tea at home!
I need to do this! We buy SO MANY granola bars and I hate that they are loaded with sugar and chemicals!
Just what I’ve been looking for. Thanks!
You had me at no bake 🙂