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No bake granola bars are naturally sweetened and naturally gluten free! Each bite delivers chewy oats and crunchy walnuts, all held together with peanut butter and honey for a perfectly packable snack for school or road trips. Just a few minutes of prep time and no need to turn on the oven!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-Bake
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free option, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
You’ll Love These Easy No Bake Granola Bars
With only about ten minutes of prep time and no oven or stove needed, no bake granola bars make the best portable snack. Like my energy balls recipe, these bars come together quickly and are an ideal pick-me-up nibble. And they’re packed with whole grains, fiber, and protein along with the sweet and nutty flavors we love in granola bars. (Plus, when you make them homemade, you’re assured that they’re gluten and dairy-free.)
Enjoy a granola bar as an on-the-go breakfast along with a cherry smoothie or chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie, or crumble up a bar to garnish a serving of chia seed pudding. Here’s why I love these bars:
- Super easy. You’ll need just 10 minutes or less to put together these bars, with just a bit of melting and stirring to do so.
- Homemade is best! When you make granola bars yourself you can feel confident that all of the ingredients are gluten-free if needed, and they are so much fresher than store-bought bars!
- Perfectly balanced. There’s a beautiful contrast of sweet and salty in these bars that makes them hard to resist.
- Not too sweet. I love using honey to sweeten snacks or baked goods (I love using honey as the sweetener in my almond granola, too). Add a few pitted dates to the mix and these bars will be just sweet enough.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make homemade granola bars, plus a few of my notes to help as you gather up your ingredients. I’ve included the full ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Dates: Make sure to buy pitted medjool dates to save yourself time!
- Crispy Rice Cereal: If you need to eat gluten-free, do NOT use Rice Krispies which are not gluten-free (refer to my post on Are Rice Krispies Gluten Free? for more).
- Oats: I like quick-cooking oats rather than old-fashioned oats. Check the package to see if your oats are certified gluten free if needed. More details about oats are included in my Are Oats Gluten Free? post.
- Almond Flour: I used a tablespoon each of almond flour and flaxseed meal. You can use all almond flour, all ground flaxseed, or a tablespoon of each.
- Walnuts and Pecans: You can use all walnuts, all pecans, or any other nuts, making sure to toast them first.
- Honey: Substitute maple syrup if needed.
- Peanut Butter: I like creamy natural peanut butter. Most peanut butters are gluten free, and you can read my Is Peanut Butter Gluten Free? post for tips on safely choosing gf peanut butter.
- Salt
- Cinnamon: A little ground cinnamon or ginger adds warmth.
- Vanilla Extract: You can add vanilla bean paste if you don’t have pure vanilla extract.
How to Make No Bake Granola Bars
Follow along with my photos below so you can easily make these bars, then scroll to the recipe card lower down for the detailed instructions.
- Process dates. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Make the base of the bars. Mix the dates with the oats, rice cereal, and nuts.
- Melt peanut butter and honey. Combine the peanut butter and honey and melt them together until smooth, then add the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Combine. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir to coat. until thoroughly coated and combined.
- Mix. Stir and toss the mixture.
- Add to pan. Press the mixture into a lined 8×8-inch pan.
- Cool. Let cool completely to room temperature for at least one hour.
- Cut. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars or squares or bars.
Quick Tips and Variation Ideas
- Line your pan. Make sure to line your pan with plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment paper. This will help you to easily remove the bars.
- Toast the nuts. Always toast the nuts before adding them to the mix. I like to do this in a small skillet over low heat, tossing frequently until they give off a roasted aroma. Watch carefully to ensure that they don’t burn.
- Add vanilla last. After you melt together the honey and peanut butter, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Adding the vanilla last prevents it from evaporating during the melting process.
- Press the mixture down into the pan. When the dry ingredients are well coated with the peanut butter mixture, press it down firmly into the pan. This will help the granola bars stick together.
- Cool fully. Allow the bars to cool and firm up for about an hour before cutting them so that they hold together.
- You choose the size. You can cut your bars larger or smaller depending on how many you want to have and how filling you wish them to be.
- Add chocolate. Just before pressing the mixture into the pan, stir in 1 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips.
- Dried fruit. Many granola bars feature dried fruit, so if you’d like to add some or swap the dates, go ahead! Some of my favorite additions include 1 cup of chopped dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins.
How to Store
- Counter – Place the granola bars in a parchment-lined airtight container with a layer of parchment between any layers and store it on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Store the bars in their airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap if you plan to take them with you.
- Freezer – Wrap each bar in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe sealable bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
More Snack Bar Recipes
No-Bake Granola Bars
No-Bake Granola Bars are naturally sweetened and gluten free, with chewy oats and crunchy walnuts held together with peanut butter and honey for a belly-filling and portable snack.
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 ¼ cups crispy rice cereal (gluten free, if needed)
- 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats (gluten free, if needed)
- 2 tablespoons almond flour and/or ground flaxseed (I used a tablespoon of each)
- ¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Place 1 cup pitted dates in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- In a large bowl, toss together the chopped dates, 1 ¼ cups crispy rice cereal, 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats, 2 tablespoons almond flour and/or ground flaxseed, ¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts, and ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans. Set aside
- Combine ⅓ cup honey and ½ cup peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds to one minute, stirring every 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Or combine in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until thoroughly coated and combined. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly into the pan.
- Let cool completely to room temperature, at least one hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for longer storage.
Notes
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.
Nutrition Facts
No-Bake Granola Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
Calories 152
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 119mg5%
Potassium 146mg4%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 148IU3%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Did you make this?
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These look delicious AND they will work with our many food allergies! Pinning! Thanks for linking up to Tips & Tricks! Hope to see you again this week! 🙂
I want to try Veggie Harvest.
I want to try the Citrus Kick
I’ve never tried jamba juice before (we didn’t have them near me) but my husband talks about them all the time (pretty much any time i attempt making a smoothie). I’d love to try any of them but especially the orange berry antioxidant :D!
I’m been to Jamba juice and love their smoothies.. I’ve never tried Veggie Harvest , but would like to now!
I would like to try the Veggie Harvest
I’d like to try Orange Carrot Twist.
The triple revitalizer sounds like a great breakfast smoothie if you’re on the go, I would try it 🙂
I am most interested in trying the citrus kick variety.
citrus kick sounds amazing.
I would like to try Veggie Harvest.
I would try the Orange Berry Antioxidant!
I wish there was a Jamba Juice near me in Pennsylvania. I love fruit/veggie juices. Granola bar are loved too and I would love to make my own!
I love making my own, especially for my kiddos!
The orange reviver sounds good!
The tropical greens juice sounds good!
Citrus kick sounds yummy!
Oooh Brianne! How I love my raw bar foods!! Pinned this before even reading the recipe!! I have never tried the juices at Jamba. Only the smoothies when I worked and could afford them. All the juices look great, but would try the Veggie Harvest first.
These bars are great! I want to make so many different varieties!
I didn’t realize we had a Jamba Juice not too far from me! I think I would like to try the Tropical Greens.
I would like to try the Citrus Kick!
we LOVE all the new fruit and veggie juices at Jamba – I usually go for anything with beets 🙂 and these bars would be a big hit for lunch packing with my kids
These look and sound delicious! I can’t believe how easy they are to put together. I’ve got all the ingredients on hand…lucky me!
I know, all pantry staples, which is so great!
I would like to try the Veggie Harvest.
I’ve never had jamba juice, but if there was a place near me I would be all over it. In college, we would go get smoothies all the time. The jamba juice reminds me of them. Those granola bars look delicious! They look like the perfect snack for on the go.
They all sound so good! The tropical kick start makes me want to go on a vacation!
I LOVE Jamba juice but there are none around here…sigh. I love the look of this homemade granola bar too. So gooooood!
I know, I didn’t have any close by! So glad I do now!
The Citrus Kick sounds absolutely yummy! Oranges, apples, pineapples and ginger All of my favs! And it would go great with the Honey Nut No Bake Granola Bars! A healthy, delicious snack!
I see a perfect way to start the day right here!
I would love to try the Tropical Greens!
They all look great, but I think I’d try the Orange Berry first!
I agree they all do look great. But if I have to choose I’m going for the Garden Medley!