Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

Excellent recipe! The measurements and instructions were easy to understand and created delicious granola bars. I used walnuts and trail mix instead of almonds and chopped it up with the food processor. I also used coconut and dried fruit. Tasty additions!
I have tried a few of your recipes and they have all been delicious. Thank you for making the effort and taking the time to spread the joy of baking.

We have loved this recipe for a long time! I’ve never had dates, I just don’t use them. We’ve always put in dried cranberries or raisins, chia seeds, sometimes pepitas or regular nuts, the options are truly endless. I usually add a little extra PB or honey since I don’t use the dates. These are always a hit and somebody always asks for the recipe. Thank you so much!

I made for the first time, today. One word. Satisfying! I love the chewy texture from the dates and the crunkiness the Roasted almonds bring to the recipe. Additionally I melted dark vegan chocolate and drizzled it over the top. My mum tried a slice, and she loved it to!
Thank you for the recipe. I’ll definitely make it again.

Unfortunately, the bars did not set at all and the taste was very ordinary for me.

I can’t say enough good things about these. Delicious, endlessly variable. This may be TMI but I find I have to mix them with my hands, and watch out if you heat the honey and PB too much, yikes, it’s hot!!! But I have used: candied ginger, dried cherries, apricots, toasted almonds, cinnamon, you name it. My husband works in retail and he always takes one of these with him to keep him going.. thank you so much for such a fantastic and easy recipe!

Wow these are amazing! I had flaked almonds that I toasted with the oats. I used salted almond butter, dried cherries and cranberries. I also added cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. I will be making all variations of these for life!

I made this because my family is trying to be healthy… They can’t stop eating it 😔

Just tried this with a mix of almonds and walnuts and added some chopped apricots, dark choc chips and powdered ginger. Totally scrummy

Made these today, and used tahini and dried apricots as dates are cost prohibitive where I live. They were super yummy, and I absolutely love them with apricot! Will definitely make them with peanut butter for more of a protein kick. Thank you so much for this recipe, and all the other recipes of yours that I have tried.

This recipe is fantastic! A great snack for the whole family.
I have found date paste at a middle Eastern store near my house – can I substitute? And how much should I use?
Thank you!

I was looking for a fast breakfast that wouldn’t weigh me down and was very nutritious. THIS BAR IS IT! Of course I didn’t have almonds, but I did have hazelnuts and banana chips, the results were amazing! I’m making them again today, will toast the oats and nuts and am thinking about adding coconut and ground flax seeds. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!

I made this recipe and added a 1/4 c butterscotch chips. Rave reviews from my family. Will make these again with Libby sugar free chocolate chips.

These are delicious! I used up some old dates which I had to heat in some water because they had become dry when I did not seal the bag . I read the comment you made re preferring the oats and almonds toasted so I did that altho normally I would have been lazy and skipped it. I am glad I didn’t skip it because the flavor is enhanced by toasting those
ngredients. Now I have to try to pace myself on eating them, they are so good.

Easy recipe to follow.

I just keep coming back to this recipe. Exactly what I wanted. Thankyou! These are amazing.

I used a few less dates and added four dried figs, which added the perfect amount of moisture to the dates! I also added about two
tablespoons of butter, because it’s delicious. I toasted the oats and mixed them through the rest of the ingredients when they were still hot from the oven, resulting in slightly melted chocolate chunks throughout.

Used organic almond butter and added in hemp, raisin, dry cherries, pumpkin seed, and date syrup instead of honey.

They were nice and chewy

Great recipe! Delicious!

This is an amazing recipe, it will be my go-to.

Delicious. Very surprised. I couldn’t get the wet paste with the date mixture and ended up with a thick mixture which was difficult to combine with the oats and almonds. The good side to this was that I didn’t have to freeze them and they hold their shape. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you so much.

Delicious! I have been making these for 2 years now and I use different additions every time. I do not like dates so I use pitted prunes and they work very well. This go round I roasted the oats and chopped almonds like always ( the best flavor), and added dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, chopped peanuts. I am now making with unsweetened coconut flakes, dried banana chips (chopped), and will melt dark chocolate to pour over top once pressed out in pan. Then will cover put in freezer. I have used a variety of nuts, and dried berries & fruits in these and have never failed to be deliciious! Your Black Bean Brownies are amazing too!

These were amazing! I only had a blender so I soaked them for 10 minutes and then blended them on low with a little bit of water to get the paste. I also added a handful of dried cranberries. 5/5!! Thanks

I (sorta) made these. I had to soak my dates. I added partially dehydrated apple chunks to the oats and some chocolate chips to the peanut butter/maple syrup step (they needed to be used). I found them pretty soft in texture and they benefited from being sliced and kept in the freezer.

DELICIOUS! Followed the recipe with some very minor alterations. Couldn’t decide if I wanted peanut butter or almond butter, so I combined to = 1/4 cup. Same is true for maple syrup or honey. Combined those also to = 1/4 cup as directed. I added a few chocolate chips, plus chopped dried apricots and cranberries. Will make this over and over again. Recipe is ready to eat in 15 minutes – no baking involved. Thank you for sharing the best granola bar I’ve ever eaten!

I found this recipe a few years ago and enjoyed making these granola bars for myself to take to work or have as a sweet treat after dinner. When I moved in with my boyfriend, I made these for us and now it’s in our regular rotation. I’ve been making double batches so I can freeze half of them for later. I like to use half honey and half maple syrup for this recipe and we love adding white chocolate chips and dried cranberries!

Absolutely loved these! My kids typically reach for Z-Bars, but wanted to try a healthier alternative with natural sugars, rather than the processed stuff. Followed the recipe and left them in the freezer a little longer before cutting. They were a hit! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!

YUMMY!! I just made these. I added pumpkin seeds and ground flax seed to the oats for roasting. I also used Trader Joe’s Mixed Nut butter.

This is an excellent recipe which I have on high rotation for a snack after cycling to and from work. Perfect with a hot cup of tea and for sharing with keen colleagues.
I make sure to cut each almond and take time carefully mix in the dates to help the bars hold together. Today I forgot to add the peanut butter and maple syrup mix, but realised my mistake as I started to put the pan in the freezer. I was able to pull the mixture back into a bowl and add the missing ingredients. This recipe keeps me well. Thank you.

These are great and so versatile! I’ve used dried pineapple, dried cherries, dried cranberries and a variety of nuts in addition to the almonds. And I always add toasted coconut. *chef kiss*

Made these for my boys last night and they have devoured half of them in one sitting this morning, so clearly a winner! I used walnuts instead of almonds (cus that’s what I had in the cupboard) and almond butter (cus yum) and a few more dates than stated as had a few left over from the stated amount and it seemed a shame not to throw them in. Love the versatility of these kinds of recipes, thank you minimalist baker for another blinder.

So delicious and satisfying. My husband even likes. I made it as directed with agave. Tonight is my second time making it and is definitely a go to for me. My neighbor loves it too. Thank You!!

I tried this recipe but with a minor change, and it turned out SO good! Disclaimer: I quartered all amounts because I was low on almonds.
The only recipe change was replacing healthier sweeteners with brown sugar (not packed) as this is what I had (I added some water to the pot to compensate for dryness). The almonds and oats were roasted per suggestion. I put it in a 4×4 inch dish lined and covered with parchment paper.
It’s currently cooling but I tried some from the spoon amd let me tell you, the combination of flavours was immaculate.
I would recommend the recipe to anyone looking for a relatively healthy and very tasty granola bar.

Delicious. Used watermelon seed butter instead of almond and used one cup of oats and half cup Ezekial cereal, Date syrup instaead of maple.

I made this and followed to a T, exactly how the recipe was written except I used raisins instead of dates and opted for honey. I thought that the peanut butter and honey wouldn’t stick with the oats (I also toasted with raw almonds). However, after taking out of the fridge, these were perfect. The oats help to hold it all together. Brilliant and easy recipe. Follow as written and you’ll have no problems. I’ll try again and add in other nuts. Thanks!

These are pretty easy (the food processor really helps with the dates), and I like that this recipe is so substitute-friendly. I chopped my almonds some and added chocolate chips. Quite tasty-even my picky husband likes them!

Wow! Just WOW!!! So very yummy and easy to make! I used maple syrup and did not add any of the optional ingredients but will experiment with these in the future. Never buying granola bars again! I had to put these in the freezer so I am not tempted to eat them every time I see them.

I’ve made these quite a few times using different mix-ins, nut butters, etc and they are delicious every time. I cut mine into bars, then individually wrap them in parchment, and keep them in the fridge. They last me about a week. Great, reliable recipe!

Hello, thank you for this recipe! I made these and they are indeed delicious, although they are far too sweet for my taste… I used the metric measurements. I reduced the amount of honey given since dates are already inherently sweet (I used a gorgeous date paste brought from Tunisia) and it was still too much for me, but I believe this is a matter of personal taste. I added a bit more oats and almonds to add a bit of bulk and counterbalance the sweetness. Next time I make these (because I will!) I will halve the amount of honey and add a bit more nut butter if the dough needs more binding. Overall an excellent recipe!!!

Stellar! I didn’t have dates, so I subbed 1/2 cup prunes (pulsed in food processor), 1/3 cup dried cranberries, and a few Tbs fig butter. Added chia and flax seeds, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, a few dashes of cinnamon. Used honey and maple syrup. A dash of sea salt. Roasted the almonds/oats/flax/pecans. Such a wonderful base recipe and easy to tweak to suit your taste! Thanks so much!!

These granola bars are super delicious, easy and quick to make. They are much better than the ones from the store.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.

Super simple and absolutely delicious! Thank you!

Love these so easy and Yummy xx

Great recipe. I happened across this recipe a few weeks ago and just made my third batch today. Great for a quick snack. I used local honey and dried, un-sweetened cranberries for the fruit. The batch lasts me and my wife about a week, so time for a trip to the market for mare dates and nuts. Might try the next batch with pecans.

This is an amazing granola bar for my husband who is a cyclist! I use Trader Joe’s Sunflower Seed Spread Unsweetened with agave and it tastes just like peanut butter! I also added crushed pecans and unsweetened shredded coconut. This recipe is so helpful because my husband is allergic to honey, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and soy. Those ingredients seem to be in most protein bars on the market. Thank you so much! We love it!

the recipe is great! at first i thought it would be too sweet and i was reluctant with the nut butter but they were delicious, thank you for the recipe!

These are excellent! I just pulled my batch out of the freezer and want to devour the pan. But I will exercise discipline! I roasted almonds and pepita seeds (so good for you) and sprinkled just a tad of ground sea salt on top. The salt blends wonderfully with the sweet (I used non salted almond butter).
Thank you for sharing!

Debi

This recipe was delicious & easy to make. I made a few batches but added different dried fruit to each batch.

My son (6) and I love to experiment in the kitchen and since he has food sensitivities, it’s often important for us to come up with “alternative” things for him to eat. This was a home run on all fronts! He used his creative brain to come up with something he thought he’d enjoy and I used this as the template for his dream. He can’t have oats or gluten so we crushed up his favorite GF pretzels, chopped almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, then used the recipe for the peanut butter, honey, and date base to hold it all together. Then he decided a drizzle of chocolate would go well on top (with a little lift from some Nutella-like product). Absolutely amazing. And so easy and fun for a daddy-son activity. My 3yo son even helped!

I have made these many, many times because my grandchildren love them and ask for them over and over. I use honey because I like the taste better than the maple syrup. I have found that it’s much easier to melt the peanut butter and honey in a large bow in the microwave, then add the oats, etc. to that. I also add vanilla and a lot of cinnamon, and usually use pecans. Thanks for this recipe!

I couldn’t get dates so used prunes instead. Worked brilliantly.

I have made these many, many times over the past few years and they are fantastic. We even put them in our resupply shipments on a 28 day backpacking trip and they hold up really well. I also add sunflower and pumpkin seeds and M&M’s for the extra calories on the trail but these bars are the bomb!

Incredible. The most delicious bar I have had and SO easy. We subbed out the PB for sunflower butter and the almonds for pumpkin seeds, and threw in some chocolate chips and ground flax. Recommendation for toasting the oats first was spot on. Would like to find a way to decrease the amount of sugar without compromising the texture, but I love that aside from the chocolate chips we threw in there’s no refined sugar. 10/10 recipe.

Very easy to make.
My whiz broke down, so I mashed the rest of the dates on a cutting board using a fork. A bit time consuming, but I liked the mashed version to the whized, as it was easier to control the texture.

I used a 1.75 litre/59 oz Systema plastic oblong container to “mould” the slice into, (and use for storage).
That made the bar a little thicker. I cut them into 8 strips, and then halved them again which made them perfect for me.
I will definitely make this recipe again.

Soooo good! I just added dark chocolate chips. Great texture and flavor!

Hello! This recipe was great! I am looking for healthier snack options for my kiddo. My 5-year old helped me make these. We used almond butter and a mix of nuts we had on hand. Toasting was a great added step. I thought they would be too sticky but they are great and easy to handle. Cut them and wrapped them in wax paper. Ready for the lunchboxes! Will definitely make these again and we’re excited to add more to the mix!

I don’t ever comment on a recipe (first for everything 🤷‍♀️) we have been making these every week for about a year now, only thing I do differently is melt 200g of 70% dark chocolate with 2 tblsp coconut oil and spread over the top, Delicious.
Thank you

I literally make these every single weekend for breakfast at work during the week. The only difference is that I make them into balls and roll them in either cocoa powder or cinnamon. They’re so convenient and I add something different every time to keep it interesting. I can just open the jar, pop one into my mouth, then run back to work. Love love love this and can’t live without them!

I made this recipe today. After trying others I found this to be the be the best. I added coconut, chia seeds, walnuts and cranberries. I used apple butter and also toasted the oats, almonds and coconut. Thank you for this recipe, I love it.

The absolute best vegan granola bar hands down and they keep me full through lunchtime when I eat them for breakfast.

Don’t comment on these too often, but these are amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe! I have been making these weekly and eating them in the middle of the night when feeding baby. Great hit of energy and breastfeeding goodness. I add dark chocolate and cranberries, and love the toastiness of the oats

This recipe is now a favourite of mine. It’s an awesome base to have a lot of fun. I added in about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and the same for vanilla, a handfull dried cranberries and dried apple plus a pinch of salt. I didn’t have almonds so I used crushed pecans and walnuts. Oh and chocolate chips. Next time I want to do a drizzle of of dark plus white chocolate to make it all super fancy.

These have become a staple in our household – so easy to make and such a delicious snack to get through the workday!

I always make them with chocolate chips and goji berries, so so good!

I have one every day – they have lots of protein so are fantastic for veggies/vegans, plus I add a load of pumpkin seeds. My food processor isn’t great, so I add the maple syrup in when blitzing the dates and just melt the peanut butter on its own, which helps makes the mixture much smoother.

I make this once a week. I toast my nuts and oatmeal. It gives it a fuller, richer flavor. I never even use any of the maple syrup or honey. I have added a ripe banana before I’ve added raisins I’ve added craisins I’ve added chopped dried apricots all different sorts of nuts. It’s so versatile and super delicious!!!
Thanx!!