Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

Did this and subbed the dates for sultanas. Blended them till they were a purée to hold them together. Worked very well!!

Insanely delicious, and so easy to customize. I like adding raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, chia seeds and coconut, and using various nuts. I’m seriously addicted. Can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe.

I have made these twice and toasted the almonds, not the oats….YUMMMM. Even my 9 y.o. daughter, who loves her Kashi granola bars, loves these better! Thank you thank you thank you!

Hi, Dana!
Thanks for this simple but very yummy recipe.
For a vegane version, I took rice syrup instead of honey. And, as it was not sticky enough, I added a little bit more rice syrup.
I used my new Tup***ware bar formers (4 quite big bars which should be cut in halfs or 4 parts when they are ouf the bar former) and, with the rest of the pastry, I used my new Tup***ware molding tower set (6 bottoms of the form are covered with pastry and in the deep freezer for a later use as first layer of a delicious dessert with whipped cream …).
Greetings from Germany (Bavaria).

I had just dehydrated figs, apples, and bananas. They were great chopped, and added in.

Thank you! I’m always on the lookout for a fast, nutritious, efficient breakfast! These are delicious, but next time I’m going to use half the honey. Gorgeous photography, it was very motivating!

These are great! Made them with raisins, had no dates. I think I would like to try figs next time? Everyone loved them.
I toasted the oats and almonds and rough chopped the almonds and threw in a handful of oats with the raisins while processing. Great recipe, fully customizable.

These granola bars are absolutely amazing. I have made them several times and each time have been asked for the recipe. With the last batch I made, I topped them with melted 70% dark chocolate and they were awesome.

I made these this morning, with the addition of a tablespoon each of chia seeds and ground flaxseed, and about 1/4 cup dried cranberries. I also lightly toasted the oats and nuts. I enjoyed them, but they were good, not great.

The bars held together well for me without refrigeration. I simmered the honey for about a minute or two to evaporate a little liquid before adding the peanut butter. I let it cool on the counter for 5 min before cutting. Not crumbly at all.

Tip: add the date paste to the pot after the peanut butter has melted, and heat together until it’s pliable. This makes it easier to combine the wet and dry teams.

Made these the other day and was so impressed with the results. My bars tasted so yummy and have now disappeared within a couple of days. Two of my friends have since tried the recipe and fallen in love also so thank-you for introducing me to food-heaven once again!

I made these awesome granola bars on the weekend. They were huge hit with my husband too. I love that they dont require baking (though I did toast the oats). I didn’t have almonds on hand so subbed in some trail mix (seeds + raisins mainly) and they still hold together perfectly!

I made these today. They tasted absolutely incredible. The bars included: toasted almonds, banana chips and coconut. Here are some tips that I thought would be of help to the recipe.

1. Not everyone has a food processor. And to save washing extra bowls and dishes from the food processor, you can simmer the dates in a little bit of water to soften them so they become a paste. Stir frequently, adding water as needed. I added vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Then I stirred in the peanut butter and honey.

2. I mixed the oats with the dried fruit and nuts, and then added the liquid mixture.

Next time I will make these, I will take out the honey and add coconut butter or coconut oil. I found these bars to be sweet enough with the dates. Having another stabilizer (coconut) will hold these bars together a little better. I found that, even after pressing them down firmly, they were slightly on the crumbly side.

Made these tonight and they turned out great! Thanks! I did make a few modifications… I pulsed 1/4 cup of oats with the dates in the food processor (not sure if it did any good because I still got a ball). I subbed 1/4 cup of the oats with 1/4 cup ground flax meal. Then, instead of mixing by hand, I put everything back in the food processor and pulsed until fully combined. The oats were chopped up, but they bars held together perfectly and were delicious! I used maple syrup instead of honey and didn’t add any almonds. There are so many possibilities with these bars! I might try using undentured grass-fed whey protein powder in my next batch. Also, since coconut oil is naturally a little sweet, you might be able to use 2 tbsp of coconut oil and 2 tbsp of sweetener to cut down on the sugar content. Thanks again!

I used to love granola bars, but stopped buying them because of the number of ingredients and high sugar content, etc. So I was excited to find and try this recipe. These granola bars are excellent! Very tasty, and very easy to make. I add 1 Tbsp or so of Chia seed for some omega 3, but other than that have made it as posted. My 3 and 5 year old enjoy them too, which is a major plus. Thanks for this recipe!

My daughter – karinthia and myself just made these !!!

I made these for my lunch! They are so delish! I used less honey and rather when melting the homemade peanut butter I added some cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. I then cut up a small bar of 85% dark choc and stirred it when the mix was still warm. Heaven!! I am never ever buying any form of lunch bar from the supermarket again :).

I just made these for the first time and they are so simple and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

These are so good! I could gobble up the whole pan.
I didn’t use a food processor. It worked just chopping the dates.
Yum!

These are fantastic! I have made several homemade granola bars over the years that are always just mediocre. Not this recipe! These are fantastic, and much more whole food based than store bought bars. These will be a staple in our house for years to come. I individually wrapped them and am storing them in the freezer for easy grab and go snacks. Thanks!!

Hello!
This is a great and easy recipe to follow. I made these with my husband today and couldnt wait to taste them. They are delicious. It also makes us happy to be able to make these at home using our favorite ingredients. I only used one cup of oats and a little extra honey and peanut butter and the bars still came out yumm. Thank you! ;)

I just wanted to tell you how great this recipe is! My kids love them (in spite of the dates). I also found a place to get date paste from, so instead of 1 cup of pitted dates, processed, I use 2/3 cup of the paste. (I figured it out by measuring how much date “paste” was after processing.) I also appreciate the fact that you don’t have to bake them, and that there’s no junk in them. Thanks again!

I made these tonight with prunes (all I could find…) and they turned out delicious! None of the flavors are overwhelming (mainly I was concerned that peanut butter can be a really strong flavor in granola bars) and it turned out amazing! I would suggest, like others, putting some oats in the food processor with the dried fruit (dates/prunes/raisins) to help blend it up…I put a few almonds in there too and I like how it affected the texture of the granola. Yum. Can’t wait to try it with other dried fruit!

I just discovered your site, and love it (and the amazing photography). Just made these granola bars. They are delicious. I didn’t have dates, so substituted them with figs (Turkish Smyrna from Trader Joe’s). I used raw almonds, but mixed in some salted cashews to add back a little sodium. They held together nicely, although will crumble if handled too much (I will try soaking the figs for a little while before processing next time). Even without soaking, the figs turned into a nice ball of stickiness, which worked very well, and there is just a hint of fig taste. I shaved some 72% dark chocolate on top for an added treat and antioxidants. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. I am on to try out the black bean brownies.

Dana,

Thank you SO much for such a simple yet healthy & delicious recipe. It’s truly what keeps me coming back to your website because you do live up to the name of minimalist in your recipes. I find it hard to spend a lot of time in the kitchen creating something, only to devour it in minutes, and your recipes streamline that process for me.

I’ve made this recipe twice for my family and it’s fabulous– I use half the recommended amount of dates, double the peanut butter/almond butter + large coconut flakes. My husband truly can’t believe how easy & tasty it is to make our own granola bar.

Thanks once again for the inspiration ; )

Oh my…just made these and they are FANTASTIC. I didn’t have enough dates on hand so I did a 50/50 mix of dates and dried medjool figs, which turned out perfectly. I added some sunflower seed kernels, a handful of dried cranberries, and some M&Ms because….well, chocolate. Great for someone who’s trying to stay GF!

They were amazing!!! The only thing I changed was instead of using a whole cup of almonds, I added 1/4 cup almonds, then mixed in some chopped walnuts, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds. I definitely recommend roasting the almonds, it gives it a very nice crunch. The chia seeds add a different texture to these and also provides the nutritional value. I’ll be making more of these very soon for my whole family! I wish I had known about this recipe years ago, can’t believe I have been buying the crappy garnola bars from stores and wasting my money. These taste way better than any store bought garnola bar. I am trying to lose weight at the moment, otherwise I think chocolate chips would have been a great addition.

Hi there, I have been meaning to try this recipe for quite awhile and after finally getting all the ingredients together I finally got my chance. I must say they are absolutely amazing. I too loved granola but since going gluten free I could no longer enjoy it and have been searching for some healthy alternatives.

I used maple syrup instead of honey and added a little butter to the liquid since it looked like there may have not been enough. I also used 2 cups of oats and ground 1 cup in the food processor after toasting them in the oven. I also added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. I toasted the almonds with the oats and gave them a rough chop as well.

Thanks for sharing this recipe, it will definitely become a staple in our home. Keep up the good work!
Rick

I love these bars. Make them about every two weeks for my kids lunch boxes. Healthy and fun to make. I use a rolling pin to smooth them out and then cut them. My son tells me they look more “normal” !
Cant wait to try some other recipes from the site. Oh…and also…the photography is just fabulous. Thanks again!

I don’t typically have dates in the house so I took a chance and used d’noir prunes – worked great!

Got it into my head to make these, but realized I didn’t have the dates when I went to the pantry. Substituted with 1/2 figs, 1/2 dried apricots and they are outstanding. Love that they are no bake and lots of versatility with ingredients.

I had to come back and say how much I LOVED these! I did everything as described (almost). I thought the mixture was a bit dry and was afraid it wouldn’t come together, so I added some extra honey, but suspect it wasn’t necessary. Will trust the recipe next time. We costed these out and figure it was about $0.30 per bar to make, and could probably do it for even cheaper. So delicious, healthy and affordable! Thank you!

Delicious!! Thanks, Dana!! I, too, prefer roasted nuts and oats. Still a very quick and simple recipe, though. Had some crumbling apart, maybe I should have soaked the dates……?

Thank you so much for sharing this granola bar recipe. I have made some before from a New York Times recipe. It was good, but I do not like to use a lot of sugar. So I am always modifying recipes, is my son is allergic to nuts. Your recipe hit the spot. I already add spices to sunflower seed butter so it tastes better so adding it to your recipe was awesome. My son loves these bars. I didn’t have any dried fruit except goji berries and I added pepita seeds instead of almonds. We just finished a class and pulled out our tray and cut ourselves a bar. Thanks again!

Tried these the other night and they are awesome!

Dana, was looking for something simple and healthy, like a little scrub brush for the tummy! And this sounded like it. They turned out fantastic, what made it easy for me is I placed all dry ingredients into the warm pan with the honey and peanut butter mixture and wha la everything was covered and mix evenly. I also did 1/2 maple and 1/2 honey along with pecans and almonds. oh delicious!!! Thanks so much!

these are WONDERFUL! i’ve made 3 batches of them just in the last few weeks as they are irresistible and so easy to eat on the go (college student here!).

one thing i would suggest is to put the cut up dates (i don’t own a food processor so i do it by hand) in the pot with the honey and peanut butter. when i tried to add the dates afterward the bars would not stick together. when i put the honey, pb and dates all in the hot pan at once, they bind together perfectly.

I made some last week and they were PERFECT! Thank you for this amazing recipe. They were a huge hit with my family too — the whole batch was gone in a day. I noticed some comments about the bars being crumbly and added an extra 1/4 cup of dates just to be safe and they held together beautifully.

I made these with prunes instead of dates. and I added cocoa powder. they were amazing!

I love these and so does my family. To make a nut free version I substituted out the peanut butter for soy butter and put in chocolate instead of the almonds. Perfect for the kids lunches! Thanks again for the idea and the yummy at home original peanut kind!

Just started The Daniel Plan with my small group and while grocery shopping a little more carefully than usual, I had the sudden urge to make my own granola bars for my mid-morning snack at work. Luckily I came across your recipe fairly quickly since I was blocking up the grocery lanes searching :). I have attempted making granola bars once before and the family was not impressed with the results. Yours, though, was a WIN with the hubby! I think the key difference was toasting up the almonds and oats. Definitely gave a great flavor. We only added raisins this time because none of the other dried fruit was on sale. Two things to look into now: (1) a similar recipe minus any nut butter (for the picky one – not allergic) (2) a place to find dates and nuts at a less expensive price!

These were wonderful!!!! My health food store was out of dates, so I used raisins, and I used pecans instead of almonds. I also added 1 – 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds. This is what I did to get them to stay together: I placed a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough in the pan and pressed, and then I took a can of soup and rolled it around on top of the plastic while pressing down on the can. After refrigerating awhile, they cut apart beautifully, and they maintained their shape for almost a week, without refrigeration, until I finished them off. The last bar tasted as fresh and delicious as the first.

I have made these bars twice now and my husband just loves them. I don’t have a food processor. So, I processed the dates in a blender with a little bit of water and though they didn’t become a ball like yours, the bars themselves set just fine. Also, I toasted the oats and almonds on low heat on my cast iron pan. Was just perfect – thanks Dana!

Best bars ever!!! For vegan option use agave. I’m allergic to peanuts so we use cashew butter. Even better tasting from those people that have made both. Also swapped out the Medjool dates for the parnoosh ones from Walmart that come in the square tub. And 1 other ingredient added, organic natural vanilla extract. Adds a nice touch.

Once completed usually cut up into 1 inch squares from a double batch and makes about 100 pieces. Storing in freezer in tub for up to 2 weeks as well. Everyone in the triathlon club we are in has said they are the best bars they have ever had! And they all want the recipe. 3-4 pieces make a great energy boost when training or a mid-morning/afternoon snack. Well done on the recipe!

I have just made a batch of these for the first time and couldn’t resist trying one. Omg they are delicious! And so easy to make. I didn’t quite have enough dates so made the rest up with apricots and raisins. Totally yummy and they stayed together perfectly. These will definitely be a regular nibble in our home. Thank you so much :)

Anna

I made these for the first time 3 weeks ago… Absolutely Chewy Deliciousness! They are now packed in everyone’s lunch every day.. My husband & son love them! I make a separate batch for myself replacing the honey with maple syrup, just as delicious!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!

This was the recipe that originally drew me to your blog and I finally made them today. I toasted the oats, used organic raw almonds, almond butter and agave. They taste great and I will be taking them with me as I travel for work this week to give me a healthy snack while abroad! Thanks for the great recipe!!

These turned out great! I don’t have a food processor, so I cut up the dates and put them in a blender–it turned them into the appropriate doughy consistency. I made sure to mix all the ingredients VERY WELL–I could see how they would be crumbly if you do not mix well enough. Also make sure to very firmly press them into the baking pan and freeze for 15 minutes to harden. Delicious!

OK…..just made these with my 3 year old daughter and we LOVE them! I am always looking for healthy new snacks for not only her but for me and my Hubby as well.

I only had unsalted crunchy almond butter on hand so I used that but I added some granulated “Himalayan Sea Salt” to bring out the flavors of everything! This salt is very healthy for you and I cook with it so I figured “why not”! I also added just a little dried pomegranate to give it a bit of tartness!

These are DELISH! So happy I found your website! I am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes!

Made these tonight! Came out perfect, but I definitely broke a sweat. Was not the easiest recipe for being minimalistic, but certainly will enjoy them for the rest of the week.

GENIUS! So delicious. And I was able to process the dates decently in my Nutribullet. Nice to be able to make a “clean” snack that hits my sweet AND salty tooth at the same time. THANKS!

I made these last night. V simple and they did look like the picture in the recipe! I blitzed my almonds for 30secs just for ease of cutting up later. Being British, I have just bought some cups (we don’t normally use these in the UK ) so for once, I didn’t have to try to convert everything into metric for hours!

My main tip would be to use the base of the cup to flatten and press down the mix so that it is compact, flat and smooth and as the recipe says, definitely line your tin with paper to avoid having a nervous breakdown removing the bars! I had a 9×9 inch tin, but as I added around a cup of mixed dry fruit, it worked fine.

My husband likes them and has them in his packed lunch today – a sure sign of success! Salted hint works really well too.

These are so delicious. I added dark chocolate chips and chopped all the ingredients together. I don’t think I’d buy commercial granola bars again. My friend even raved that they were delicious.
I love your site. Thank you so much for sharing these great recipes.

Couldn’t sleep last night so decided to make granola bars for my daughter who leaves home without eating breakfast. These are the best easiest most delicious bars I have ever tasted. I only had raisins and sunflower butter. Worked perfectly. Thanks so much.

These were the best granola bars I have ever eaten. I added a few splashes of vanilla and replaced almonds with roughly chopped cashews. The kids were begging me for more. Even my 3 year old wanted to make a meal out of them. Thank you for posting this recipe!

I’ve made these twice and they were perfect both times! I only had prunes so I used them instead of dates. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.

Sooo – I love these. I’ve made them several times, and I just have to tell you a fun modification I made – I used Craisins instead of dates – OMG. SOOOOOOOOOO good. So there’s a fun variation!!! :) Thanks for the recipe, these are my go-to quick snacks – Gluten free (I have Celiac), delicious, and healthy! :)