Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

I love these bars! I added unsweetened coconut flakes to the bars and also coconut oil and almond extract to the almond butter/ honey mixture and it tastes amazing! Thank you for the recipe!

Love this recipe, in fact the whole family does.
I’ve not really deviated from the recipe other than sometimes using crunchy peanut butter when I don’t have smooth! I don’t notice a difference.
A great snack, but unfortunately they don’t last long in the house and they are gone usually within 1 day!!

These nutty bars are really tasty and go down well with all the family. I found that by adding the softened honey and peanut butter to the dates in the blender helped to process the mixture more easily. Thank you for the recipe – just off to make my next batch!

Love this recipe! I added a bit more dates and opted for natural peanut butter (no sweetner) They are perfect! Love this for an easy snack.

Made these Yesterday! Easy! And my 5 year old and husband both liked it. Was only trying it because the price of purchasing pre-made bars are very expensive when you look at the price per an ounce! Thank you!

These are super easy and absolutely delicious! However I still found after putting in the freezer the bars didn’t hold their shape. Great taste though overall !

TO DIE FOR! Easy and quick. I didn’t have enough dates so I filled out with raisins and dried cherries, worked like a charm. To make it easier for the food processor to process the fruit, I added 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt, and made the flavor even more fantastic. I also subbed walnuts for almonds. I found it too hard to mix by hand in the last mixing step, so I just put all ingredients back into the food processor to combine, not caring that this would grind some of the ingredients more and produce a different texture. I skipped lining the pan with parchment paper and just sprayed it with coconut oil, and they lifted out beautifully. So excited to try all the possible variations!

I made this recipe for my elderly parents. They live in the Czech Republic, so I was worried about finding almond butter (my mother doesn’t like peanut butter). Fortunately, I was able to find almond butter in a health store. I crushed the almonds into small pieces, and used honey instead of maple syrup or agave. The honey made it a little sweeter than I would have liked it, but they are devouring it. I will make some more before I leave.

Where did you get the wood bowl from? It’s beautiful

The ratios of granola, honey and nut butter were perfect.

When using your automatically generated email to go to the website, none of the links are working. It directs me to: email.e.minimalistbaker.com
But then the page is blank. I’m using my phone. Not sure why, but i thought I’d let you know.

This granola bar recipe was a GREAT guide!
I used dehydrated cranberries instead of dates.
I also used a mix nut butter that wasn’t 100% smooth. I also added a mix of sprouted and raw grains.
I loved that your amounts of nut butter and honey were perfect! I did add more of both as i added more ingredients.
I also baked it for about 25 minutes at 350.
This was delicious. I use this recipe as a guide every time now.

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This granola bar recipe was a GREAT guide!
I used dehydrated cranberries instead of dates.
I also used a mix nut butter that wasn’t 100% smooth. I also added a mix of sprouted and raw grains.
I loved that your amounts of nut butter and honey were perfect! I did add more of both as i added more ingredients.
I also baked it for about 25 minutes at 350.
This was delicious. I use this recipe as a guide every time now.

This is the only granola bar recipe I use! It is so delicious and so easy to make. I mix it up a lot – I’ve added combinations of flax seed, hemp hearts, chia seeds, dried cherries, dried cranberries, cocoa powder, chocolate chips (really good if you melt them with the peanut butter!), shredded coconut (toasted with the almonds and oats), pepitas, sunflower seeds, substituted almond butter – the possibilities are endless and they’re all fabulous! And sometimes if the dried fruit is to big, I process it with the dates. Thanks so much for sharing this and so many other great recipes!!

This was an awesome recipe and so tasty! I made the nuts diced though, just my preference really.

I added chocolat chips as suggested (who says no to an optional chocolate chip add-in anyways…) to the mix while still warm with toasted oats and nuts and melted peanut butter and maple syrup. It melted through everything and hardened back once in the fridge. The result is amazing! I was looking for something to replace my daily trip to the coffee downstairs for a sweet pick-me up snack, and this really does it for me. Also I found out mid-recipe that I was out of almonds, so I replaced with half peanuts, half cashews (which I roasted with the oats). Cannot wait to try it again with almonds next time! Oh and please, double the batch. So easy once everything is out, and so worth it.

I find that adding the dates to the melted PB mixture helps the dates spread around and helps everything stick together.

I’ve made these several times and they come out perfect. They are so delicious, all the family love them. I have to hide them away because I don’t want to share them.

I made this recipe and LOVE the result! Although mine came out a little differently. I did not want to gum up my food processor with the dates, so I just minced them up.
They were a little on the dry side, but I did not soak them, I also added a handful of minced dried apricots. As a result, my bars were crumbly and didn’t stick together. So I added another 1/4 cup of peanut butter and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Then I squished the mixture into small balls (messy but fun) and put them in the refrigerator. They are delicious, don’t crumble and are small enough for stealing one a couple times a day without feeling guilty!

My new FAVORITE granola bar recipe! I subbed almond butter for peanut butter,sunflower and pumpkin seeds for almonds, added shaved coconut flakes, and sprinkled toasted cocoa nibs on the top and pressed in…..the perfect granola bar! Definitely need to use a heaping cup of packed dates to ensure the bar stays together.
I have shared this recipe with several friends and family. Thanks!

Best granola bars ever! I will not be buying granola bars ever again!

Amazing bars! So much better than store bought and they were super easy to make too. We are hooked!

So yummy and very easy to make. I just melted everything apart from the oats and nuts in a large pan over slow heat and then added the dry ingredients and put into a loaf tin and chilled for 30 minutes and they came out perfect. I cant believe that they can charge at least £2 to £3 for one of these bars.

I made them last week and I totally recommend these as they are in the recipe :-) I love cranberries so I added a fistful of them as well.
The bars were perfect!
I must say that I also tried your Thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam tonight and they were delectable!
Thank you so much Dana for sharing recipes that actually work from the first attempt ! The ingredients are perfect and everything is more than clear.

Great recipe. I use Prunes instead of dates and add a drop of water to help them blend. For the cup of nuts, I use half a cup of seeds (pumpkin & sunflower), and half a cup of nuts (walnuts), with a little extra peanut butter to bind it (I use 1/3 cup not 1/4). Then I freeze them in 9 portions, and take one out for my breakfast every day, defrosted and ready to eat by the time I get to work!

This was super easy to make and so delicious. Everyone in my family especially my 2 teen girls loved it…Plus I have tried so many recipes…and this is the only one that i was able cut it into bars without crumbling them…thank you. Definitely a keeper

Wanted a snack today and was looking for something quick and easy to make. This looked like a good recipe to try, but I didn’t have dates so I substituted cranberries and tried to correct the moisture issue by adding 2 tablespoons of butter to my honey/PB mixture and melting it all together. They’re in the freezer now and I can’t wait to taste them! Will let you know how they turn out!

These are the best bars and so easy. I have made them many times, finished another batch today. My kids love them. I only use 1/8 cup of honey and unsalted mixed nuts – cashews, pistachios, pecans and almonds from Costco. Roast and chop them by hand. Putting them in the food processor to chop results in too much nut powder and your bars won’t hold together. Going to try them with figs next. Love your recipes. Thanks!

Great recipe!! Added chocolate chips, cranberries, and raisins. My family loves it!

First time making these. I only had 120g of dates so added them in with the peanut butter and maple syrup and crushed them with a wooden spoon as they were melting; (goodness knows how sweet this would be with the right quantity of dates!). I added in a couple of handfuls of rice crispies and a handful of mixed seeds to the oats. I also didn’t have almonds so replaced the quantity with mixed nuts (blitzed in the food processor). I’m very impressed….. After 15 mins in the freezer they are moist, chewy and delicious and holding their shape well. Next time I’d be tempted to add in choc chips, but that would be over indulgent for an already sweet treat!

I made this recipe and it was delicious ! I mixed the date paste with the honey and peanut butter in the casserole which made the overall paste less sticky, more consistent and easier to handle! I added as well chopped hazelnut and peacan to the almonds
My colleagues loved them!

I made these and rolled them into walnut sized ‘protein balls’ which was the perfect size for a quick snack. I also used about a third of the amount of honey suggested as the dates make them really sweet. They still stuck together well. The recipe made about 22 balls.

Excellent vegan recipes. I used a combination of almonds, pecans and cashews via a food processor. I toasted them with the oats. I used agave nectar. Yummy!!

These were excellent and easy to make. My toddler loves them! I used a mix of dates and prunes (soaked for a bit before pulverizing) plus half walnut pieces half almond slices and to make them even healthier I added hemp seeds and ground chia, plus mixed in a scoop of spirulina to the peanut butter and honey. They are definitely sweet, and a little sticky but they held together. Thanks for the recipe!

Very adaptable straightforward recipe, thank you. I substituted with dried figs, pecans, rice malt syrup (as a mild sweetener) and unhulled tahini.

I made these but used raw almonds and raw oats and instead of putting them in the fridge i backed them in the oven for 10 minutes on 180’c. They are delicious and look and feel like a proper granola bar!

These taste sooooo good but I didn’t have a food processor so I made the date paste with a paring knife and my bare hands ,and instead of peanut butter I used almond butter, and added dried cranberries ,also I could eat the warm maple – almond butter mix straight outta the pan! imagine eating that on French toast or pancakes mmmmmm… yum.

I just made these and actually decided to bake them for about 15mins until golden!! Wow… yum so delicious!! Also added coconut flakes & dried cranberry. A big winner :)

My family loves this recipe! It’s so healthy. I always add chia seeds and sometimes flaxseed meal. It just makes it healthier and maybe keeps you fuller longer. To help the extra ingredients stick together I add a little more peanut butter and honey.

I made these bars and took them with us at the weekend when we went away in our motor home. We had one with a coffee on Saturday afternoon, my husband said they reminded him of a Picnic bar minus the chocolate! He loves them and so do I. I toasted the oats and almonds which I think gave the bars an extra crunch. I will be making these again for sure. Thanks for the recipe. X

Greeting from Germany.
I replaced the peanut butter with Tahina (sesame seed paste), because I’m allergic.
The same for the almonds which I replaced with sunflower seeds. I toasted the sunflower seeds and the oats in a pan to get them nice and brown.
The endresult is hands down the best snack I ever made. Sweet, crunchy with a nice touch of fruit.
Thanks for the amazing recipe, this is going to be a staple in my kitchen for years to come.

I made this but I didn’t have dates (going to go get some today) so I used the dried fruit blend I had (apricots, mango, pineapple, kiwi, cherries and apples).
When I pressed the mixture into the pan and it was almost flattened, I sprinkled the top with coconut (I had it and needed to use it up) and that helped press down the rest of the mixture without sticking to the spatula and added a nice flavor. I will for sure make this again. Next time I might try another nut butter instead of peanut butter for a bit of variety and maybe press in chocolate chips with or instead of the coconut. Thanks for posting this. As a busy mom who tries to be frugal and healthy, this is going on my list of yummy quick snacks. ????

I used raisins instead of dates, also I added some toasted coconut. They were awesome.

Too sweet for me! I think next time I’ll try skipping the maple syrup and adding more almond or peanut butter

These are great! I couldn’t find dates easily at the grocery store I went to, so I replaced them with pitted prunes and that worked really well…my toddler loves them and he’s less constipated :-)

Thank you for this amazing recipe. My son is vegan and I’m grateful for this recipe. Like others, they taste amazing – I toasted the oats and the almonds as suggested. My almonds may have gotten a little too toasty and it didn’t matter.

My dates were slightly old so I soaked them for almost 30 minutes in hot water, then chopped them and put them in the food processor. I ended up using my hands and mixed all the ingredients together after pouring the warm peanut butter/agave on them. I used half the agave called for which results in a less sweet bar that works great for me.

I used the parchment paper to line the 8 inch pan as suggested, evened them out after i pushed them into the pan by putting another piece of parchment over them and then rolled a glass acrossed them to press them into the pan. Then I put an ice pack over them and left them in the freezer for about an hour.

The result was a delicious granola recipe and unfortunately not a bar as I was hoping. That’s fine by me as it’s so good and I’ll hopefully eat less of them. I was able to cut them but then when I moved them, they fell apart. I see many people have this problem and from the comments I’ve read. If anyone has ideas for how to make these stick together, I’d love them.

I’m thinking of rolling them into smaller energy balls to see if that will help and will let you guys know.

Love this recipe! What a wonderful one. My go-to granola bar recipe cz its healthy and delicious! Made it on the weekends for meal prep. I soemtimes experiment on adding different nuts and more seeds, this time i tried to make it grain- free using sunflower and pumpkin seeds. It’s still in the process, am excited abt how its going to turn out. :) Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe! Lots of love :)

These are delicious. Thank you for sharing :) I made these yesterday and am trying my hardest not to eat the full batch in one go!

These bars are lovely!! I added pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, dried coconut and put 1/3 cup maple syrup and they turned out perfect!

Gave these my best shot! The dates i used were very determined not to blend! I broke my food processor and then decided to do the hot water thing with dates which worked. I blended them in my NutriNinja. The rest of the ingredients worked out fine – but 19 grams of sugar is almost the whole day’s safe reccommended amount of sugar (24g) in the diet! I wonder if there is any way to make these healthier?
Look forward to trying them.

I rolled my granola into balls for easy serving. Worked great!

We make this recipe a lot and find it’s easy to switch up as we wish! I melt the nut butter and honey together to make a liquidy base before blending it with the dates in my Vitamix. Keeps it simple. Also – I just made it using prunes and raisins instead of dates, and it worked great and is delicious. Thanks for such an awesome recipe Dana!

Just made these. Doubled the recipe, used pitted prunes, added 2 scoops chocolate peanut butter protein powder, used almonds, cashews and hazelnuts (coarsely chopped in food processor), and sunflower seeds. Was able to put it all on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and used a rolling pin to flatten out and compress bars. They’re in the fridge now cooling and hopefully solidifying. Can’t wait to try them. Sooooo much versatility to this recipe. Thank you!

This was excellent – easy to make and totally delicious. I put a generous pinch of salt and it really brings out the flavour. I didn’t chop the almonds and didn’t toast them either. My oven isn’t working so I lightly pan-browned the oats for quick while. Like some others I also don’t have a food processor (is it a miracle I’m able to make anything?) but I had medjool dates which I soaked in hot water for a little bit, drained, squeezed excess water out and then squished them by hand. It all worked out well. I also threw in some dried cranberries. So tasty – and if you do the math, they are cheaper than the granola bars you buy in a box, not to mention healthier.

Thank you for this recipe! I followed all the instructions and just added chocolate chips the very first time, it was awesome! Made it again within days, added chocolate chips and apricot this time… can’t wait to eat it! Simple, easy and way better than any store brought granola! Toasting the oats and almonds is essential!

Thank you for this recipe! So easy to make & using ingredients I already had in my cupboard. The flavour of the roasted almonds is so delicious! I just added some chocolate chips & chia seeds. Can’t wait to make these again & experiment with new additions, I think dried cranberries/pistachio next…

This uses extra dishes; try toasting oats and almonds in a skillet, adding soft dates whole and crushing/mashing over low heat, then adding the pb and honey to soften and combine. Scrape into the mold pan, greased or lined with parchment, press, and chill.

These are amazing — love them! Kids & adults love them — super tasty & love the simple ingredients!