Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

So so good. My 3 year old and I made them and he keeps saying that we have to share but not all of them because he needs to eat more! Haha!

Love the flavour of this recipe! I did have an issue with my dates clumping; they didn’t disperse as nicely as the photos look above, and thus they didn’t hold together great. Also, I baked by almonds for 13 minutes and they definitely overcooked. Would only do about 8-9 mins next time. All in all, LOVE the sweet and salty combination and with some tweaking, will be making this often!

These are delicious. I’ve made them twice leaving the honey out the second time. I feel it made them too sweet and sticky.

I made these with dried apricots (because I had them) and they are sooo good!!! Thank you for such and easy delicious recipie

I’ve made this recipe about 6 times now – I love it! So does my partner. He continues to ask me to make them. They’re sweet, but not too sweet (using salted peanut butter is the trick), crunchy, but not “break your teeth” crunchy, and filling. I’ve tried the recipe using maple syrup, and I’ve tried it using agave. I don’t really have a preference as to which sweetener I like more, they both hold pretty well. I always roast the oats and almonds, because yum. I only have a 9 x 9 pan, but it works just fine. I add cacao nibs for some chocolate taste, without adding any more sweetness. Thankful for this staple recipe!

it’s quick, delicious and super easy to make! I had to swap dates with dried figs (lockdown😪) but it did not affect the recipe in any way and they held together very well. I also used homemade almond butter….can’t wait to make this again!!

These are amazing! When I first came across this recipe – I was very intrigued but admit I thought….”Now I have to go to the store – because who has that many dates in the house?” I am so glad I did! I used deglet dates, but I think I am going to use Medjool next time, for a little stickier bar. I love the toasted oats and almonds, makes a huge difference. I used cashew butter (just because), threw in ground flax seed and unflavored protein powder, and topped with sea salt (which was even better!!). I cannot wait to try additional add-ins. I was paying $25 – $30/month for RX bars, but this is way better and customizable. Thank you!

These are amazing, I have made them many times. A girl I backpacked with brought some on the trail and gave me the recipe. I make these and freeze them and take backpacking with me. A perfect desert to the end of the day. I use dark chocolate and dried apricot as additions. I also put the almonds in the food processor and break them down instead of leaving them whole. These are absolutely divine!

These granola bars are SO good and easy to make. I’ve made them twice now. I made the raisin paste since I didn’t have dates on hand. I froze the leftover paste until I made the bars again. I made them with almonds and Lily’s dark chocolate chips the first time, and pecans, almonds, and Lily’s the second time. I just stored them in the freezer and they are edible straight out of there-not too hard at all! I could eat these all day!

Omy word!!!
In search of healthy premade snacks I fell upon these. I substituted Marcona almonds instead of raw unsalted almonds, because that’s what I had on hand. I did use honey, and added chocolate chips while the honey/pb was still hot so the chocolate melted.
I licked the bowl like a kid!!!! These are good enough for desert!!! And I love the simple ingredients and how fast this recipe came together!

Love the bars! In the middle of preparing second batch. Great tip about roasting almonds, it really changes the taste of it. I keep bars in the freezer as well cause they defrost in seconds. Thank you again for the recipe!

Hi and thank you for the recipe! I make these all the time now and my kids from 5 to 15 love them and bring them to school for a snack. I know they might have sugar from dates and syrup but they are by far healthier than the refined sugar or corn syrup versions you can buy in the shop! Definitely a winner for us so thanks again.

What do you mean “not full of sugar”? You base it on dates, which are chock-full of fructose. Worse, they’re dried and processed – meaning all of that fructose is released from the cells and available for digestion immediately!

Then a ton of maple syrup?

I didn’t finish a single portion of this, it’s insanely sweet.

If you want to achieve the health benefits you incorrectly claim, you need to keep the fruit fresh and whole so that it takes time for your body to break down the cells and slowly release that sugar. Have a bowl of oatmeal and sweeten to taste instead of this uninnovative junk food.

This is a food for people who want to kid themselves they’re being healthy.

I make this EVERY week for my fiance and my snacks, breakfasts, sometimes lunches… They’re delicious. I did add chia seeds and cinnamon because I wanted to try it.
But this recipe just how it is.. is AMAZING.
We will probably NEVER get tired of it. Thank you so much for this.

OMG. Amazing recipe and very tasty verrry delicious 😋
Everyone like it here. Thank you so much

I followed the recipe exactly and they came out amazing, I liked them even better the next day after being in the fridge for the night. I brought them into work and they’re a huge hit, can’t wait to make them again!

Great recipe, I made some alterations though. I used only 2tbsp honey and filled up with peanut butter, then the warmed peanut butter/honey wasn’t thin enough to spread so I put a bit of almond milk through to make it a little softer. Used no oats (couldn’t find GF oats) so my mix was: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, dried cranberries, whole buckwheat.
Very impressed with the results! I’m going to make several batches and freeze them for snacks for uni.
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
I am starting to have quite a number of favourite recipes that have come from your site.

I’ve just made these for the second time round after they where a hit! I used almond butter rather than peanut butter and honey instead of maple. The dates made it just the right amount of sweet with out it feeling like it was packed with sugars. So glad I found this ☺️

These are delicious! I’ve been wanting some granola bars for some of my longer hikes and this is going to be great. I used cashews and oats and roasted them in the oven along with some leftover oat/coconut pulp from making oat and coconut milk- excellent use for this btw. I also used molasses instead of honey/maple syrup and it worked well to keep it all together, I think. My dates were really, really dried out, but i soaked them in warm water for ~30 min and also added a little water when I blended them and everything held together after freezing. Will definitely make again!

I made these today- they are absolutely delicious! They are so easy to make and will most definitely be a permanent fixture in our house!!

AMAZING. I took commenter Howard’s suggestion and substituted water for the maple syrup when heating the peanut butter. I added about a teaspoon of maple syrup to the bowl when I was mixing everything together, but I honestly don’t think the bars need it and next time I won’t add any. The dates end up being sweet enough on their own! To the base recipe, I also added chopped walnuts, golden raisins, and prunes (run though the food processor first).

This was my first attempt at homemade granola bars – thank you Minimalist Baker for the inspiration! :-)

Absolutely obsessed with this recipe. It also works brilliantly with popped quinoa!

These are the most delicious granola bars I’ve ever tasted! I’ve made them for dessert for company and everyone loved them! Of course, I served them with a scoop of ice cream! I’m eating them in the mornings instead cereal. So easy and yummy! They’re easy to make! I use honey instead of maple syrup to reduce the calories and I like the taste since it’s not as sweet. Thank you!

Made first batch as repcie said. Liked it alot. Second batch i change the maple syrup for malt as malt is good for you. I did half unsalted peanuts and half almonds. And then instead of a pan I put them in a muffin tray so no cutting.

Pitted dates, steel cut oats, unsalted almonds, natural peanut butter and maple syrup; these are the ingredients I used following the exact quantities and instructions as described. When I make this again, I’m going to increase the amount of steel cut oats leaving everything else the same, and only add them and mix them in a bit at a time after the peanut butter/maple syrup is mixed in with the dates and almonds. I did not roast the nuts or oats; I may do that once my steel cut oats run out and I’ll buy the rolled oats. I quite enjoyed the bar; it is just a little bit sweeter than I would like, this is why I will increase the oats. I may also add seeds of some kind for a future try.

The first batch was a little too sweet for my taste.
However it was just right to sweeten my oatmeal.
It made it crunchy and peanut buttery The next time I made a batch and replaced the maple syrup with water.
It came out perfect and took 50 g of sugar out of the batch. Hope this helps people who need to keep their glucose intake down.

I made this last night and it is as good as it gets. I did made a few modifications/choices to make this as healthy as possible: use homemade date syrup as the sweetener (blend equal amount of dates and boiling water), replace chocolate chips with cocoa nibs, choose almond butter over peanut butter. I think roasting the oats and nuts elevate the flavors. For nuts, i used a combination of almond, pumpkin seeds and sun flower seeds. I added cinnamon and vanilla extract.

This is going to disappear quickly in my family! Thanks for the great recipe.

Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it worked perfectly. Thank you so much!!!!

I’ve made this recipe many times and people have loved them! I use pecans instead of almonds, just because I like them more. I usually use honey and think the bars taste better with honey than with maple syrup. I always roasted my oats and pecans first. And I add a good shake of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanialla. One tip: I melt the honey and peanut butter together in a large bowl in the microwave, then add the rest of the ingredients to that bowl.

Just made it and LOVE it!

Awesome recipe! Tasted great and the texture was perfectly chewy. Thank you!

These bars are fantastic. I ran into one little problem while making them and that was the ratio of peanut butter and honey. I used a quarter cup of each as suggested and when I went to mix with the oats, it was clearly not enough. Added another quarter cup of each and that was the perfect amount.

Okay, I just had to comment!

When I was making this, I was definitely worried, LOL. As I was mixing, the ingredients weren’t coming together as I thought they would, and I thought to myself “well, I’ve done something wrong, I’m just going to flatten, throw in the freezer, and hope for the best.” Well, I was completely wrong! It came out perfect!!!

I absolutely love this recipe–it’s perfectly sweet and nutty. I threw in some chocolate chips, but it totally doesn’t need them. I am so happy I found this recipe and no longer have to purchase the processed granola bars at the store anymore! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!! :)

These are delicious, easy to make and easy to customize to what you like. I added dried cherries and blueberries and chia seeds. I toasted the oats and almonds for 7 minutes. Everyone in the family loved them!

The only thing I have as a blender is a magic bullet. And it was a definite no-go for blending the dates. So I just warmed them on the stove with the almond butter and maple syrup and it worked fine to mash them up.

This is soooo good!!!! I just replaced the almonds with half walnuts and half pecan and the bars are so good!!! Full of natural flavours, moist and crunchy. Considering it is the first time I do granola bars, I think I have found my go-to recipe!!!! Thank for sharing.

I just made these last night and they are amazing! I did opt to toast the oats and almonds, used honey and added dried mixed berries. I was a little nervous about the dates bc we just have a blender, but it worked perfectly! The ingredients combined beautifully and with little effort. I used parchment paper and a glass baking dish- and the glass to flatten them, which was an excellent tip! My family loves them!!!

This recipe was SO good! Thank you I will be keeping it as one of my favourites :)

Really yummy and easy to make. I toasted the oats and almonds as suggested as I like a toasty flavour. I used crunchy peanut butter as I didn’t have smooth, and added a quarter cup of sunflower seeds and a quarter cup of dried cranberries!

Just made them, terrible!
Just a crumbled oat mess. Dies not bind together at all.

These are the bomb. Make them just as described (toast the oats & nuts), no optional add-ins. I make them into 12 bars and have one every night. I’ve made them 3 or 4 times and love them!

I never comment but had to say that I make these a couple of times a month and they are the best! They taste so much better than store-bought granola bars and aren’t loaded with processed junk. My favorite variation is subbing toasted pistachios for half the almonds and adding raisins or dried cranberries.

These are sooooooo good…! I left out the syrup since my dates were super sticky and, as suspected, the bars still turned out deliciously sweet. I also used sunflower seeds instead of almonds. Toasting the seeds and oats worked well for me – it added to the crunch which I loved! Oh, and I drizzled melted dark chocolate over half the batch, because chocolate ;)

Loved these! They are so delicious! I did a mix of toasted almonds and pecans and added hemp seeds. I haven’t finished them and I’m already planning my next batch.

Sorry I didn’t leave a rating. I was so happy with what I’d made that I pressed post comment too soon. To be clear this recipe deserves 5 stars. I’ll try double portions next time. I only made them on Saturday and now they have all gone. I’ve made a few things from this site, all good.😀

Great recipe, works really well. I Mixed in some hazelnuts, cashews and peanuts either the almonds (same proportion) I also dropped in some dried cranberries with the dates. Oh, and I couldn’t resist adding a teaspoon of cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe😀

These turned out really well and a much better consistency than store-bought ones. They don’t hold together super well unless I keep them in the freezer, but that’s fine by me. This was my first time using dates, so maybe there was a misstep somewhere. I couldn’t find packed dates, so I just got regular fresh pitted ones and soaked them first cause they were a bit dry I thought. Maybe my cup was too heaping or I didn’t wait long enough when I put them through the food processor.

Wow, these turned out delicious! I’ll be making these regularly. Thank you so much for the recipe :)

Wow, wow, wow! These are amazing! Here in South Africa there are these peanut-butter bars we usually buy that are a family favorite, but we couldn’t get them this weekend. I was looking for an alternative that I could make at home and these didn’t disappoint (insert relieved sigh…) The whole, toasted almonds are little gems of crunchy yummyness. I added some cranberries, pecans and vanilla, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly .

Thanks and blessings from SA :)

I made these bars and they are delicious as well as being very versitile.
Since not everything required was in my cupboard, I made some changes. But, they too, turned out great.
I didn’t have any dates so used prunes instead. Since the prunes are fairly sweet , I didn’t add maple syrup or agave nectar but simply used Apple Cider that I had in the fridge. I think any juice would work.
I roasted the oatmeal, almonds, and a cup of shredded coconut , altogether on a rimmed cookie sheet- 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes then mixed them with the wet ingredients. After cooling for about 10 minutes, added 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.
My husband and I both loved them. And I will be making them again.

This recipe is excellent. Really simple and tastes great. Leave them in the freezer and eat them frozen. For some reason the sweetness from the bar and the cold makes for a great pairing.

I

I made a batch last night using what I had on hand. I used a mixture of fresh dates and dried apricots. I don’t have a food processor so I chopped these down very finely. I also chopped salted mixed nuts into smaller pieces and added dried cranberries. Sweetened with maple syrup. I tasted tbe mixture and it was good. I opted to mix in some cinnamon and a sprinkling of salt to punch up the salty sweet contrast. Will be making all variations of this fantastic base recipe. Thank you for sharing!

Wow, so delicious! I added raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dark chocolate and desiccated coconut as my extras. Stored most of it in the freezer for breastfeeding snacks in a couple weeks time

Love this! I’ve just finished my first attempt and am about to jump straight in and do a double batch. Thank you! The perfect recipe!

A great simple recipe, though more washing than i would like (lol!). You need to firmly pat down the mixture to form your bars otherwise they start to fall apart. I added melted chocolate instead of maple syrup to the mixture and this seemed to help with the binding of the mixture. Such a wonderful, simple and healthy recipe.

I love this recipe! I make these all the time since it’s easy, and fun to add other ingredients. They’re great for a snack (squares, so I don’t eat the whole bar) or a quick breakfast bar. I’ve found that the whole fresh medjool dates are easier to blend if I cut them in half as I put them into to measuring cup. I have a small, cheap processor from Lowe’s and use the chop option. It takes a minute or two before it creates a ball of dates. The only time I had trouble was with dried dates. When I first tried the recipe, I took the suggestion and now always roast the oats and chopped almonds. I use a natural nut butter, honey and a little maple syrup tapped from a friend’s tree. I put it all in a bowl and keep folding it together and pressing. Once in a 9×9 pan, I use a measuring cup to press it so it stays together. I just follow the directions. Today I added a little grated apple and it made the bars more moist and tasty. Grated apple or not, the bars are always tasty!

OMG! I just made these today and they are awesome. I will definitely be making them again.

So I made these today and it won’t be the last time either. I didn’t have any dates so I used chopped apricots instead. They worked really well and held together nicely. Also added some chocolate chips and a pinch of salt.
Looking forward to enjoying more tomorrow!

I have made these several times for myself and loved them. I recently made a batch for my daughter who is super fussy and can’t have almonds and in addition I was out of loads of pantry stuff. I just used what I had and they came out fantastic! I added sesame seeds and dessicated coconut and a few choc chips.

I have mixed feelings about this recipe. I’ve made it twice now and all the problems I’ve experienced come down to the fact I have yet to encounter a kitchen appliance that can actually process dates. I’ve bought two different kinds of dates and they’re both too dense for my two blenders or my food processor. The blades just get stuck. The first batch I made was very delicious (although too sweet with the honey added to the dates) but it was nearly impossible to combine the ingredients – even by hand. The second time I made it, I cut the honey (too sweet, so added olive oil to get moisture without sugar) and cut the dates up finely with a knife in place of a food processor, but then the granola bars were too dry/crumbly. They taste great though. I think using natural peanut butter instead of smooth commercial peanut butter also decreases the moisture content. I haven’t gotten the recipe tweaking just right yet – but they’re yummy enough to keep trying! Thanks for the recipe.

Easy and tasty. I’m allergic to almonds so I sub for cashews and add a bit coconut to toast with the oats. I like to cut them up and then store them in the freezer so they stay fresh, and they don’t take long to thaw. These are a great alternative to store bought granola bars, if you’re concerned about sugar content or allergies.

This was great! I subbed sultanas for dates (with a little water in the blender) and changed oats to one cup with 1/2 cup muesli.

So simple and so delicious! I did make a few little tweaks, but will definitely make again. I omitted the honey as I didn’t want them too sweet, and the dates were plenty sweet enough for me. I did add some hot water in its place, though this may also have been needed because my dates were dried and I didn’t soak (will do that next time!). I also tried to use a powdered peanut butter (made up with water) and it worked well, though as it was unsalted I added some sea salt separately (it needed it!). Also didn’t toast the oats or nuts, which I will do next time.

I absolutely love this recipe and have made it four or five times now. I don’t like dates so use apricots. I also use maple syrup and unsalted natural peanut butter.

The result is a slightly soft bar rather than a hard one but the nuts still add crunch so I’m happy ?. I always keep them in the freezer to stop me eating them all but it’s great to have something healthy and filling on hand . I have shared it with loads of people.

Thank you,

I made this recipe twice this week and it was a home run with my family!!! They are truly delicious. I added maple syrup instead of honey because that is what I had and I added a little brown sugar because I have a sweet tooth. This recipe Is the best!

I made these bars but they totally crumbled apart on me. I swapped out the honey for maple syrup for vegan bars and added 1/2 dried blueberries. I followed the directions but they didn’t hold together at all. I was really disappointed, especially with how good your recipes usually turn out

I make these weekly for me and my husband and toddler- they are so easy and delicious! I add the 1 cup nuts/seeds (I like to mix it up) in the food processor with the dates so I don’t have chunks my toddler could choke on- The mixture works beautifully- highly recommend these!!!