April 25, 2013
updated
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Learn how to make these no-bake granola bars at home and forget about the store-bought ones!
Soft and Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars
If your kid loves those chewy bars with the oat man on them, but you don’t like buying them, this Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars recipe is for you! Goodbye box, hello homemade!
I love this recipe because it’s also no-bake! You read it correctly. It’s a no-bake recipe! Woohooo!!! Making a tasty and healthy snack kids devour with real ingredients and very little work involved… No doubt this recipe is a win!
The little ones -and you too- can enjoy these no-bake granola bars as a snack to eat on the go or pack it for lunch with fruit, veggies, and other sides to fill bellies and satisfy any cravings!
Ingredients
Most of this recipe’s ingredients are pantry staples, so making homemade granola bars is quite simple and much healthier than store-bought snacks!
Here’s what you need:
- Quick oats: since this is a no-bake recipe, quick oats are the better choice. Old-fashioned oats may be tougher to chew.
- Crispy rice cereal: adds a nice crunchy texture.
- Salt: just a little to enhance all the flavors.
- Raisins: tons of nutrition!
- Butter: or coconut oil to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Brown rice syrup: helps to hold together all the ingredients.
- Brown sugar: to sweeten the granola bars and bind the mix.
- Vanilla: makes everything more delicious!
You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Oatmeal Raising Granola Bars
This healthy Oatmeal Raising Granola Bars recipe involves minimal work and no baking at all! So let’s grab the ingredients and make this bars while we give the oven a break.
Check how to make this recipe:
- Prep
Line an 8 x 8-inch or 9 x 9-inch square baking pan or glass baking dish with parchment paper. - Combine dry ingredients
In a large bowl, mix the oats, cereal, salt, and raisins. Set aside. - Make the liquid mix
In a small pot, melt the butter, syrup, and brown sugar. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 4 minutes, making sure the mixture continues to minimally bubble while stirring often. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla. - Combine
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Mix well to combine all ingredients. - Press down!
Place the oaty mixture into the square baking dish. Cover with parchment paper, and press down with your hands until the mix is well packed. Just when you think you’ve pressed down enough, press some more! - Chill & slice
Allow the pan to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Lift the parchment paper out onto a cutting board, slice into 12 bars, and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the pantry.
How to Store Them
Once you cut the bars, store them in a ziplock bag or an airtight container for up to 1 week in the pantry. I don’t recommend freezing these granola bars since they get soggy.
Pack No-Bake Granola Bars for School Lunch
These Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars are a terrific addition to any lunchbox. Follow these hacks to pack epic lunches like a pro:
Keep it separately
When packing these granola bars for school lunch, keep them separately wrapped in parchment or wax paper and place them in their own compartment so they don’t absorb any moisture or other ingredients’s flavors.
Make it a meal
Want to add extra nutrition to the lunchbox? Build a balanced meal by packing these Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars along with veggies, fruits, deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, healthy desserts, or your kid’s favorite school snacks.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- ¼ cup butter or coconut oil
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Prep:
- Line an 8 x 8-inch or 9 x 9-inch square baking pan or glass baking dish with parchment paper.
Make the bars:
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, cereal, salt, and raisins. Set aside.
- In a small pot, melt the butter, syrup, and brown sugar. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 4 minutes, making sure the mixture continues to minimally bubble while stirring often. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
- Place the oaty mixture into the square baking dish. Cover with parchment paper, and press down with your hands until the mix is well packed. Just when you think you’ve pressed down enough, press some more!
Chill and slice:
- Allow the pan to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- Lift the parchment paper out onto a cutting board, and slice into 12 bars.
Storage:
- After cutting the bars, store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 1 week in the pantry.
Sara Bye
So delicious! I didn’t work quick enough to mix the syrup with the dry ingredients so they were a little more crumbly than I would have liked, but that is my fault to make them while getting children ready for school. To remedy I made a little extra syrup, mixed and then tossed in the microwave for 30 seconds before pressing down into bars. Also, I wanted to up the nutritional content so I added 3 TBS of chia seeds and a half handful of pumpkin seeds. Also, to that second set of batch I used Date Syrup instead of more brown sugar. Not sure if I totally replaced the brown sugar with date syrup what would happen. Thoughts?
MOMables-Laura
Hi Sara, I’m not 100% certain what would happen if you replaced the brown sugar entirely. They might be a little more soft, but if you keep them refrigerated it shouldn’t be a problem.
Shari
These are so delicious and addicting! I had never tried brown rice syrup before and now I want to experiment with it more! Thanks so much for sharing the great recipe!
Dee
Making an adult version adding 2 tablespoon each of peanut butter and protein powder…how much more rice syrup to bind?
Thanks! These are great!
MOMables-Laura
An additional tablespoon should work!
Katie
Wow! After trying many recipes, I’m so glad I came across this one! So good! I made them for my girls, but I think my husband and I ended up eating most of them…oops. Time to make more!
MOMables
I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for following me :)
Katie
I tried making these tonight but I got confused on the Ingredient list. Do I add brown rice syrup, honey, and brown sugar with the coconut oil or just some of them? Please advise. Thanks!
MOMables
Katie, In a pan, you melt the binders (butter, brown rice syrup, brown sugar). then you add vanilla. when that mixture is done, you pour it into dry ingredients. all wet together, all dry together then mix.
Michelle
What else can I use besides the rice syrup, someone said Karo syrup? I just do not have the money to invest in the syrup 15.00 here to buy it.
MOMables
You could use Karo syrup, though it isn’t the healthier, but I understand not wanting to spend the money on brown rice syrup! You may also have success with honey.
Jack
I am a newly-diagnosed diabetic, and am avoiding sugar and flour. Is there any way to adjust this recipe to suit my needs? Thanks!!!
MOMables
unfortunately not. the rice syrup is what holds it together. sorry!
kyrielslight
would the stevia syrup work in its place? I know my diabetic neighbor uses hers in place of honey as a sweetener in some recipes.
MOMables
Yes that should work!
M
They are super good, but some of my dry mixture didn’t get coated and so they are really crumbly. And a bunch of dry oats/krispies. Any advice? Kind of the same thing that happened to the other poster.
MOMables
an even coating is key. pressing down firmly is essential, and allowing them to fully dry is the hardest part. Add an extra tablespoon of brown rice syrup next time.
Amanda
Tried them today and they are tasty. It can be difficult to find snacks that are nut, dairy, wheat free that non allergy kids will enjoy. This one is going to school for snack tomorrow. Thank you!
Lucy Windevoxhel
HI!
I just made these and the texture came out perfect!! They did not break apart at all. I would like to make them a tad less sweet and maybe add some nuts/ nut butter for protein but I’m afraid it would alter the texture. Have you tried any alterations yet? What would you recommend?
MOMables
Lucy, it’s hard to cut the sugar since the sugars is the liquid that holds and binds the recipe. believe me, i’ve tried a hundred ways. consider them a treat.
Kimberly R
How long can you store them for and would freezing extend their life?
MOMables
these store in an airtight container or zip bag for about a week. freezing them will make them soggy.
Sarah
Is there a substitute for brown rice syrup that will still hold the granola bars together? Besides corn syrup. :)
MOMables
besides corn syrup or marshmallows… no. Once you use brown rice syrup… you’ll never use corn syrup again lol
Maria
I’ve never used brown rice syrup. Is it unrefined? I tend to only use honey and maple syrup for that reason. Also, can you replace the brown sugar for sucanat?
MOMables
Hi Maria! Brown rice syrup is made of brown rice starches. It’s “refined” in the sense that it has to be spun and filtered to get that consistency. It’s one of the best sweeteners though and it’s often preferred above agave and refined honey. you can absolutely substitute sucanat for the sugar. I do that all the time (most people don’t know what it is so we just write “sugar”).
Sarah
I’ve been looking for a granola bar recipe that doesn’t fall apart – but do you think I could swap in chocolate chips for the raisins? My kids despise raisins :(. I know they’ll probably get melty but wouldn’t they harden up (at least somewhat) when they cooled?
MOMables
Sarah, yes you can swap out chocolate chips for raisins… but wait until the mixture has cooled off some, otherwise they will melt in the bar.
Nicole
Is there something I can use instead of brown rice syrup (maybe more honey or maple syrup)? Thanks
MOMables
no. the brown rice syrup holds it together. if you substitute honey they break apart. :(
Jackie
Hi, Laura! I attempted to make these yesterday, but I did something wrong. I poured the syrup into the oats/rice cereal as fast as I could, but it hardened and clumped before I could mix evenly. Do you think I cooked the syrup on too high of a heat? Or maybe too long? It looked like butterscotch pudding when I was done (the color, not the consistency).
Thanks!
Sarah
I will be giving this one a try! Looks fantastic!
Claude Campeau
I really want to try this. I’ve never heard of brown rice syrup before, I hope I can find it around here!
Laura
Claude, you’ll be able to find brown rice syrup at most health grocery stores (such as Whole foods) and on Amazon.
Marishannon
I see brown sugar in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. Am I overlooking it?
Laura
my apologies, the “and” should have said “or” -honey “or” brown sugar. fixed!