May 14, 2012
updated
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With very little work, you can turn pantry staples into healthy homemade granola bars!
Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bar
Unlike the packaged kind, these Peanut Butter Granola Bar are fresh, healthy, and made with the wholesome ingredients you choose! Their texture is soft, without being cookie-like and don’t crumble like so many homemade bars do.
The ingredient list allows for flexibility (don’t we all love that) and they can truly be customized to you and your child’s preferences. Dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, even the peanut butter can be swapped for sunflower butter.
One of our favorite combinations are dried cranberries and apricots, with dark chocolate chips and maple syrup for sweetener. Just remember to keep measurements the same when swapping out some of the ‘add-ins’ and you have a never-ending variation of the beloved granola bar!
What is In a Peanut Butter Granola Bar
Many of these ingredients are pantry staples, so it’s quick to throw them together in a pinch.
Here’s what you need:
- Rolled oats: this recipe yields better results with rolled old-fashioned oats.
- Rice crispies: this kid-favorite cereal provides added crunch and texture.
- Sucanat: or brown sugar.
- Oat flour: or oats processed until finely ground in a food processor.
- Salt: to enhance the other flavors.
- Cinnamon: optional for extra taste.
- Add-ins: dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips.
- Peanut butter: optional. You can swap it for sunflower butter.
- Butter: melted to combine the ingredients. You can use coconut oil to make these bars dairy-free.
- Vanilla: a tasty flavor everyone loves!
- Honey: you can use maple syrup or brown rice syrup instead.
- Water: adds a little moisture to the dry ingredients.
You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Granola Bars with Peanut Butter
Turn on the oven because if you can mix ingredients, you can make these Peanut Butter Granola Bars quick and easy! Follow the tips, and you’ll get a perfect classroom snack in a breeze!
Just follow these steps:
- Prep the oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 pan lining with parchment paper or using a nonstick spray. - Mix the ingredients
Stir together dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together vanilla, melted butter, liquid sweetener, and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, including peanut butter (if using), and combine until crumbly. - Bake
Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown along the edges. These will still be soft when they come out of the oven, almost like they are underbaked. Keep the bars in pan until completely cool (this will help them mold, to avoid crumbling). - Cut
Once cool, cut with a serrated knife. If bars still seem crumbly, even after fully cooling, place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to help them set. - Store
Wrap individually and store in an airtight container.
How do Homemade Granola Bars Stick Together
Sucanat (or brown sugar) combined with honey (or another syrup) is like a glue that helps dry ingredients to stick together. While you can make the substitutions I suggest in this recipe, don’t omit these “sticky” ingredients.
Another hack to keep homemade granola bars from falling apart is pressing down when you spread the mix into the pan. This will help the mixture stick together while cooking.
Once done, allow the bars to cool down completely to avoid crumbling. If they still seem like they will fall apart after cooling, place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to help them set.
How to Store Homemade Bars
Once cool and cut, wrap each granola bar individually and store them in an airtight container in the fridge to grab one whenever you want! These bars are also great to freeze. Wrapped them in plastic wrap in single portions and store inside a zip bag for up to a month.
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup rice crispies
- ½ cup sucanat, or brown sugar
- ⅓ cup oat flour, or ⅓ cup oats processed til finely ground in a food processor
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 2 cups dried fruit,, nuts or chocolate chips (mix it up, but total should be roughly 2 cups)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter, optional
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 pan lining with parchment paper or using a nonstick spray.
- Stir together dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together vanilla, melted butter, liquid sweetener and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, including peanut butter (if using), combine until crumbly.
- Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown along the edges. These will still be soft when they come out of the oven, almost like they are under baked. Keep the bars in pan until completely cool (this will help them mold, to avoid crumbling). Once cool, cut with serrated knife. If bars still seem crumbly, even after fully cooling, place them in fridge for 30 minutes to help them set.
- Wrap individually and store in air tight container.
Val
How many bars do you get from this recipe?
MOMables-Laura
This recipe yields about 9 bars in an 8 x 8-inch pan or 12 bars in a 9 x 9-inch pan.
Rebecca
I was very wary about making this because of how many people said that theirs didn’t hold but i made it anyway and i’m so glad I did!! Absolutely delicious! I added 1 cup of mixed seeds and 1 cup of chocolate chips which all melted within it to make it almost gooey. I made sure to pack it down tightly in the pan and once cooked it didn’t break up at all, held together perfectly. Will be keeping some out for the week and putting the rest in the freezer and will defo be making again! My new go to granola recipe :D
MOMables - Laura
I’m so glad you loved these Rebecca!
Tiffany Hinton
Hi! We are currently living overseas in Hungary and can’t get any type of rice crispy type cereal. Any idea what I could use instead?
MOMables
You can use some type of puffed cereal, low in sugar that is small.
Zoie
I make these for my family and they love them! They always eat all the bars in one day so i triple the recipe. I’ve made this recipe so many times now. Thank you so much!
MOMables
I’m so glad your family loves them Zoie!
Cindy Warren
I love this recipe. I always use the peanut butter and have really good results with the bar holding together. I have substituted mashed banana for the butter and that seems fine. Thank you for sharing this; my husband frequently requests theses!
MOMables
The banana sounds like a good idea! I’m glad you both loved this recipe!
Tammy
If I use cheerios should I cut them smaller or should they be fine as is.
MOMables
I’d do a coarse chop. I don’t know that they would hold as well hole.
Michelle
Did anyone try freezing these yet? very curious to find out if they will freeze as I only have one child and we will not go through the whole batch before they start to grow penicillin! also wondering if you can freeze your banana chocolate bars.
thanks! love this site.
MOMables
I freeze them in single sized portions wrapped in plastic wrap and then inside a zip bag. Up to a month.
Lindsey
I made these today and they are super easy and yummy! I’m also having the issue of them falling apart though. I wonder if adding one egg would help with that?
Marisa
Can peanut butter chips (morsels) be used instead of chocolate chips? I’m trying to imitate Trader Joe’s Peanut a Butter Granola Bars
MOMables
of course!
travis
Thank you for sharing this recipe, great idea and very tasty.
carolina
Hi,
I tried this recipe yesterday and it tastes delicious!
Although I think it’s a bit overcooked and maybe too thin. But we will repeat for sure!
Crystal
I followed the recipe perfectly and it was more of a granola crumble? It does taste really good, but isn’t there something else I could add that will make it stick together? Thanks
MOMables
Crystal, were any substitutions made? these come out perfect every time in our kitchen and many others.
kabena
Hello, I did try this twice the first time in a freestyle fashion and the next day to the letter,still crumbly , I put them in the fridge, I even used parchment paper. Is there snything else I can use as a sticking agent ? Wd like to have a chewy bar..they do taste good as a granol crumble. I used coconut oil to replace butter.thank u
Ashley
These are our new favorite granola bars! I use coconut sugar, coconut oil, and brown rice syrup with 1 cup raisins, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. My husband and kids love them! They are so filling and a perfect “sweet treat” without being loaded with sugar. Thank you for all your great recipes. We’ve found several new family favorites since I discovered your site. I homeschool my kids, so I don’t have to pack lunches everyday, but I still love all of your ideas and recipes. :-)
MOMables
Awesome Ashley! So glad your family loves them as much as Alison’s and mine.
Shautel
So would you substitute 6 TB of coconut oil for the 6TB of butter? I think the first time I make them I make do 3/3 and see..But I think I will make them tomorrow while kids are at school, although we have a few Annies Bars left…I want to move away from buying them, since they are so easy to make..I actually think the chocolate rice krispies might be a welcomed difference :-)
Laura
Absolutely. You can substitute the coconut oil for butter on this one. :)
Wendy
How many calories per bar
Laura
Wendy- We are more concerned with the use of “real” ingredients than caloric intake. Although that said, we would never post something where you are eating a stick of butter per serving! lol
There are many websites that calculate calories, you could plug the information in. Of course, it depends on how big one cuts the bars.
Michelle
I have Quaker instant oats and old fashion oats. Would one of those work instead of rolled oats and can either of those be used for the oat flour???? Thanks for the recipe, I am excited to try it ASAP:-)
Laura
Hi Michelle! “old fashioned oats” are the same as traditional rolled oats (give or take) use the old fashioned for the oat flour. it’s the most complete. you’ll love the bars!
Betsy C.
I live in Spain and do not have access to Rice Crispies (well, I think I can get chocolate ones!). Any other ideas? Can I increase the oats (maybe pulsing them for a second or two for a different texture) or do you suggest another cereal? Also, when the edit was made someone forgot to add “vanilla” after “1 teaspoon”…just an FYI. Thank you for a great recipe!
Laura
Hi Betsy! Funny thing is that I am from Spain! ha! yes, I know you get the chocolate crispies there but not the plain ones. You need an “air puffed” cereal. some natural stores (tiendas ecologicas) have air puffed rice. If not, something like the smacks or plain cheerios will work. their ‘puffiness’ separates the textures. if you add more oats the “bar” will be very dense.
Emily
The vanilla wasn’t listed in the ingredients and how much. Looking forward to making these soon :))
Laura
oops! thanks for noticing! just edited the recipe. 1tsp. enjoy!
Ben
I would advise not using vanilla not good
MOMables
I don’t see an issue with using real vanilla.
Sarah
How much vanilla and do you think coconut oil could replace the butter? Thanks!
Laura
1tsp vanilla (sorry, just edited recipe) and yes, I make mine with coconut oil instead of butter. enjoy!
Sarah
These are so good! I’m making them a second time today and the coconut oil worked beautifully!
Brittany
Can these be frozen? Do they thaw okay or do they get soggy?
Laura
Hi Brittany! I’ve never frozen the granola bars. after 3-4 days they are typically gone! ;) if you make them and freeze them, will you let me know how they turn out?
betsy - SwimZip Sun Safe Swimwear
please let me know too! I was thinking this might be a good idea to do before we decided to have a second baby – make many and freeze! Yummy Health homemade snacks I can pull out for a week or so! Thanks!