Name: Homemade Granola Bars (Vegan + Gluten-free)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup + 1 tbsp oats (gluten-free as needed); 1 cup almonds (*see notes for options); 1 cup walnuts (*see notes for options); ½ cup dried goji berries (or other dried fruit, *see notes); ½ cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit, *see notes); 2 tbsp chia seeds (or flax seeds); ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional); ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup (or agave syrup); ¼ cup coconut oil (*see notes for an applesauce option); 1-2 tbsp nut butter (optional, add only if you bake the bars!); ⅓ tsp salt; ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

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These Homemade Granola Bars are vegan, gluten-free, kid-friendly and so easy to make with simple pantry staples! Bake them for Crunchy Granola Bars or enjoy them chewy as a no-bake option. Add your favorite dried fruits, nuts, or even chocolate, you’ll have delicious oat bars for breakfast or any time when you need a quick healthy muesli snack!

My Favorite Homemade Granola Bars Recipe

Sometimes you really just need a snack that gives you some power to manage the day. So it’s very useful to have a simple granola bar recipe on hand that’s perfect to make ahead and store in the fridge to enjoy in those situations.

Unlike most store-bought granola bars, my homemade bars are gluten-free, vegan, and made with wholesome ingredients. They are rich in nutrients, vitamins, healthy fats, and are naturally sweetened. Plus they are incredibly delicious and even kids love them so they are the perfect snack for the whole family!

What I also love about this simple crunchy and chewy granola bar recipe is that it can be adapted based on your favorite dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or even chocolate. So you can basically add whatever you like or have on hand!

Homemade Granola Bars (Vegan, Gluten-free, Easy)

Healthy Granola Bars with Simple Ingredients

The 6 basic ingredients you’ll need for these bars are:

Oats (regular or gluten-free)
Nuts and seeds (of your choice)
Dried fruit (of cour choice)
Coconut oil (or vegan butter or just apple sauce or banana)
Nut butter (optional for more flavor)
Maple syrup (or agave or rice syrup)

I add almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, dried cranberries, and goji berries but feel free to use your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Whether hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pepitas, or hemp seeds – anything will do!

Regarding dried fruit, I prefer tart, slightly sweet and sour berries in these granola bars because they are rich in vitamin C and balance out the sweet flavor of the maple syrup. However, you can most likely also use cherries, raisins, figs, apricots, dates, plums, etc. Just make sure to chop them finely with a sharp knife before mixing with the rest.

I’ve also added a bit of vanilla extract and cinnamon for flavor but that’s just optional.

Tips for making the best granola bars

Coconut oil or vegan butter is solid when chilled and helps keep the bars together. I’ve already tested this recipe with just applesauce and banana instead of oil which worked, too. However, I personally found the coconut oil version much better. If you try this recipe with peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter, let me know how it turned out because I haven’t tested it yet.

Use sticky syrup! Be sure to use a thick and sticky syrup like agave, maple, or rice syrup because it helps to keep the bars together. If you’re not vegan you can probably also use honey but I do not recommend using any other sweetener.

Press firmly! It’s really important to press the granola mixture into the pan very firmly! The harder and longer you press, the less chance you’ll end up with granola instead of granola bars.

Bake or no-bake! I recommend baking these granola bars for the delicious roasting flavor and extra crunch but you can also enjoy them as a chewy no-bake snack. Simply refrigerate the granola mixture a few hours until it’s completely set. Then lift out of the baking pan and slice into bars. Also, be sure to keep them in the fridge as they will soften at room temperature.

Chill! Whether you bake your granola bars or not, be sure to chill the granola mixture for at least 2 hours. This hardens everything and makes it easier to cut the gluten-free granola mixture into bars.

How to make Granola Bars

Check out this step-by-step guide first, and then find the full recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this post!

Step 1: Make the granola mixture

Start to add the oats, almonds, and walnuts (or other nuts/seeds) into the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped, then transfer the mixture into a large bowl.

oats, walnuts, and almonds in a food processor for granola bars

crushed oats, walnuts, and almonds in a food processor to make granola bars

Next, chop the dried goji berries and cranberries (or other fruits) with a sharp knife. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the nut butter (if using), salt, and vanilla extract.

Add the chopped fruits, chia seeds, and cinnamon to the oat nut mixture. Pour in the oil syrup mixture and mix everything well together.

oats, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, cranberries and goji berries in a bowl for granola

granola mixture with oats, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, maple syrup, coconut oil, cranberries and goji berries

Step 2: Press the granola mixture into the pan

Transfer the granola mixture into an 8×8-inch (20×20-cm) square baking dish with parchment paper. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and press firmly into an even layer, using the bottom of another square baking dish or measuring cup or bowl. The firmer you press, the better the bars will stick together!

homemade granola bars recipe (step-by-step instruction)

Step 3: Bake, then chill and cut!

Bake the granola bars for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven until crunchy (or refrigerate until set for a chewy no-bake option). Once done baking, allow to cool to room temperature. Then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours. Finally, lift the granola block out of the baking pan using the parchment overhang and slice into bars using a sharp knife.

homemade granola bars (step-by-step recipe)

homemade granola bars (vegan, gluten-free, healthy)

How to store and freeze

The baked granola bars keep at room temperature for about 1 week. Just make sure they are tightly covered or sealed in a container. For longer storage, wrap them in parchment paper, then place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. So you can remove them individually whenever you need a chewy homemade granola bar!

vegan, easy, healthy, gluten-free granola bars

These simple homemade granola bars are:

Vegan
Healthy
Gluten-free
Quick and easy to make
Customizable
Soft
Chewy
Crunchy
So delicious!

Granola Bars with cherries (food photography)

More Breakfast, Dessert, or Snack recipes to try:

best vegan granola bars (crunchy, chewy, easy to make)

If you try these crunchy and chewy Homemade Granola Bars, please leave me a comment and rating on how you liked this vegan recipe! And if you take a photo of your healthy oat fruit bars and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Have fun!