Homemade Granola Bars

Grab one of these homemade granola bars for an on-the-go snack and avoid a hangry moment in your day. My healthy granola bar recipe creates a pan of perfectly flavored oatmeal raisin bars that are perfect for kids and adults alike.

If you’re looking for a snack that will give you sustained energy + leave you feeling full, then these homemade granola bars are for you!

I grew up on Nature’s Valley bars thanks to my dad, but I wanted to make my own version using my fav plant-based ingredients. Now this, my friend, is a “rawkstar” healthy granola bar recipe.

Homemade granola bars vs store bought

The reason I love these homemade granola bars so much is because I get to choose the ingredients. It is TOUGH to walk through the aisles of grocery stores while on the hunt for a granola bar filled with protein and healthy fats… that still tastes good… and doesn’t included added sweeteners, corn syrup, super processed fat, as well as chemicals I’m not interested in consuming.

Healthy granola bar recipe

The combination of chia seeds, almonds, and gluten-free rolled oats packs a protein punch for your body—whether it’s making it to the next hour at work or making it to the next vista on hike. Just check out this rawkstar ingredient list.

Plant powered, protein packed granola bars

People often ask how I get enough protein through plant based eating. I love getting this question, because then I share all the incredible protein packed plants out there. Here’s what you can expect from protein in these homemade granola bars:

• gluten free rolled oats contain 16.9 grams of protein per 3.5 oz
• almond flour contains 6.1 grams of protein per serving
• sliced almonds contain 6 grams of protein per 1 oz
• chia seeds contain 4 grams of protein per 1 oz

While plant protein may look different from other forms of protein, it is just as effective. It often provides more than just a protein boost when you look at the vitamin and mineral content of these awesome ingredients as well. I want these homemade protein bars to taste good, while also fueling my day.

Healthy, necessary fat

Many people shy away from recipes with fat in them because we’ve been trained to see fat as bad. Yet the truth is, fat is a vital necessity to break down the protein and carbs in foods, and helps turn that food into usable energy. Here are the ingredients bringing healthy fat to this homemade granola bar recipe:

• gluten free rolled oats contain 6.9 grams of fat per 3.5 oz
• almond flour contains 14.2 grams of fat per serving
• sliced almonds contain 14 grams of fat per 1 oz
• almond butter contains 9.5 grams of fat per 1 tbsp
• chia seeds contain 9 grams of fat per 1 oz

Plant powered ingredient swaps

While this recipe is for oatmeal raisin bars, feel free to swap the raisins for a dried fruit of your choice. Don’t you love how versatile these homemade granola bars are?! I also like to use dried apricots, blueberries, or cherries, depending on what’s in my pantry. If almond butter isn’t your thing, swap for cashew butter, or even sunflower seed butter, to avoid nuts altogether. The nut butter acts as a binder + healthy fat in this homemade granola bar recipe, so feel free to swap with your preferred choice.

If you’d like an extra protein boost in these homemade granola bars, I recommend using just 1/4 cup of almond flour, then using Protein Smoothie Boost for the other 1/4 cup (which is one serving). This plant powered protein powder offers 10 extra grams of protein. That boost brings the total per serving to 17.3 grams of protein! It also adds an extra dose of healthy fat. This helps burn turn the carbs into energy that will fuel you all day long.