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These homemade granola bars are chewy, lightly sweet, and packed with healthy ingredients like oats, almond butter, and maple syrup. Baked to golden perfection with a hint of cinnamon and crunch from sliced almonds, they’re the perfect grab-and-go snack or quick breakfast for busy days. Simple to make and easy to love, these bars are a healthy upgrade from store-bought granola bars.

stack of oatmeal raisin bars on parchment paper.

For Active Days, I Make Homemade Granola Bars

I love to hike, walk and run for the fitness benefits but also because of the snacks I get to enjoy along the way. These homemade granola bars are one of my healthy motivators to do more miles. Here’s why:

  • Wholesome, flexible ingredients: Made with simple, plant-based pantry staples you can easily swap (nuts, seeds, dried fruit), so you can customize every batch to your taste or what you have on hand.
  • Sustained energy that actually lasts: A balanced mix of oats, healthy fats, and plant-based protein (thanks to almond butter + chia seeds) keeps you full and fueled longer—no crash an hour later.
  • Naturally sweet, warm, and cozy flavor: Maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla create that classic oatmeal raisin vibe with a soft, chewy texture and just the right amount of crunch.

More healthy snacks recipes: roasted almonds, healthy granola, lemon chia pudding, vegan protein bars, no-bake energy balls, and banana muffins.

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homemade granola bars in a stack next to a baking pan on a wooden table.

How to Make Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

This recipe makes eight bars and needs an 8×8-sized pan (like what you use for brownies). You also need a bit of parchment, an oven and a mixing bowl. Ready? Set. Bake!

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. You can grease the pan instead, but I find parchment works better.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. You can either mix them well with a spatula or use the beater attachment of a standing mixer to combine them.
  3. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before removing them, as they will be crumbly if still warm.
  4. Cut into eight rectangles and wrap in parchment paper or enjoy immediately.
Homemade granola bars on parchment paper.
4.90 (29)

Homemade Granola Bars

Jen Hansard
These homemade granola bars are chewy, lightly sweet, and packed with raisins and warm cinnamon flavor. With a soft, hearty texture and just the right crunch from almonds, every bite feels satisfying and delicious. Perfect for grab-and-go snacking, they taste like a cozy oatmeal cookie in bar form.
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Serves: 8 bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan or line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, almonds, maple syrup, raisins, almond butter, chia seeds, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
  • Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Let cool completely in the pan.
  • Cut into 8 rectangles. Enjoy!
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Recipe Notes

Make it your own: Swap almond flour for oat or gluten-free flour. Use any nut or seed butter (like peanut or sunflower), and replace sliced almonds with your favorite nuts or seeds (cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds).
Sweetener options: Maple syrup can be swapped with honey or another natural sweetener (use a vegan option if needed).
Mix-ins: Use any dried fruit (chopped to raisin size) or switch things up with mini chocolate chips.
Dietary swaps: Gluten-free if using certified gluten-free oats.
Nut-free: skip almonds, increase oats to 2 cups, and use sunflower butter.
Storage: Store in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 1 week (fridge or cool place).
Freezer-friendly: Freeze in a silicone bag for up to 6 months. Enjoy straight from your bag once thawed—perfect for hikes or busy days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bar | Calories: 343 kcal | Carbohydrates: 39 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 79 mg | Potassium: 351 mg | Fiber: 7 g | Sugar: 13 g | Vitamin A: 2 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 134 mg | Iron: 2 mg
chewy granola bar recipe in a baking dish lined with parchment paper, ready to be cut into squares.

Common Questions

Is it worth it to make your own granola bars?

I think it’s worth it to make homemade granola bars since they are super easy to make and then I know exactly what’s in them. It’s not easy to find good snack options with ingredients I love, so I make my own to get the taste and texture I want with ingredients I can feel good about giving to my kids.

Are homemade granola bars healthier?

My chewy granola bars recipe uses all real, plant-based ingredients. I’m sure you could find some store-bought ones with even fewer ingredients, yet this is a pretty affordable option and easy for me to make.

What is the best binder for granola bars?

My granola bars use almond butter as the main binder. Stir them together well and make sure any mix-ins are chopped up so that they aren’t too large and cause the bars to crumble.

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About the Author

Jen Hansard

I’m the mom who swapped Lucky Charms for green smoothies— and never looked back. Here you’ll find smoothie recipes and plant-based recipes made simple and tasty.

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4.90 from 29 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Comments

  1. These sound delicious! Is there a substitute for the maple syrup? Can I use liquid stevia?

    Reply

    1. Hi Loraine! We prefer to use maple syrup or raw honey as our sweeteners. Or, you could skip those and throw a super-ripe banana in there (as long as you like bananas). We prefer not to use stevia as it tends to be highly processed.

  2. These look good, adaptable and easy to make, more importantly.

    And crunchy for me! There’s something satisfying about the crunch.

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      The crunch is the best part! Feel free to leave them in the oven for a little longer for an even bigger CRUNCH!!

  3. I would prefer the crunchy bars! p.s. your oven looks pretty clean for all the baking you do. lol

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      The crunchy edge pieces are always my go-to as well. 🙂 I try to keep my oven clean, yet some days it gets a little crazy.

  4. I would have loved to make this recipe however my child is allergic to almonds and all tree nuts. However since she is not allergic to peanuts, which is a legume, I can use peanut butter. do you know if the consistency can work with another nut free flour?

    Reply

    1. I found the nut free answer by reading to the bottom at your notes thanks! I had only read the yummy ingredients when I commented

    2. 5 stars
      You can def swap out the almonds for sunflower seeds and the almond butter for sunflower butter (or peanut butter if you prefer). I would swap the almond flour with oat flour (just grind down some oats into a fine powder) and it should work!

    1. Yum! Yum! Enjoy these Traci and feel free to cook extra long if you want them even more crunchy!