Easy Nut-Free Granola Bars
Make nut-free granola bars in just 25 minutes following this quick and easy recipe. Packed with oats, raisins, and a mix of seeds, these homemade muesli bars make the wholesome perfect snack – ideal for lunch boxes, picnics, or a convenient on-the-go energy bar.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Save money: These soft and chewy oaty granola bars are a great alternative to store-bought granola bars.
- Meal-prep friendly: You can easily meal-prep them and adjust the ingredients to suit your taste and dietary requirements.
- Nut-free school snack: They’re nut-free and make a delicious school snack especially if the school has food allergies guidelines, especially if nut allergies are present amongst students. They’re a favorite recipe for my kids’ school lunches!
Related recipes
If you like this easy snack recipes, make sure to check out the following articles as well:
Ingredients
You’ll need a variety of wholesome ingredients to put these nut-free snack bars together:
- Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe. If using salted simply omit the pinch of seas salt. Alternatively, you can substitute the butter with coconut oil.
- Sugar: I love the rich flavor and color of brown sugar gives this muesli slice but it also works with castor or granulated sugar.
- Honey: Honey provides flavor and extra sweetness for this recipe and helps bind the ingredients together. I use runny clover honey but you choose whatever flavor honey you prefer. You can also use agave or maple syrup, stevia, or sugar.
- Oats: Rolled, scotch, quick oats all work well for this recipe.
- Flour & baking powder: I use all-purpose flour to help bind all ingredients together and the baking powder ensures the slice or bars won’t be too dense. You can also use white spelt flour.
- Eggs: Again, eggs will help bind all dry ingredients.
- Vanilla & cinnamon: I love the cookie dough flavors this combination brings but you can also omit these.
How to make granola bars at home
Make sure to melt the butter to ensure the sugar and honey fully dissolve. Combine the wet and dry ingredients roughly and add the whisked eggs. Thoroughly combine all ingredients and press the mixture firmly into a lined baking tin (8×8 inches). Bake the chewy granola bars for 15-20 minutes at 350F/180C until golden brown.
Variations
- Chocolate: Add some milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix for some extra sweetness.
- Rice krispies: Substitute some of the dry ingredients with rice krispies for some extra crunch.
- Dried fruit: You can easily substitute the raisins with sultanas or other dried fruit of your choice to match your taste. Chopped apricots, dates, and currants are good alternatives.
- Seeds: As long as the overall seed volume remains the same you can substitute them with seeds of your choice except for chia seeds as they will absorb too much liquid. Add a tablespoon of sunflower seed butter for some extra texture. Ground flax seed or whole flax seeds can be incorporated as well.
- Nuts: You can easily replace all or some of the seeds with finely chopped nuts. Almonds, cashews, and macadamia work well. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter for some extra flavor.
Serving
Once fully cooled, you can drizzle the granola bars with melted chocolate if you are after some extra indulgence. Simply slice it into squares or bars with a sharp knife once fully cooled down and enjoy these nut-free bars as a morning snack or afternoon snack.
FAQ
Homemade granola bars store well in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can store them in a freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I suggest cutting it into squares or bars prior so you can thaw individual servings by defrosting them for 4 hours at room temperature.
Make sure you follow the measurements closely as the wet to dry ingredients are important for the bars to hold their shape. Thoroughly dissolve the honey, butter, and brown sugar before adding them to the dry ingredients.
Nut-Free Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/8 cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180F.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add brown sugar, honey, and vanilla extract. Keep stirring until they are fully dissolved and set aside.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 pinch sea salt, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/8 cup sesame seeds
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and roughly combine.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the mixture. Thoroughly combine all ingredients.2 eggs
- Line a 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and add the mixture. Spread it evenly and make sure all corners are well covered.
- Bake granola bars for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Let it fully cool down on a cookie rack before slicing it into squares or bars. Enjoy!
