Crunchy, nutty, and slightly sweet, these grain-free granola bars are the ultimate energizing snack!
These bars are:
- Perfect for meal prep
- No-bake
- Easy to adjust ingredients based on what you have on hand
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
A few tips for making your granola bars…
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. These bars are sticky so be sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper before adding in the granola bar mix. This will make it so much easier for you to lift the bars out of the pan to slice them.Â
- The bigger the pieces of pulsed nuts and seeds, the more crumbly these bars will be. To make your bars less crumbly, but also a tad less crunchy, pulse the mixture until it resembles a coarse sand.Â
- Frequently stir the wet ingredients when they’re cooking. When you’re cooking the coconut oil, almond butter, and maple syrup over the stove, make sure to keep the heat on low (or medium-low at the highest) and stir frequently. This will help prevent a burnt flavor to your bars.Â
- Use raw or roasted nuts. To keep the sugar and sodium content low, avoid nuts that are salted or candied. Any type of raw or roasted nut will work.Â
- For thinner bars, use a 9-in x 9-in baking pan.Â
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mixed nuts I used ½ cup each of almonds, walnuts, and cashews
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup dried blueberries cranberries, or raisins
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs or vegan mini chocolate chips optional
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup natural almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Line an 8-in x 8-in baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Chop nuts and pumpkin seeds either in a food processor or by hand. The goal is to have a mix of small and larger chunks. The greater the number of larger chunks, the crunchier but also more crumbly your bars will be.
- Pour seed and nut mixture in a large mixing bowl, and add dried blueberries, shredded coconut, and cacao nibs (if using).
- In a saucepan over low heat, combine coconut oil, almond butter, and maple syrup. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can also microwave this mixture in 30 second intervals until the mixture is warm and easy to mix. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon.
- Pour coconut oil mixture into the mixing bowl and toss well to combine.
- Transfer mixture into the prepared baking pan, using a rubber spatula to spread the mixture out evenly. Place the baking pan in the freezer for 2 hours.
- Remove pan from freezer, slice into 20 snack-sized squares. Option to store bars in the fridge if planning on eating within 2 weeks. Otherwise, keep them stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Servings 20 | 157 Calories per Serving.
6 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 13 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar
*Note: nutrition stats will vary slightly depending on the type of nuts you use
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