35+ Healthy Granola Bar Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are homemade granola bars healthier? ›

Granola bars are a convenient, flavorful, and portable snack. Still, many prepackaged varieties are high in sugar, calories, and ingredients that may harm your health. Studying ingredient lists carefully or choosing to make your own granola bars can ensure that your snack is both nutritious and delicious.

These homemade granola bars taste better than any you've had in the store – AND they're cheaper and easy to make! They're chewy and sweet with the perfect texture. These are perfect for breakfast, snacks, on-the-go for hiking, work, picnics, and more!

Using the right binding agent in your granola bar recipe is a crucial part of keeping your bars from falling apart. While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey!

To keep your granola bars fresh, you must allow the least amount of air possible to reach the bars. Because air (and warmth) can easily cause spoilage, sealing your granola bars in an airtight container or wrapping them in wax paper is a great way to keep them fresh for longer.

Yes, granola can be eaten daily. As part of a balanced diet and if the portions are checked. Go for healthier options with less added sugars and saturated fats to get the most out of it.

Because granola contains carbohydrates, it can spike blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes. However, whether or not granola spikes your blood sugar levels, and how quickly it may cause a blood sugar spike, will vary depending on what type of granola you eat and what you pair it with.

Store them in the fridge or freezer.

They'll keep for up to a week in the fridge, but you can also freeze them for up to 2 months. I like to eat these granola bars straight out of the fridge, but if they're frozen, let them thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before you eat.

Often touted for their whole grain goodness, most granola bars are sticky-sweet junk food in disguise. Don't let a few oats fool you — especially when you also see marshmallows and chocolate chips. Instead: If granola bars are a must-have, choose one with 6 grams of sugar or less per bar, and hopefully some fibre.

CLIF BARs are not recommended for weight loss as they are high in calories, carbohydrates, and added sugar. They are marketed as a way to provide energy before, during, or after a workout and they are not meant to replace meals. People trying to lose weight should try whole food snacks over CLIF BARs.

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

How to harden homemade granola bars? ›

The better you press, the better the bars hold together.

When you're happy with the pressed mixture, press a spoonful of chocolate chips on top, and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This hardens everything and makes it easy to cut the granola mixture into bars.

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Whole Wheat and Almond Flour

First, it adds a combo of whole wheat flour and almond flour (or almond meal), which act as a binder to hold the oat mixture together.

1. Fresh Fruit (Apples, Bananas, Watermelon…) Fresh fruit is a great snack because it provides the body with natural sugars to fuel energy and satisfy cravings. With so many different types of fruit to choose from, the caloric content will vary but typically a piece of fruit will contain 80 to 100 calories per serving.

For best results, steer clear of highly processed, artificially sweetened granola bars. Instead, opt for ones made from whole ingredients, such as whole grains, fruit, nuts, or seeds, as these are more likely to help you meet your daily nutrient needs. It's also worth favoring bars rich in fiber and protein.

General Mills is recalling four specific flavors of Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bars and Nature Valley Simple Nut Bars. The recall is being issued as part of sunflower kernel supplier SunOpta's ongoing national recall for the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

Nature Valley is an American brand of snack bars owned by General Mills. They produce a variety of cereal bars and granola bars. Common bars include: 'Oats and Honey', 'Fruit and Nut', and 'Peanut'.

A: Great question, and one that we get a lot. There aren't any major differences in the nutrition benefits of the three types of oats. All forms of oats are 100% whole grain, a good source of fiber and have the same nutritional information – same calories, fiber and protein per serving.

All it takes is spreading the granola in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and heating it in a 400 degree oven for five minutes — essentially re-baking it.

Most granola bars are snacks, and snacks should be filling enough to help keep you feeling satisfied until your next meal. A great way to boost the satiety of a snack is by making sure it's a good source of fiber. That's why Malkani recommends selecting a bar that has at least 2 to 3 grams of fiber.

Is homemade granola healthier? ›

YUM! More reasons to obsess over homemade granola: Healthier: it has less sugar and is lower Calorie than anything you'll find at the store. Freezer Friendly: It will keep for months in the freezer, stored in a freezer safe bag.

Smoothie with Granola

Try adding it to your favorite smoothie to give it an extra boost of fiber from the whole grains, healthy fats and added flavor. It's also an easy way to increase calories in a smoothie. Personally, I think it would be a delicious addition to my Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie!

Once you try homemade granola, you won't go back to store-bought granola. It's so much better! This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it's made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened.