These chewy no-bake granola bars are easy to make, filled with protein-packed peanut butter,  and can be endlessly adapted with your favorite sweet, salty or crunchy mix-ins. This is one on-the-go snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth no matter where you are.

It’s summer, and you’re craving a sweet snack, but you don’t want to turn on the oven. Say hello to your new favorite snack: no bake granola bars. You will love these bars because they’re a satisfying treat, can be made with ingredients you already have on-hand, and you can take them with you when you’re on-the-go. 

Making no-bake bars is so easy; in fact, this is a super recipe for kids to help with too. Just soften the peanut butter, pour over the oats, place in a baking pan, and refrigerate. But, that’s not all. These bars are a healthy-ish snack that can also double as a breakfast bar. Add them to school lunches, take them in the car on your next errand run, or enjoy after a workout.  

What is a no-bake granola bar?

No bake granola bars use the same oat and honey base as traditional granola, but use a nut butter, like peanut butter, and a little sticky, sweet honey, to hold the mixture together. The bars are then refrigerated to set them, rather than relying on an oven to heat and harden binding ingredients. 

How to Make No-Bake Granola Bars

1. Make the binding mixture. Combine the peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once softened, add the vanilla.
2. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cereal and oats, then pour the peanut butter mixture over the top and stir. Fold in the mix-ins. 
3. Set the granola. Press the granola bar mixture into the prepared pan, sprinkle any reserved mix-ins on top, and refrigerate.
4. Slice and serve. When the granola is set, slice into 16 even bars and serve.

Ingredients for No-Bake Granola Bars

• Creamy Peanut Butter – Peanut butter acts as a binder for the oats and other tasty ingredients, while also adding a nice nutty flavor. Try to avoid natural peanut butter (the kind that has the separated oil) and opt for a conventional brand instead. 
• Honey – The ultimate natural sweetener. You can use clover honey, wildflower honey, or whichever style of honey is your favorite.
• Light Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is made with molasses, so the sweetening flavor in the granola has a little more depth than granola made with granulated white sugar.
• Kosher Salt – A pantry staple to enhance the sweet and crunchy flavors.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – A hint of vanilla in granola is always a good idea.
• Puffed Rice Cereal – Rice Krispies, or a puffed brown rice cereal, gives these no-bake peanut butter bars a fun, crispy crunch that’s hard to resist. 
• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – Old fashioned rolled oats give granola recipes a satisfyingly chewy texture.
• Mix-ins – Trying different mix-ins is the best part of this peanut butter granola bar recipe. Go wild with dried fruits, stick with mini chocolate chips, or add chopped nuts. Mix and match for tons of fun flavor variations. 

How to store

To preserve the creamy peanut butter and honey elements of these no-bake granola bars, and to ensure they hold their shape, store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer. Place the bars in an airtight container, and use parchment paper if you want to layer them together.

To freeze

If you freeze the no-bake bars, cut them into individual sizes first, and then freeze. You can store them, separated by parchment paper, together, or wrap individual bars in plastic wrap. Defrost at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.

Tips

• While it may be tempting to pull the no-bake granola bars from the fridge before the 2 hour refrigeration time, that may result in bars that aren’t quite firmed up enough for easy handling.

• To achieve an even, flat surface on the bars, use the bottom of a measuring cup to press down on the granola mixture. 

Variations

• Try a different sweetener – Substitute pure maple syrup for honey for a fall-inspired, vegan-friendly, treat.
• Use a different nut butter – Cashew butter, almond butter, or pistachio butter will help you achieve tons of different no-bake granola bar flavors.
• Add a little spice – As you experiment with flavor variations, try incorporating warm spices like cinnamon, or a pumpkin spice blend.

Ideas for mix-ins

• Chocolate – Mini chocolate chips, espresso baking chips, Reece’s baking cups, or milk chocolate and peanut butter chips.
• Chopped pretzels – Chopped pretzels add saltiness and crunchiness.
• Dried fruit – Raisins, cranberries, apricots, or any dried fruit you like.
• Chopped nuts – Any variety of chopped nuts will work. Try walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, or macadamia nuts. You can also toast the nuts for a deeper flavor.

I also like to add a couple teaspoons of chia seeds, ground flax seeds, or hemp seeds, all of which have so many extra vitamins and minerals.

FAQs

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