Peanut Butter & Honey Chewy Granola Bars

If you’re looking for a quick granola bar recipe, this one’s for you.

These bars require just 3 ingredients, not including salt, and only a few minutes of hands-on preparation for a result that is beyond delicious.

In fact, my husband has proclaimed these to be one of his favorite granola bars EVER, “even if they don’t have chocolate chips.” Ha! I suppose you could add chocolate chips to these bars if you like, but what I love about these bars is that they’re naturally sweetened and loaded with fiber, so they won’t spike your blood sugar the same way a store-bought bar might. Plus, they’re gluten-free– as long as you make sure to buy oats that are certified gluten-free. (Otherwise, they can be exposed to cross-contamination in a facility that also processes wheat products.)

Not surprisingly, this recipe is easily adaptable, so you can make these bars with any other nut butter you like. If you want to send them to school with your kids, you can even make them completely nut-free by using sunflower butter instead of peanut butter. Substituting the sweetener is a little trickier, as it’s the honey that provides the “chewy” texture we love, but you can use brown rice syrup for a similar result that’s lower in fructose, or you can use maple syrup for a bar with a drier, firmer texture.

However you make them, I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do!

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Peanut Butter & Honey Chewy Granola Bars
Makes 8 to 10 bars

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter* (unsalted)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

*Peanuts are one of the crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides, so make sure to buy organic whenever possible.

Directions:

Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the honey to a boil. Set a timer, and allow the honey to continue boiling for 1 minute. In the meantime, place the oats in a large bowl and set aside. Remove from the pan of honey from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and salt. Immediately pour the warm mixture over the oats, and use a spatula to stir well, coating the oats evenly. As the mixture cools, it will become sticky and difficult to mix, so be sure to move quickly!

Transfer the mixture to the lined loaf pan, and press HARD to pack it into the pan. Pressing firmly will ensure that the bars stick together well later. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to cool, then use a large knife to cut the bars. I like to store these bars in the freezer for best shelf life (up to 6 months) then pull them out as needed– they thaw in about an hour, which makes them perfect for a mid-morning snack. If you’d prefer to store these bars at room temperature, they should last for up to a week.

4.59 from 39 votes

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Peanut Butter & Honey Chewy Granola Bars

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

A quick & easy no-bake granola bar made with just 3 all-natural ingredients!

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Peanut Butter & Honey Chewy Granola Bars

Servings: 6

Calories: 313 kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter (unsalted)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the honey to a boil. Set a timer, and allow the honey to continue boiling for 1 minute. In the meantime, place the oats in a large bowl and set aside. Remove from the pan of honey from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and salt.
3. Immediately pour the warm mixture over the oats, and use a spatula to stir well, coating the oats evenly. As the mixture cools, it will become sticky and difficult to mix, so be sure to move quickly!
4. Transfer the mixture to the lined loaf pan, and press HARD to pack it into the pan. Pressing firmly will ensure that the bars stick together well later. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to cool, then use a large knife to cut the bars.

Recipe Notes

I like to store these bars in the freezer for best shelf life (up to 6 months) then pull them out as needed-- they thaw in about an hour, which makes them perfect for a mid-morning snack. If you'd prefer to store these bars at room temperature, they should last for up to a week.

Per Serving: Calories: 313, Fat: 12g, Carbohydrates: 45g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 9g

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Notes:

• Feel free to use any other nut butter (or sunflower seed butter for nut-free) to replace the peanut butter.
• You can add extras, like chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, when you stir the peanut butter mixture into the oats. Feel free to get creative!

Enjoy!

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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite granola bar flavor? Austin’s favorite is the recipe above, but mine are the Cinnamon Raisin snack bars in Everyday Detox— I can’t wait for you all to try them, too!