Honey-Sweetened Almond Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Chewy, no-bake, healthy granola bars made simply with oats, honey, almond or peanut butter and chocolate chips. A simple and delicious gluten-free recipe!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I basically survived on granola bars in high school. Pre-packaged, too sweet, milk chocolate granola bars at lunch and before volleyball practice. Every day. Naturally, I’ve been pretty burnt out on granola bars for the past ten years.
Then my friend Sara (whom I met through the blog) texted me the ingredients list for a granola bar and requested that I recreate them. I trust Sara’s taste in granola bars and thought I’d better give these a shot, so I stopped at the local coffee shop to pick one up.
I made it to my car before peeling off the packaging. One bite and I was hooked. This granola bar was unlike any other granola bar I’d ever encountered. I tasted honey, sea salt, dark chocolate, oats and cinnamon all at once—each flavor teetered on the edge of overwhelming the others yet somehow the sum was perfectly balanced.
Plus, unlike those packaged, processed granola bars I’d grown up eating, these were legitimately healthy granola bars. I immediately added the ingredients on the back of the package to my grocery list and headed to the store.
It took me five tries to get these granola bars just right. I initially thought they were baked because the oats weren’t entirely intact, but my baked bars were all wrong. Then I tried no-bake bars with old-fashioned oats. While the flavor was pretty spot on, the texture of the oats was too distracting.
Finally, it occurred to me to use quick-cooking oats—oats that have been rolled out thinner and cook in about 60 seconds—to get the right texture. Quick-cooking oats did just the trick and I delivered a bag of pre-packaged bars to Sara as a belated birthday gift.
I think you guys will appreciate these, too. The bars hold together well, although each batch I’ve made has turned out slightly different. I suspect the differences boil down to slight measuring discrepancies between the batches. For the firmest bars, you might need to sprinkle a few more oats into the bowl—enough that you think it’ll be almost impossible to mix them all in. Once you put some arm muscle into it and get those oats mixed in, you’re in business.
You might also want to tinker with the amount of salt. I’ve been using unsalted Trader Joe’s almond butter, which is nice and spreadable, plus I can control the salt content. I like my bars a little salty (and therefore totally addictive), so I go with the full 3/4 teaspoon, but you might want to scale back to suit your preferences. Feel free to change up the mix-ins, too. Check the recipe notes for details!
More Granola Bars to Try
-
- Easy No-Bake Granola Bars: Find more variations of this recipe here.
- Almond Coconut Granola Bars
- Pecan Granola Bars
- Cranberry Orange Granola Bars
You might also appreciate my popular granola recipe or overnight oats. Check out my 23 Healthy Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes for more grab-and-go breakfast options.
Please let me know how your bars turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Honey-Sweetened Almond Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Chewy, no-bake, gluten-free granola bars made simply with oats, almonds, almond butter or peanut butter and chocolate chips. This healthy granola bar recipe is so delicious and easy to make. Homemade granola bars are great to keep on hand for traveling or whenever hunger strikes! Recipe yields 14 to 16 bars.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups quick-cooking oats (or old-fashioned oats, pulsed briefly in a food processor or blender to break them up)
- 1 ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- ⅔ cup mini dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt, to taste (decrease if your almond/peanut butter is salted)
- 1 cup creamy unsalted almond butter or peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8 to 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to size. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, chocolate chips, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the nut butter. Top with ½ cup honey and the vanilla extract. Whisk until well blended. If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave, but make sure it’s cool before you pour it into the dry mixture (the chocolate chips will melt).
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. The drier the mixture, the more firm the bars will be, so stir in extra oats if the mixture seems wet.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass), covered in a small piece of parchment paper (see photo), to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
- Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars. For portability, you can wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Bars keep well for a couple of days at room temperature, but I recommend storing individually wrapped bars in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction and Smitten Kitchen.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats.
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup for the honey and use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Make it dairy free: Use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Change it up: Feel free to substitute chopped, toasted nuts for the sliced almonds, and chopped, dried fruit for the chocolate.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Looks delicious! I really like the dark blue/black cloth, it really works as a backdrop in the photos. Have you ever tried English flapjacks? They’re similar to granola bars but chewier, squishier, oatier and (in my biased opinion) even more yummy! I think you would like them!
Thanks, Kate! That’s actually a cheap black chalkboard. No, I haven’t tried English flapjacks, but now I really want to!
These look AMAZING friend! I’m definitely pinning them for when a granola bar craving strikes. Gorgeous photos!
Thanks, Dana!
love the ingredient list and u adore chewy granola bars. I think these would be the perfect preworkout snack. Thanks for sharing!!
granola bars are looking delicious!!!!
These look delicious, Kate! Love having homemade granola bars around the house (and stashed in my purse and car!).
i think i ate too many lifeless packaged granola bars growing up, too, because i tend to regard them less than favorably. but these sound really simple and good… salty chocolate and almonds yesyesyes!
Thanks, Jaime! “Lifeless” is a good way to describe those other granola bars.
I was SO in the same boat, I ate a ton of those Quaker Oats granola bars, but these look so so much better! : )
Yum! look very tasty!
My son is allergic to nuts. Do you think sun butter would work instead of the almond/peanut butter? I tried another recipe and it was really crumbly so was looking around for something else & these look great!
Hi Marcie! That’s a really good question and I wish I could say “Yes!” with absolute certainty, but I don’t have much experience with sunbutter. Here’s a recipe that looks promising: http://www.sondibruner.com/2014/02/14/no-bake-sunbutter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/
I don’t know about sunbutter but tahini worked great.
I’ve made two batches of bars using the proportions from this recipe but varied based on ingredients I’m trying to use up before a cross-country move.
The first batch substituted tahini in place of the nut butter and used a combination of honey and molasses. Instead of chocolate I used raisins and chopped candied ginger and added some whole sesame seeds for more texture. The Molasses and ginger gave them a nice gingerbread flavor. And the oats and tahini and almonds made them hearty enough for breakfast. My 2-year old loved them.
The Second batch used s’mores leftovers: Chopped up marshmallows, hershey bars and graham crackers went in along with peanut butter, oats, vanilla extract. I mixed a bit of water into some brown sugar to replace the honey. This batch tastes more like a cookie.
These are a great treat to make in summer when you want a home made treat but don’t want to heat up the house baking.
Thank you for sharing your results, Amanda! I’m craving both of your varieties now. Brilliant!
Yes, sunbutter will work great. I’ve made granola bars subbing sunbutter (homemade as well) for peanut butter and absolutely no difference. Sunbutter behaves the same as peanutbutter, melts the same etc. My kids are not allergic but school is nut free zone and friends niece is allergic and eats those without problems.
That’s great to know! Thank you, Ana.
These look so delicious! I definitely survived off of granola bars too for the majority of my childhood, so I’m REALLY digging these.
this recipe looks perfect. i’ve been looking for one that doesn’t use a kitchen machine to mix everything up. thanks for sharing, definitely giving this a try soon!
xo, cheyenne
I have been looking for a naturally sweetened, and easily made gluten free granola bar recipe! These will be perfect for a post run breakfast with a pot of Greek yoghurt. Thanks for keeping my mornings fuelled Kate :)
They look yummy, love almond butter. How long will they keep? At room temperature? Or fridge? Thanks.
Hey Lilly, check the last step of the recipe for details! I’m sorry, I know it is easy to miss… in summary, I recommend storing bars in the freezer for best flavor.
These look great! Love the flavor combination :) I’m short on snacks lately and sick of buying prepackaged bars, so I’m definitely going to have to try these.
I lived off of Nutrigrain bars and this short-lived Quaker product called “fruit bites,” which were basically bite-sized Nutrigrain bars. I still can’t look at one without shuddering. Yikes.
Oh my, these look fabulous!
These look so perfect for sunday tea with the girlfriends I can’t wait to make them :)
Looks healthy and delicious!
I adore making my own granola bars, it’s part of my weekend routine. I will pin this one to try out this coming weekend. Mmmm!
I LOVE experimenting with homemade granola bars! These look fantastic, and I know I’ll be trying them soon. Simple ingredient lists are the best!
These were fantastic! They are a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Thank you thank you!
What a perfect on the go snack! I love it!!
I LOVE granola bars but always make a homemade baked version; I am going to try the no-bake version next time. Chocolate chips still a must though!
Pretty sure these are about to become my fav. Love the almond butter and chocolate mix.
I am going to make them today using cacao nibs only because I don’t have chocolate chips on hand. Can’t wait to eat them. Thanks.
Hope your cacao nib bars turned out great, Lori!
I’ll have to make these for my daughter – she’s a sucker for granola bars – and chocolate chips!
Salty, peanut buttery, dark chocolately perfection. Yessss!
Ha I also overdosed on granola bars back in school, and now still can’t stand the look of them! These however…..
These sound wonderful, Kate! I’ve been working on a granola bar with cacao nibs and peanut butter lately, and I totally know what you mean about having to do a few iterations before getting the quanitites just right – which I’ve yet to do! I’m sure you’re probably far more talented in the baking department than me, but I still love granola making… it’s sort of therapeutic in a way, as weird as that sounds!
These sound delicious! I burned myself out for a few years after too many Quaker chocolate chip granola bars. Realized they weren’t ACTUALLY healthy- haha! These look sooooo good, I’m excited to try them :)
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
I love almond butter! These granola bars look like the perfect snack for me and my kids. Thanks! Pinning now!
They look delicious! What do you think about adding coconut? Weird with the nut butter?
Nope, coconut would not be weird at all if you like Almond Joys!
I love a good homemade granola bar adventure and that hot tip on quick cooking oats is so smart. These have all the things I love in a bar too, but mainly that salty and sweet mix. Addictive, just as you say. That 5th shot down of the individual bars on paper is so great too! xo
Thanks, Laura! These granola bars were giving me hell during our photo shoot, so I really appreciate your compliment. xo!
I also lived on packaged granola bars once upon a time! They’re just too easy and too addictive. These days I’ve lost my appetite for overly sweetened things, but I think these look great! I love the parchment-paper-over-bottom-of-glass trick, too.
How did you know I’ve been looking for the granola bar recipe OF MY DREAMS?! And here it is, right in front of me. So happy right now.
Delicious recipe Kate,! I added coconut and dried cherries to the mix (because I can never just follow a recipe!), and found that I needed a full teaspoon of salt to get all the flavours to pop.
I love that it was so quick – 15 minutes from start to finish, including clean up! I have a habit of late night baking and with this recipe I still managed to get to bed on time. Thanks Kate!
Awesome, thanks Kate! Your version sounds so tasty.
These are amazing – delicious, easy, healthy, and my boys (and I) love them! Thank you so much!
That’s fantastic! Thanks, Wendy!
I’ve been making homemade granola bars for over a year. Mark Bittman’s recipe is similar but the bars don’t always stick together, which is fine over fruit salad. I am going to try adding more oats to see if that holds them together. I’m also going to try cashew butter as an alternative flavor to chunky peanut butter. Thanks!
Sounds like a good plan, Laura! I definitely found that the more oats I packed in there, the more firm the bars ended up being.
Oh, and I love your site!
Hi Kate!
I get these bars almost every time I go to Kaldi’s coffee! Do you know how many calories per bar? i could probably figure it out with some time, but if you already know I thought I would ask. :)
Annie
Hey Annie! No, I’m sorry, I haven’t calculated nutrition facts (I almost never do). If you look them up, feel free to share them in the comments section. I suspect these bars have fewer calories than Kaldi’s because Kaldi’s bars include butter and sugar.
Hi this is great and all your foods are great i just wanna know is it ok not to use peanut butter? or any other butter!?
Hey Amelia, I’m afraid that your granola bars won’t stick together without nut butter. Sorry!
Hi , yes i made it without any oil and butter they stick a little but not enough to hold all then i put them in the oven i was hoping that works but they didnt and they turned into a granola haha! x thanks for answer too!
Made these last night!! They are SO GOOD. Perfect amount of chocolate to almond to peanut butter ratio. I’m sure they’ll be gone in no time. Thank you!!
Thanks, Emily! Glad to hear it!
These look easy and delicious. I think they’d make the perfect snack for my kids (and me!). Can’t wait to try them.
Hands-down the best homemade granola bar recipe I’ve tried. I don’t know much about coconut butter, except that it exists — does anyone have a sense for whether it would function like the PB? Thanks!
Hi Kate,
These were so good!! (no surprise there)
Quick question- do you think the bars would still hold together if I use half the amount of honey?
thanks!
Thanks, Ruby! Glad you enjoyed them! I’m not sure about using less honey. You could try using half the honey and if you can get all of the oats mixed into the liquid (you’ll probably have to put some muscle into it), then I bet the bars will stick together. If not, you’ll need to add honey (or maybe more nut butter) until its moistened throughout.
Recipe sounds wonderful! But why do you have to criss cross strips of parchment paper? Can raisins be added?
Hi Angela, I suppose you could probably get by with just one strip of parchment paper if you cut the bars in your square dish. Two sheets provide more leverage and a stronger, flatter surface if you want to lift them out. Yes, you could definitely throw in some raisins!
Wonderful recipe! I’ve been looking to replace store bought granola bars in my kids’ diet for some time now. The first batch I made exactly as you wrote the recipe and they turned out good to my palate, but my little miss picky thought they were too dense. So the next batch I used whole oats but toasted them first in 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil, and added in about 2 cups of puffed brown rice (Whole Foods). Both my kids love them and I had to freeze them so I wouldn’t eat them all before they could get packed in lunches! I love your site — it’s my favorite for fresh, whole food inspiration :)
Thanks, Katherine! I’ll have to try your puffed brown rice version sometime, they sound great!
Kate,
These bars are way.too.good! I just put my third batch into the fridge. I make my own almond butter with roasted almonds. It is the perfect consistency right out of the food processor — super creamy and a little warmer than room temperature. Since my almond butter contains no salt, I add a little more than a full teaspoon of salt to enhance the addictiveness! Thank you,
Another Kate
Thanks, Kate! so glad you’re enjoying the granola bars. I bet they are extra tasty with your fresh almond butter!
These are the best! Kids love them and my husband. So easy to make too.
Thanks, Liz! Glad you all enjoy them!
Can you substitute agave syrup for honey? If so, which kind (color) and do you think the measurement should be the same as honey? These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them.
I think so, but I haven’t tried. The amount should be the same since you’ll still need the same amount of liquid for the oats to stick together. I’m not sure how the level of sweetness will compare. Maple syrup would be a better bet!
I made these yesterday and had my kids do a taste test of store bought vs homemade. These won unanimously! So good and simple to make. I posted a link to these tasty bars on my blog…hope you don’t mind!