No-bake superfood granola bars - chewy granola bars packed full of superfood ingredients such as chia, pumpkin & linseeds, almonds, goji berries, oats, coconut oil & dark chocolate.
I've been trying to keep fairly healthy this month, and other than gradually polishing off the remains of the Christmas chocolates I've been doing quite well; I'm not dieting per se, just cutting back on the cakes and biscuits for a while. I still find myself in need of a daily mid-morning snack however, something that I can just grab and go and that satisfies any sweet cravings I may have.
A granola bar fits the bill well but I think that when it comes to most shop bought versions they are not actually very healthy (or filling) so you may as well just be eating a bar of chocolate...
So I made my own, and crammed them full of super healthy and filling ingredients. The result? These incredible no-bake superfood granola bars.
These are no-bake granola bars, though I do toast the oats and seeds in the oven briefly, this step is totally optional but it does really bring out the flavour.
I used three kinds of seeds - pumpkin, golden linseeds and chia, and the main base of the bars is porridge oats and puffed brown rice cereal, which is available from health food shops, or I found it in the gluten free section of my local supermarket.
Whole raw almonds add flavour and crunch, and sweetness comes from dried fruit in the form of cranberries, apricots and goji berries.
I couldn't resist adding a bit of dark chocolate, besides, it is full of anti-oxidants. Use the darkest chocolate you can bear, I used 90% cocoa, but anything over 70% is fine.
All of these ingredients are so incredibly good for you but also make for a really delicious combination, and because the bars are quite substantial due to the oats, nuts and seeds, they are actually filling and will keep you satisfied for a good while.
The bars are bound together with a mixture of coconut oil, honey and brown sugar, yes there is sugar in these, but it works best to hold everything together and there is so much healthy stuff in these that I don't think a little bit of sugar is going to do any harm.
The bars do hold together very well and don't crumble at all, provided that you really pack the mixture down very firmly in the tin and then chill them well before slicing with a very sharp knife.
The texture of these no-bake superfood granola bars is chewy, with a bit of crunch from the nuts and seeds, and they are very more-ish!
They are great for breakfast on the go, a mid-morning or afternoon snack, or to take out hiking (I'll be making a batch to take on a walking weekend in the Lake District next month); and they keep well for up to a couple of weeks at room temperature.
I've been finding them incredibly useful to have to hand when I start to get peckish and would usually reach for the biscuits and I'm going to make sure that I've always got a few in the cupboard from now on.
Make Vegan No-Bake Superfood Granola Bars:
To make these superfood granola bars vegan, you can use brown rice syrup in place of the honey. Make sure that the chocolate that you use is also dairy free.
More Snack Bars and Bites:
For more energy boosting snack recipes try:
- Energy Bites
- Chewy, no-bake peanut butter granola bars
- Vegan fruit and nut flapjacks
- Cranberry, pistachio and coconut energy bites
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No-Bake Superfood Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 225 g (2 cups) porridge oats
- 70 g (½ cup) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 40 g (¼ cup) golden linseeds
- 60 g (2 cups) puffed brown rice cereal
- 75 g (½ cup) whole raw almonds
- 40 g (¼ cup) chia seeds
- 70 g (½ cup) dried cranberries
- 85 g (½ cup) chopped dried apricots
- 30 g (¼ cup) goji berries
- 100 g (3.5oz) coconut oil (or butter)
- 100 g (3.5oz) light brown soft sugar
- 150 g (5.3oz) runny honey (or brown rice syrup if vegan)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 75 g (2.65oz) dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Spread the oats, pumpkin seeds and golden linseeds out in a roasting tray and toast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes until just starting to turn golden and fragrant. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Line a 26cm/10in square tin with baking parchment, leaving some overhanging on either side.
- Tip the cooled oats and seeds into a large bowl along with the puffed rice cereal, almonds, chia seeds, dried cranberries, apricots and goji berries, mix everything together.
- Place the coconut oil, sugar and honey in a pan, heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then bring up to the boil and allow to bubble for a minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and salt then pour over the oat mixture, stir until everything is well combined. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so until the mixture is no more than barely warm, then stir through the chopped chocolate.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out into an even layer then pack it down very firmly; use the base of a glass to help you to press it down. Place the tin in the fridge to chill for about an hour until completely cold.
- Use the overhanging parchment to lift the slab out of the tin then cut it into twelve slices using a very sharp serrated knife (slice it into quarters the cut each quarter into three strips.). Wrap each bar individually in clingfilm and store at room temperature for up to a couple of weeks, or in the fridge for up to a month.
Tara
Thank you for the recipe! I followed the recipe almost to a tee, however replaced the brown sugar with stevia-based sugar. I wonder if that is the reason my bars turned out to be super crumbly and too sweet 🙁 They still taste good but I won't be able to make them into bars :´(
hannahhossack
Hi Tara, I've never used stevia but I would hazard a guess that it is much less sticky than brown sugar and is also sweeter, so yes, that would be why the bars turned out too sweet and crumbly. You really need the stickiness of the sugar to hold them together.
Tara
Thank you for the reply 🙂
Sue
Can you swap the brown sugar for maple syrup? If so how much is equivalent?
Hannah
I'm not sure how that would affect the texture, the bars may not hold together as well but I'm really not sure without testing it.
Karen
Made it once. It was a tad sweet for me, but otherwise everyone loved them so much that I am making it again.
Bhuvana
HI! wanted to make this recipe but I couldn't figure out when to add the chocolate. I would love to make them soon. They look amazing!!
hannahhossack
Hi Bhuvana, thank you! As stated in the recipe card, you mix everything apart from the chocolate together and wait until it has cooled to barely warm before mixing in the chocolate. I hope you enjoy them!
Bhuvana
Thank you!! I somehow missed that part in the recipe... I will soon make these granola bars and let you know how it goes!
Toria Joy
Absolutely amazing balance. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Emiko Binst
These are amazing! Although how much protein is in this recipe?
hannahhossack
Thank you! I don't know I'm afraid; you could try putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Nicola
Hi, looking at making these bars - any type of oats will work? Ex: jumbo oats
hannahhossack
Hi Nicola, I think that if you use jumbo oats the bars might not hold together as well, I would go for regular rolled porridge oats if possible.
sheetal kapoor
we love it and really like it .
Tanu
So delicious, easy to make and easy to customize! I've made these twice already!
Alyia Sharma
So easy and so delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Jullie Verma
Wow! what a spectacular and healthy snack bar! wish I could grab one now:) Thanks For Such An Amazing Post!!
Maria
There are 362 calories per bar 20.5 fat 4.8 sat fat 6:8 protein 19.2 sugar 38.1 carbs and 4.1 fibre I hope this helps .
Jessica
thanks a lot!!!!!!
Judy
These sound really good. I have a question. Can I use quinoa instead of oats being I am allergic to oats?
Hannah
Hi Judy, I'm afraid I haven't tested these with anything other than oats.
David
Quick question what is the calorie count per portion as per recipe?
Hannah
Hi David, I don't know but you could try putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal's calculator: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Doki
These are wonderful! I've made them a second time already, they're really a keeper. I'm using date syrup instead of honey and it works really well. Thanks ever so much for this recipe - and of course for all your other recipes as well. Your blog has become my go-to page for vegan baking.
Nina
Excellent recipe! I've made these loads of times now, and they always work well and are very easy. I have also swapped out the nuts, fruits and seeds for other ones when I have run out of the exact ingredients (always keeping to the same measurements), and this has worked nicely too. They're absolutely delicious and have gone down well with everyone I've shared them with!