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 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon 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.
Joanna
Thank you so much for sharing this. I've just made them & they're delish! I substituted the puffed brown rice with Tesco rice snaps & they're still amazing!
hannahhossack
Awesome! I'm so pleased you enjoyed them 🙂 And it's good to know that rice snaps work in place of puffed brown rice.
healthyjon
They look so good! I tried to make raw breakfast bars and they crumbled and didn't hold together very well. Any tips?
hannahhossack
Hi Jon, sorry for the slow reply, I've been a bit rubbish at keeping up with blog stuff recently... Unfortunately home made breakfast/cereal bars can be tricky to get right, it's melted sugar, butter/oil and honey/syrup that hold them together and if you don't use enough they will fall apart - mine are crumbly sometimes if the proportions are off. I find that keeping them in the fridge helps them to hold together better.
fiona mcbride
Too much sugar and butter not healthy at all !! Because I hate these ingredients I used less honey and tahini in place of butter much nicer and more nutritious.
Freda
I have made 2 batches of these wonderful bars as they have been a real hit with my family and friends. I have omitted the chocolate and have added 1/2 cup of sesame seeds. I have toasted the almonds and the sesame seeds together with the other items in the recipe. OMG I don't think I could ever buy another packet of bars again...
Just Wondering... Have you worked out how many calories per bar.
Thanks
hannahhossack
Hi Freda, fabulous! I'm so glad you like them! 🙂 I'm afraid I have no idea on the calorie front as I never count calories, I think that this website should be able to work it out for you: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator (there might be better sites, I've never used one so I'm not sure), sorry I can't be more helpful!
Freda Garas
My wonderful daughter has worked out the calories for these wonderful bars. Depending of course on how big you cut the bars. It turns out that they are under 200 calories per bar which is actually a little lower than the packet bars. The important thing is that you know what goes into them "and my goodness". How can you go wrong with such wonderful ingredients..
Can't wait to make them for my grandchildren who live in Sydney..
hannahhossack
Hi Freda, oh that's so helpful! Thank you for letting me know, and say thank to your clever daughter for me 🙂
Jess
I made bars once before and got discouraged about ever making them again because those other ones just fell apart and didn't taste good. I decided to give it another go though using your recipe and omgosh, they taste amazing! I tried them even before letting them set in the fridge--so good. Can't wait to eat them throughout the week. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Pete
These bars are so easy to make and taste absolutely fantastic!! Its so brilliant I'm on my 4th batch and the only change I have made is that I use 85% dark chocolate - Thanks so much!!
Sarah
These look delish! Do you know the nutritional information?
hannahhossack
Hi Sarah, Thank you! I'm afraid I don't know the nutritional information but you can use this website to work it out: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator (bear in mind that nutrition calculators are not particularly accurate).
Suzanne
These look so good! They look like ones kids would want to eat too!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! This would be a good one to bring to a potluck event too. It's nice for people to have a healthy option!
Dafflodilys
Great recipe. Stayed together well. Delicious. Thanks very much.