Granola bars are a favorite snack at my house. They’re easy to keep on the shelf, can be stuffed into my purse or kept in the car to eat when running errands, or (at one time) could be packed in my travel bag to eat while running across the airport. One day, when I discovered I was out of granola bars, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I found a couple of basic recipes for granola bars, combined them, and made my own. The result was this easy granola bars recipe that tasted much better than I could purchase in a box with the added benefit of no preservatives. Best of all, the bars can be customized with our favorite ingredients.
Easy Granola Bars Recipe
This recipe is so easy, yet has a perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Printable Recipe:
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sunflower kernels
- 1 cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup honey or agave
- 1 cup M&Ms, optional
- Preheat oven to 225°. Line a 9″ by 9″ baking dish with parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix oats, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Stir in sunflower kernels, and peanuts. Add vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and honey. Mix together until blended.
- Press mixture evenly across the baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until granola is lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle M&M’s evenly over top. Allow granola to cool to room temperature. Slice into bars. Wrap individual bars tightly in aluminum foil or place all bars in layers, separating each layer with parchment paper, in an airtight storage container.
- *If granola seems to crumbly: remove granola and parchment paper from pan. Allow the granola to cool at room temperature 15-20 minutes. Place granola in the freezer for one hour then slice into bars.
Know Your Oats:
*Not all oats are gluten-free! If you need a gluten-free version be sure to read labels carefully. Bob’s Red Mill is one certified gluten-free oat manufacturer that is available in most grocery stores. Quaker Oats makes gluten-free oatmeal as well, although it can be harder to find.
Cooking Tips:
*To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free one-to-one baking flour and gluten-free oats.
*Press chopped dried fruits evenly across the tops of bars after baking to prevent them from burning during cooking.
*Make the recipe your own by adding your favorite flavor combinations. Just omit the peanuts and M&M’s and replace them with any of these combinations:
Apple Cinnamon: Add 1 cup chopped dried apple chips and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Fruit & Nut: Add 1 cup mixed nuts and 1 cup dried mixed fruit.
*If you like, go all out! Just add your favorite ingredients in with the peanuts and M&M’s to make an especially decadent treat.
*Granola bars can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
*If you prefer to prepare granola cereal, just spread the mixture across a baking sheet. Stir once during cooking time. This is a great topping for crumbles and parfaits.
Have you made your own granola before? What are your favorite combinations?
Our New Cookbook
Have you seen our new cookbook, The Southern Air Fryer Cookbook? It’s available now on Kindle and in print. We’ve shared 75 classic Southern recipes adapted for the air fryer. With recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, you’ll learn new uses and tips for the fryer. You can purchase it on Amazon now.
You Might Like These Posts:
This looks scrumptious. I love that you use the only white colors of M&M’s. It looks unique.
This homemade granola bars looks delicious I need to make it with kids add some extra chocolate chips.
I’ll definitly be attempting to make these! I’m not much of a baker but I’ll give it a shot.
These look so delicious! I think I’ll make a batch to take with us when we go camping later this month.
These granola bars look delicious! We are going on a hike this weekend and I am going to make a batch to bring with us.
Home made granola bars are so good. I like how these are sweet and salty.
I do love granola, but have never thought of making it at home. I do love how handy bars are especially when walking or hiking. I’m certainly going to try your recipe. Cheers.
Those granola bars look delicious. I love having them for snack in the afternoon.
I have never made my own granola bars, but this sounds like a fun idea! I personally eat a ton of granola bars at work, and it would be nice to customize my own.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m a health nut so I like that you added nutritious sunflower seeds to the mix! I have all the ingredients and will probably make these today! 🙂
It’s an easy way to have breakfast. I need to put these on my must to make list for next week.
I love granola! I’ve never tried making the bars at home. Looking forward to giving this a try.
I love baking granola bars. My sister gave me the perfect silicone baking molds. I’m going to try your recipe next time.
These are so good and so much better than from the store. Perfect snack.
Making homemade granola bars are better than store bought. You know what ingredients are in it and healthier for you.
Homemade granola bars are the best. The recipe is also perfect to make with the kids. Noawasdays keeping the, busy is a must too.
I’ll be trying these. I do love granola bars and these seem easy to make. Perfect for breakfast!
Wow, those look so good! I love making my own granola bars, it is too easy to get a lot of extra stuff in the store bought ones.
I’ve never thought about making them myself but this is a fantastic idea! I love oat and honey granola and I bet it would taste good as a bar.
I see a lot of recipes but this one I really love. Granola bars are so healthy and tasty too. I will try this and i think i have all the ingredients on hand.
I have to admit I absolutely love granola – this sounds like a great bar to make it into as well and have to hand.