Learn how to make your own homemade granola bars with all of your favorite dried fruits, nuts, and oats for a healthy and packable lunchbox snack.
Back-to-school season is around the corner, which means schedules may get busier. It can be all too easy to let healthy eating fall by the wayside when there are afterschool activities, homework and other commitments piling up. Instead of turning to processed foods and unhealthy snacks for the sake of convenience, with a bit of planning, you can make nutritious snacks at home for you and the kids.
Below is everything you need to know to make healthy, high-fiber granola bars that are perfect for stashing in a backpack. Making your own granola bars is a fun and easy project that you can customize with your favorite flavors and mix-ins.
How to Make Granola Bars
First things first, you’ll need oatmeal or Mu Mu Muesli to make homemade granola bars. Oats make up the bulk of your bars. They also provide plenty of filling fiber, plant-based protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
Aside from the oats, you can change up the flavors in your bars however you like.
Choose your Ingredients
The components of a great homemade granola bar are oats, a binder, a sweetener, and mix-ins. Here are some options you can mix and match to make your ideal snack combination:
Binders
These ingredients all work to bind your granola bars together:
- Nut butter, like almond, peanut or cashew
- Coconut oil
- Flax eggs made with flaxseed meal and water
Sweetener Options
Use any of these to sweeten your sacks to suit your taste buds:
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Agave syrup
- Brown sugar
- Blended dates
- Fruit juice
Mix-Ins
These ingredients add flavor, texture, color and nutrients to your granola bars:
- Dried fruits like blueberries, raisins, dried cranberries, cherries or apricots
- Nuts like almonds, walnuts, hazlenuts, coconut flakes, cashews or peanuts
- Seeds like flax, sesame, pumpkin, or chia
- Spices like cinnamon, nuthazelnutsmeg, or pumpkin pie spice
- Flavorings like vanilla or almond extract
Of course, if you start with our organic Muesli, you won’t need to add anything other than a binder and a sweetener to make granola bars. Our muesli is studded with dates, coconut, raisins, and toasted almonds.
How to Make Granola Bars
Once you’ve selected your ingredients, making the bars is simple. Simply add your ingredients to a food processor or mixing bowl and work everything into a uniform dough. Add more muesli or oats as necessary until the texture sticks together.
Because these ingredients are plant-based, you don’t even need to bake your bars. Shape the dough into a baking dish, then let it rest for an hour in the fridge to firm up. Finally, slice into snack-sized bars.
Storing Homemade Granola Bars
Keep your bars in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze the bars for three months. To defrost, simply let the bars thaw on the counter for a few hours.
