Imagine yourself eating your favorite granola…
Now imagine eating your favorite granola… in the form of a granola bar! Nature Valley Granola Bars… Do you know the ones I’m talking about?
Those crunchy bars in the green wrappers? My friend Sarah calls them “horse food” because they’re made up of oats and sugar—things that horses like to eat. But the following granola bar recipe is much too good to share with horses. Sorry, horses.
Soccer Fuel
When I was in high school (it seems like a lifetime ago!), I played on the varsity soccer team, and our daily practices fell right after school. So I got in the habit of grabbing a bar—often a Nature Valley granola bar—to munch in the locker room while dressing out.
I’d completely forgotten about my past with Nature Valley until a few days ago, when I tasted an attempt at what was supposed to be a chewy granola bar.
“Woah, these taste exactly like Nature Valley oats-n-honey bars,” my roommate proclaimed after trying a bite. “Except, maybe these are even better!” (She quickly proceeded to eat two whole bars.)
Nature Valley Granola Bars Recipe
Category: Healthy & Gluten-Free Recipes
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup rice crispies (I used brown rice crispies)
- 3 tbsp oat flour (You can make your own by grinding oats in a food processor*.)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or veg oil
- 3 tbsp agave or other liquid sweetener
- 1 packet stevia (or 1 tbsp dry sweetener)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients, then mix in wet. Transfer to a 7×5 baking dish (lined with parchment paper), and press down. Squish HARD. Hard hard hard. Then cook for around 18 minutes. Wait at least 20 minutes before trying to cut into bars. *If making oat flour, measure the 3tbsp after grinding.
Other bars I’ve done:
First off: I LOVE YOUR SITE! Second: I really wanted to make these but was missing a couple things. I also was in the mood for something with fruit, and let me tell you what I did was AWESOME. I didn’t have rice crisps, but I added a handful (each) of dates, sliced almonds, craisins, a couple shakes of cinnamon, 1T quinoa (uncooked), and some dried apple crumbs. Needless to say, they didn’t hold together as well, but DANG they tasted good!! My kids were going nuts over them, and so was I! I can’t wait to have my husband try them. Thanks so much for your ideas and awesome recipes!
I just made these for my husband…he loves the Nature Valley bars, so I thought I would give these a try. He took one bite and said “more please”. Lol. I guess its a keeper! I made a few substitutions using what I had available at the time. I used all-purpose flour and canola oil. I also added ground flax. They did have a salty-sweet taste…perfect for my husband, but I would probably use half the amount of salt for myself. Thanks for the great recipe, Katie!
I finally got around to making these and they were awesome! I am really surprised that the two people above me said they were way too salty. Maybe I have a salt tooth of something, but I thought they were perfectly balanced between salty and sweet. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
I really liked the taste of this recipe! Exactly like Nature Valley. However, they weren’t really bars. When I cut them it all just crumbled together. I followed the recipe, so maybe I just didn’t press hard enough? Also, I didn’t have a 7×5 pan, so I used a small pie pan and tried to cut them into pie-piece slices. Maybe that made a difference. I am going try it again in a square pan and press harder. Atleast I can use this batch as granola!
I’ve been playing with this recipe for a while now. I like it so much I usually quadruple the recipe so I have enough to last me a while. I’ve stopped using oat flour and any kind of puffed rice, adding oat bran and quick oats instead. I’ve also used olive oil instead of coconut, subbing some with homemade unsweetened raw applesauce. Another switch is local maple syrup, also subbing some of the sweetener with applesauce and a TON of cinnamon! Oh, and ground chia is delicious mixed in. Another trick I learned from my sister and the Homemade Pantry cookbook, put the granola in to bake in the evening for the required amount of time. Then, turn off the oven and leave the granola in there overnight. Do not open the oven door! That helps it “harden” and hold together a bit better!
I’m not a big fan of the NV oats n honey but I LOVE the PB ones… hope you or someone can do that variation! (I’ve no talent for inventing recipes!)
I put in honey and organic raw agave nectar and organic sugar, as well as more vanilla and cinnamon. Turned out great. Thanks!
Made these yesterday to take with me skiing today! They turned out great. I used quick oats, honey, veggie oil, white sugar, and kept everything else as the recipe called for. I baked them in a 5×7 pan and got 4 bars. I’m not sure if this is supposed to happen, but when I baked them they started to puff up and rise! I simply used a spoon to squish it back down after it came out of the oven. After cooling, the bars were nice and firm. Mine look darker than yours (more like the Nature Valley ones in color.) They aren’t as crunchy as the NV ones, but I like them better with a little softness/chew! Thanks, Katie!
Oh, and I coarsely crushed up some plain Cheerios in place of the crispy rice cereal! No problem with this substitute 🙂
Do you melt the coconut oil or just try to work it into the wet or dry ingredients?
Melt first.
Is there a different substitute for the agave syrup, would honey be okay?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.