Are you looking for a good granola bar recipe?
This recipe won’t disappoint.
These delightfully chewy granola bars include all the goodness of everyone’s favorite Quaker granola bars, but without the corn syrup, refined sugar, and long list of artificial ingredients. So if you’re looking for a good granola bar recipe…
It’s staring you in the face. 🙂
Unless you are extremely tall or your computer is low to the ground.
Then it’s staring you in the belly button.
It even looks like a face. See the eyes and the nose? Those would be made out of chocolate chips. Yes, a chocolate chip face.
Are you jealous?
I am!
Oh, to live life with a chocolate chip face…
Quaker Style Chewy Granola Bars
(Can be gluten-free)
- 1 cup rolled oats (for all substitution notes, see nutrition link below)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup rice crispies (brown, white, or gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp oat flour (see recipe instructions below for an easy substitution) 55g
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or veg oil (See nutrition link below for notes on a fat-free version.)
- 1/4 cup agave (Honey will also work, but not for strict vegans.)
- 1-2 packs stevia (up to 1/16 tsp uncut) or 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or extra liquid sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp applesauce (banana would probably work as well, or pumpkin!)
- Ideas for the add-ins: mini chocolate chips, chopped raisins or other dried fruit, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, etc.
Unless you’re doing the no-bake option, preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all dry ingredients and mix very well. (If you don’t have oat flour: simply grind rolled oats in a food processor to make oat flour. Be sure to measure the correct amount of flour for the recipe after grinding, not before.) In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir wet into dry and use another sheet of parchment (or wax) paper to squish evenly-coated mixture into a parchment-lined 7×5 pan (or double the recipe for a bigger pan). Squish very, very hard, with a can or something heavy. Either fridge until firm (the no-bake option is firmer if you use coconut oil), or cook 18 minutes, then squish very hard again. Cool in the fridge for at least ten minutes before cutting into bars.
These bars can be stored at room temp, but if you use coconut oil they’re best kept in the fridge. Or they can even be frozen. The bars thaw very well. Other homemade granola bar recipes:
(Click on the photos to see the recipes.)
Do you wish you were taller?
Or shorter? Or are you happy exactly the way you are? I’m 5’5, and I always wanted to be taller when I was growing up. But now I actually like my average height. My grandpa used to say that you’re tall enough as long as your feet touch the ground. How are grandparents so wise? 🙂
Hi I really love these bars, but it doesn’t say how many serves it makes, so I’m not sure how many calories I’m consuming! Haha
Thanks for a great recipe! Do you know how I could turn these into baked bites? I can’t stand the texture if the no bake and there don’t seem to be any recipes out there for me? Thanks! 🙂
I am so excited to have found your recipe! My 8 yr old son has autism and a Very limited pallet due to his need to find the perfect texture and taste for everything. We have recently gone GF and DF and this immediately eliminated his favorite snack…Quaker chewy granola bars (chocolate chip!). It has been difficult to find a replacement to meet his requirements. I’m so excited to try these!
*Question, if I’m baking these, after baking for the 18 minutes, do I wait until completely cooled before “squishing very hard” again? Or do I squish while still warm/hot? Thank you!
I made these for our after-library snack. I doubled it and baked in an 11×7 pan. I didn’t add the extras. Super good. I wish I didn’t have to share with my kiddos. I used banana instead of applesauce.
These look amazing!! I was just wondering how many squares the nutritional information is based on and if it includes any of the add ins? Do you have a favorite combination of add ins to try?
Nutritional information excludes add-in items. You can experiment with chopped nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, oat flakes, &etc. Let us know how it comes out, if you try these or other items.
I just made these for my 11 yr old, and why the flavor reminds me of a warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (yum) they seem to be almost raw in the middle, yet very brown, (just before burning) on the bottom. I am not sure they will survive the trip to school h=in her lunchbag.. I used cocnut oil and honey and brown sugar instead of the agave or stevia. I squished them before and after baking as noted. ..I want to try them again any ideas where i went wrong?
Hmm it is impossible to know without being there, but off the top of my head, is your oven calibrated? If not, maybe they just need to be baked longer?
Katie this recipe says
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp oat flour (see recipe instructions below for an easy substitution) 55g
can I use oatmeal and ground into flour or almond flour.
Also I it said 2 tbsp applesauce (banana would probably work as well, or pumpkin!)
whats the difference in terms of the binding and taste. will the banana or pumpkin be too over powering.
Please answer I want to make these ASAP.
Thanks Curious Dorothy
Hi! I’ve made this recipe about ten times (see my comment below), so maybe I can help! Based on my experience baking with banana and pumpkin, I bet each would give a slight flavour, especially the banana. While I have not tried this, I doubt they would be overpowering. So if you like banana and pumpkin, why not give it a try!?
I always grind my rolled oats into a four to make oat flour for this recipe. Works every time! But I have not tried almond flour. I imagine that almond flour would taste great but give the bars a more crumbly texture. So if you’re willing to risk the possibility of having a really yummy chewy granola instead of bars, why not try it and let us know? 🙂
I have probably made this recipe more than ten times now; I absolutely love it! I typically add about 1/4 cup of Fair Trade dark chocolate chips, and sometimes 3 Tbsp dry roasted pumpkin seeds as well. I use canola oil and, because the chocolate chips are quite sweet, about half the suggested amount of maple syrup (I increase the applesauce to make up for the liquid). I never have crispy rice cereal on hand, so I typically just substitute it with the equivalent volume of rolled oats. Thanks for a school and work staple!
These are so tasty! I used honey, mashed banana, and coconut oil, and added mini chocolate chips. Went with the no-bake option, then cut into ten servings, wrapped them individually in parchment paper then plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for the kids’ lunch boxes. Of course, I saved one for myself and one for my toddler, so that’s how I know how yummy they are! The kids were very excited to pack a homemade granola bar 🙂
I’m 12, and I’m 5’5!