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Nut-Free Granola Bars

by Lyndsay Leave a Comment

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granola bars sliced on a white counter

This chewy, nut-free granola bars recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and perfect for school lunches!

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Necessity is the mother of invention. At least it is in my house. It feels like I am constantly running to the grocery store to grab more and more lunch snacks for the kids. Which, let me tell you, can get expensive! Especially if you want to prioritize healthy, whole foods that are also a treat for your kids.

My kids love granola bars in their lunches, and because they are both a sweet treat and full of healthy, filling ingredients (depending on the brand you buy), I like them too. The problem was that I just couldn’t keep the amount of bars they eat in stock in my pantry, and the cost was quickly taking a big bite out of my grocery budget!

So I decided to see if I could come up with a healthy granola bar recipe myself that still enticed the kids to eat them. Oh, and they had to be nut-free for school…

What I came up with was a straightforward, no-bake granola bar recipe that holds together well and the kids love! So much so that they are eating them after school as well. I now keep a freezer bag full of them in the freezer for an easy grab-and-go snack. Each recipe makes 16 bars, but you can cut them to whatever size works for your family. Give them a try, we think they’re pretty great :).

Why we love this Nut-Free Granola Bars recipe

  • Since these granola bars are nut-free, they are safe for school lunches.
  • This recipe is full of delicious ingredients the whole family will love. Dried cherries, chocolate, pumpkin seeds, oats, and more turn into a filling and satisfying snack.
  • It’s easy to whip up and doesn’t need any baking – just mix the ingredients and press into the pan! After a couple of hours in the fridge, they are ready to slice and serve.
  • They are inexpensive to make, and taste way better than store-bought granola bars!
rows of chewy homemade granola

The ingredients

These nut-free granola bars are full of simple, natural ingredients (to keep parents happy) and of course some chocolate (for the kid in all of us):

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – this superfood is the bulk of the bar, providing a ton of tummy-filling protein and fibre.

Pumpkin Seeds – also known as pepitas, pumpkin seeds are full of healthy fats, vitamins, & minerals. They add some crunch to the granola bars in place of nuts. I’ve used both salted and unsalted and both work equally well.

Sunflower Seeds – another amazing seed packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Roasted, unsalted seeds were used in this recipe, but salted work just as well.

Dried Cherries – often found in bulk food stores, dried cherries add a tart sweetness to these nut-free granola bars

Mini Chocolate Chips – Chocolate. Delicious. Perfection.

Honey – naturally sweetens the granola bars and adds flavour

Brown Sugar – acts as a sweetener while also giving the bars a richer flavour

Butter – use salted or unsalted here, whichever you prefer or have on hand!

Vanilla – I always use natural vanilla extract, as it has cleaner ingredients and better flavour

Sea Salt – Himalayan sea salt is my personal favourite, but any fine sea salt will work in this recipe

close up image of chocolate and cherry granola bars with pumpkin seeds

Items you may need

9 inch baking pan

parchment paper

dried cherries

pumpkin seeds

How to make nut-free granola bars

1. Spread rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds evenly on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring once, to lightly toast the oats. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, melt together butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds on a baking sheet
toasted oats and seeds on a baking sheet
close up of a sauce pan with melting butter and brown sugar in it

3. Carefully pour melted butter mixture over the oats mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chopped dried cherries and chocolate chips (reserving 2 tbsp of chocolate chips for later). Don’t worry if the chocolate chips melt, they are supposed to – it helps stick everything together.

melted butter and sugar mixture being poured over dry oats mixture
stirring granola bar mixture in a white bowl

4. Scrape into a parchment-lined 9-inch square pan. Press firmly and evenly with your fingers. You will need to apply a good amount of pressure to ensure the bars stick together and firm up.

white parchment paper lining a white 9 inch baking dish
pressing granola bar mixture into baking dish with a spatula
pressing granola bar mixture down with fingers

5. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and press gently so they stick to the bars.

partial view of a pan full of granola bars, uncut
granola bars cut into squares

6. Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours or until completely firm. Remove from fridge and slice into quarters, then slice each quarter into bars. Bars keep best in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

rows of homemade granola bars on a white counter

And there you have it! An easy alternative to store-bought bars that we’d argue tastes much better! After making these, we aren’t going back.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, please be sure to give it a 5-star rating!

close up of granola bars
Print Recipe

Nut-Free Granola Bars

These granola bars are easy to make, are full of healthy ingredients, and are completely nut-free, making them safe for school lunches. Sweetened just enough to keep kids happy while filling them up with all the right things.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Snack
Keyword: after school snack, cherry, chocolate, granola, granola bars, healthy, healthy snack, oats, pumpkin seeds
Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ⅓ cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup roughly chopped dried cherries
  • ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, plus 2 tbsp for topping bars

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°f.
  • Spread oats, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once, to toast lightly. Transfer to a large bowl.
  • Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Remove from heat, then stir in vanilla.
  • Pour butter mixture, a into bowl with the oats, along with chopped cherries and ⅓ cup chocolate chips (the chips will melt, which is supposed to happen).
  • Line a 9" square baking pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Wet fingers, then press mixture firmly and evenly into the pan. Continue pressing until bars are firmly pressed down (they will firm up more once cooled, but pressing the bars is very important, or else they will be crumbly).
  • Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips and press gently help them stick to the bars.
  • Refrigerate bars for at least two hours before slicing.

Notes

These granola bars remain firm in the fridge, but soften perfectly for snacking when brought to room temperature.
To store, keep granola bars in the fridge for up to one week.
These granola bars freeze really well. Simply place sliced bars into an air-tight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Looking for more?

You may also want to check out some more A Little Hint of This favourite recipes, like our Strawberries & Cream granola, Cinnamon Maple Pecan Granola, The BEST Banana Bread recipe, and our Ultimate Dirt Pie (a family favourite)!

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Filed Under: Snacks Tagged With: chocolate, easysnack, granola, granolabars, healthysnack, kids, lunchideas, pumpkinseeds, schoollunches, snack

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Welcome to A Little Hint of This

Hi! I’m Lyndsay, a busy mom of 3 and occasional high-school teacher from small-town Ontario. Join me on my journey to get back-to-basics and create a more harmonious home. Read more about me here !

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