Easy Crunchy No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

This crunchy granola bar recipe is so easy to make with just 5 ingredients! No-Bake granola bars are a delicious make-ahead treat for the week. 

I love making my own homemade granola bars, energy bars, and bliss balls. My personal favorite might be the Superfood Energy Bars I shared last month, but my husband and kids prefer these crunchy granola bars.

Crunchy no-bake granola bars take about 5 minutes to prepare before chilling in the freezer.

This recipe came to be because I found myself with too much granola in the pantry. I had just picked up a double package from Costco when a brand sent me another package of it for another recipe. I love using granola on top of my chia pudding with berries, but decided it would make terrific crunchy granola bars too.

No-bake homemade granola bars have two important components. We need the dry ingredients, and we need wet ingredients to “glue” the bars together. I melt the peanut butter, syrup, and coconut together into this sweet “glue” on the stove for just a minute.

Though I poured the peanut butter mixture into a bowl of the granola mixture here, I could have saved myself the extra dirty dish by simply adding the dry ingredients into the saucepan.

Once the granola is coated with the peanut butter mixture it gets pressed into a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Using parchment really helps when removing the one big bar for cutting. A common issue with homemade no-bake granola bars is crumbling. It can be hard to keep the granola bars together when cutting and storing.

How to Make Granola Bars Stick Together:

• Press the mixture very firmly into the pan.
• Keep the bars chilled. It’s just peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup holding these together. When these ingredients are cold they are solid, but when warm they quickly soften.
• Honey works better than maple syrup because it’s stickier.

Continue to Content

Yield: 10 bars

Easy Crunchy No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Total Time 6 minutes

These easy no-bake granola bars are made with 5 ingredients or less! Pre-made granola gives these bars their crunch.

Print

Ingredients

• ¼ cup maple syrup or honey (see note)
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 cups granola
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup favorite nuts and seeds or mini chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Add syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until smooth and melty.
3. Stir in the granola, flax meal and any additions like nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips. Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth in. Press the mixture down as firmly as possible. You want it really packed in so that the bars don't crumble. I like to use the back of a measuring cup coated with cooking spray.
4. Place in the freezer until very firm, about 1 hour. Remove the the parchment paper with the uncut bars from the baking dish and cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Honey is better at holding these bars together but is not vegan. You could try bee-free honey (it's a thing) if needed. Nut-Free Option: Use nut-free granola and replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter. Do not use any additional nuts. Gluten-Free Option: Be sure to choose certified gluten free granola. Nutrition information is approximate.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 81mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 5gSugar: 22gProtein: 8g