How to Make Granola Bars

Have you ever found yourself standing in the grocery store staring at food packaging labels? Looking at the calories and long list of ingredients? Wondering if this is something you should have?

I know this all too well. I would head to the grocery store with a short list of items. I’d tell myself this shouldn’t be hard, everyone can do this. But I would end up overwhelmed with the amount of options. There was just too much to think about.

When I wanted a granola bar, there were 15 different options to choose from. I would painstakingly look at every box looking for the ideal one. The one low in calories, sugar, and fats. Afraid that I might select the wrong one. It was exhausting.

As I share I on A Kind Spoon, I learned to stop restricting my foods and start moving towards foods that filled me up. I did this by slowly adding new foods into my diet and getting more comfortable in the kitchen. I told myself it’s okay to eat snacks and keep wholesome food on hand. Because I was realizing that I typically binged when I would restrict and beat myself up.

That’s why I want to share with you how to make granola bars. This recipe has 7 ingredients and only takes 15 minutes to make. You don’t even need to bake it. You’ll also find that it’s another guilt free option as I use natural sugar from dates to sweeten this up.

Check out my video where I show you how easy it is to make granola bars.

Start by placing 1 cup of pitted dates into a bowl of water to soak for 5 to 10 minutes. When they are softened, throw out the soaking water. And let’s learn how to make these healthy granola bars.

Then, add the dates to your food processor and give it a nice pulse. You might need to use a spatula to get the dates from the side of the food processor to make sure the dates are well combined. You are looking for a smooth date paste. This will be the glue that holds the granola bars together.

In a mixing bowl, add cranberries, chopped almonds, and salt. Feel free to add in your favorite nuts or seeds. Pumpkin seeds work great too!

Give it a quick stir and set it aside.

Let’s head to the stove and in a small saucepan, over low heat, warm up your peanut butter and honey. You can use maple syrup if you want a vegan option.

Once it is warm, pour the peanut butter and honey over the oat mixture. Give it a stir.

After it is all mixed, add the dates and don’t be afraid to use your hands. It will be sticky and there is nothing better than our fingers to do the job.

Then pour our mixture into our baking dish, lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper helps to later on easily remove these bars and keep their shape.

Press our granola bar mixture down with the back of a spoon or spatula. Then, set the granola bars in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Once chilled, remove the granola bars from the baking dish by pulling the parchment paper up and slicing into bars. They are mighty tasty and a healthier and cheaper alternative than the grocery bar.

Store in the fridge and enjoy. Once you try and learn how to make granola bars, it is hard to go back to the store bought ones. Hope you’ll try it too!

Don’t forget to check out our homemade granola. It’s another great breakfast treat!