Chewy Granola Bars – A healthy no bake breakfast or snack the whole family will love. So much better than the store bought ones!
You’re going to love this super easy recipe for granola bars. They taste very similar to a chewy kind you can buy at the store. These have just a few ingredients and come together in under 10 minutes.
So much healthier and cheaper than the grocery store alternative. Plus you could mix in whatever you want!

ARE CHEWY GRANOLA BARS HEALTHY?
I like to think of these chewy granola bars to be a healthier option than some other traditional breakfast or snacks I tend to grab when I’m in a rush.
They may not be the epitome of a healthy snack, but they are healthier than grabbing a candy bar at the gas station or chowing down on a huge plate of syrup-covered pancakes for breakfast.
Read some of my possible variations farther down in the post for some ideas to make them even healthier.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Butter– Helps to soften the oats and adds a little saltiness.
- Honey– This helps hold the granola bars together.
- Brown Sugar– Adds a little bit of sweetness.
- Quick cooking oats– Don’t use rolled oats. They need to be cooked and these are no cook granola bars.
- Crispy Rice Cereal– Adds a crispy crunch to the recipe.
- Vanilla– Helps enhance the other flavors in the recipe.
- Mini Chocolate Chips– The mini variety helps get the perfect amount of chocolate in every bite.

HOW TO MAKE CHEWY GRANOLA BARS
- Stir oats and rice together. Make sure they are incorporated well to get a crispy bite throughout the whole pan of granola bars.
- Melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together. In a small saucepan, combine these ingredients over medium heat, stirring slowly to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Bring it to a boil. Once the butter, honey, and brown sugar begins to bubble, reduce the heat and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla. After the cooking is complete, add vanilla.
- Pour the syrup over the oats. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats and syrup and until the oats are completely coated.
- Add the mixture to a sheet pan. Press the mixture into the pan. Make sure you press them in hard and tight so that they do not crumble and break when you cut into them to store. Mine were about 1/2 an inch thick, but yours may vary depending on what size baking sheet you use.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips. Grab your mini chocolate chips and sprinkle them evenly over the top of the pan of pressed oats and syrup. Gently press the chocolate chips into the tops of the granola bars.
- Let the chewy granola bars cool. You will want to let them cool for at least two hours. This will allow the syrup to soak into the oats and make the granola bars more solid and easier to cut into. The heat of your hands pressing the chocolate chips into the oats can make them slightly melty. This will allow the chocolate to set again as well.
- Cut into bars. Slice the baking sheet of granola mixture into bars. Make them as big or as small as you would like. This recipe made about 12 bars for me, but it is all about how thin or thick you like them.

HOW TO STORE THESE CHEWY GRANOLA BARS
One of the greatest things about these chewy bars is how long they last. You can store them on your countertop for 5-7 days for the best results. Do not refrigerate these. This can make the honey extremely hard and difficult to eat.
I prefer to wrap the bars individually in parchment paper so they do not stick together and then store them in a large air tight container or bag.
If you want to make a double batch to freeze more for later, these freeze extremely well. To do this, wrap the individual bars in parchment paper and place them in a freezer safe container. They will last up to two months in the freezer. To defrost, place the frozen bars in a separate container on your countertop for 24 hours and enjoy.

POSSIBLE VARIATIONS
This Chewy Granola Bar recipe is great because of how customizable it can be. If you don’t like one of the ingredients I included, just leave it out! Is there a flavor combination you absolutely love? Feel free to toss in some extra ingredients, too.
As long as the ingredients are precooked (because this is a no bake recipe) you’ll have the perfect breakfast or on-the-go snack.
Here are some other flavor combinations I’ve tried and have turned out great:
- Raisins– The tartness of pairs so well with the sweetness of the bars.
- Peanut Butter- Add a little more protein to your bars
- Marshmallows– Adds fun and flavor to this already great granola bar recipe.
- Cranberries – You can’t go wrong adding a little fruit.
- Nuts– packed with fiber and protein.
- Coconut– A great source of healthy fat.

More Homemade Snack Recipes To Try
- Homemade Granola with Pumpkin Seeds, Honey & Cranberries
- Ranch Oyster Crackers
- Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Granola Bars
- Party Mix
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Biscoff Granola Bars
- Homemade Crackers
If you love these Chewy Granola Bars as much as we do, make sure you share the recipe with your friends so they can try them too!
No Bake Chewy Granola Bars

No Bake Chewy Granola Bars - even better than the store bought ones!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together. Once it starts to bubble, reduce heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
- Pour syrup over the oat mixture. Stir until well coated.
- Press into a greased sheet pan. Mine were about 1/2 in thick. Thoroughly press them together, or they will crumble when you cut into them.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly across the bars. Lightly press in the chips.
- Allow to cool for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars, store in air tight container at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe from Lauren's Latest
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 273Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 10mgSodium 48mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 3gSugar 27gProtein 3g
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Kim Bee says
Great recipe, looks healthy and yummy. I love that your son is running with you. Mini-me is picky too so I can relate.
Emily @ Life on Food says
I am definitely enjoying adding honey to more of my recipes as sweeteners. These look great; I cave to any treat with mini chocolate chips on top. I would be hard pressed to pick veggies over these bars.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
These granola bars look so good. My son brings one granola bar in his snack bag. I should be making this instead of store bought, huh… thanks for the recipe!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
Wow, how impressive that he wants to run a 5k! These granola bars are the perfect snack!
Marsha @ The Harried Cook says
Okay. I am so going to make these soon. I love that they’re no bake. Sometimes I bake so much it seems like I never turn the oven off! Thanks for this recipe 🙂
CulinarilyCourtney says
I love baking, but sometimes I like to take a break with a no-bake treat! I have been wanting to try making my own granola bars for a while and this looks like the perfect adaptable recipe (coconut will be added for sure!)
Terra says
I love finding treats that are no-bake, especially with my crazy busy schedule:-) These look delicious! I love that your son wants to run a 5k, have fun training with him! Take care, Terra
Suzanne says
Love this granola bar recipe, I’m going to be trying this out this week :). Wow I can’t believe your 6 year old ran 2 miles and want to run a 5 k says good things about mom and dad. I’ve been exercising my whole life and my daughter has no interest what so sever, she does dance but not interested in what mom does.
Ann says
These look amazing and that they’re no bake makes me happy!
Alyssa says
Wow, two miles, that’s great! And with picky kids myself, I know how big it is when they eat something new! These bars look great. I’ve made granola bars before, but was never able to get the chewy party right. Great recipe!
Kaitlin says
Yum! I love that they don’t require baking, so easy!
amy @ fearless homemaker says
these sounds awesome! will definitely be giving these a try!
Jennifer (Delicieux) says
These look fantastic and even better that no baking is involved! How amazing that your 6 year old wants to run 5 km’s. Maybe we’ll be seeing him in a future olympics!
Kelsey @ K&K Test Kitchen says
These bars sound awesome! My old college roommate was addicted to the chewy bars from the store, and I think she would love to know that she could make these at home. I know I’m going to try these!
Brenda Z says
These look wonderful! I am always wary of buying the chewy bars in the store as I am paranoid of preservatives…these sound so quick and easy to make (not to mention delicious). Will definitely be making these soon!
Tiffany Ziolkowski says
those look good!
Apron Appeal says
what the what?! There’s no peanut butter or egg in there! (unless you have a peanut or egg allergy that’s not going to mean much but to me, that’s golden.)
Fran Moore says
These were terrific! I used coconut oil instead of butter, and added cranberries with the chocolate chips. Yummy! Thx!
Erin says
So glad that you liked them!
Ashley says
I’m just wondering, once these are made, how long will they be good for?
Erin says
About a week is how long I keep them in my fridge. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn says
I just made a huge batch of these. One pan with almonds and white chocolate chips and one pan with milk chocolate chips. Anxiously waiting for them to cool!!! With kids plus nieces and nephews coming over for Spring Break, these will come in handy.
Erin says
They sound wonderful. I am sure the kids will enjoy!
Rayan says
I can’t wait to try these. The ingredients in the boxed stuff is horrible. Maybe I won’t feel as bad if my kids are inhaling these instead. Any DIY NutriGrain bars idea.
Ikhwan says
hi
“Pour syrup over the oat mixture”
There was no syrup in the ingredients. What kind of syrup ?
Thanks
Erin S says
The butter, honey, and brown sugar that you cook for 2 minutes turns into a syrup. This is what you pour over the oat mixture.
Beth says
An on-the-go snack that’s sweet, delicious, healthy, and doesn’t have any preservatives or weird ingredients that I can’t name? SOLD!
Erik says
Love a good granola bar. Especially a no bake one!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
Love all of these Chewy Granola Bars ingredients!