An easy recipe for homemade gluten-free granola bars. These chewy gluten-free granola bars are also dairy-free.
Gluten-Free Granola Bars
Making homemade gluten-free granola bars is so easy! All you need is a few simple natural ingredients, and you can make your own chewy gluten-free granola bars.
Not only are these gluten-free granola bars easy to make, but they will also save you money. I started making homemade granola bars when most of my family went dairy-free.
It can be hard to find gluten-free granola bars. Finding both gluten-free and dairy-free granola bars is challenging and very expensive.
These bars are a simple no-bake recipe. You can see just how easy it is to make gluten-free granola bars at home in the recipe video.
Gluten-Free Granola Bar Recipe Ingredients
- creamy gluten-free peanut, nut butter, or seed butter – The peanut butter helps bind the bars together. It also is full of protein, healthy fats, and nutty flavor.
- honey – Not only does it add sweetness to the bars, but it helps everything stick together!
- pure vanilla extract – I always add pure vanilla extract to sweet recipes. It takes the flavors to the next level.
- ground cinnamon– I love the light hint of flavor the cinnamon adds.
- salt – It helps bring all the flavors together
- gluten-free quick oats – Gives these bars a perfect chewy texture.
- mini chocolate chips – One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and peanut butter! Make sure to use mini chocolate chips because regular chocolate chips are too big. I like Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips.
How To Make Homemade Gluten-Free Granola Bars
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Line an 8-inch by an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, honey, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt, until smooth. (photo 1)
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Add the gluten-free quick oats and mini chocolate chips. Stir until fully combined. The mixture will seem dry at first, but it’ll come together. (photo 2)
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Press the mixture firmly into the pan with your hands or a spatula. Use the back of a ¼ measuring cup to help flatten the mixture. (photo 3)
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Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, then slice into bars. (photo 4)
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Store the cut bars in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
Can Homemade Granola Bars Be Frozen?
Are Oats Gluten-Free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but most oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye. Oats can also be cross-contaminated in fields where wheat, rye, or barley are also present.
Certified gluten-free and purity protocol oats are the safest to eat. There is a difference between certified and purity protocol oats.
Certified gluten-free oats are tested for levels of gluten. Purity protocol oats are tested for gluten but are also grown in a dedicated gluten-free field.
It is important to note that not everyone following the gluten-free diet can tolerate gluten-free oats. I personally do not have a problem with gluten-free oats.
Granola Bar Recipe Tips
- Use smooth nut butter. This recipe works best with smooth nut or seed butter. If your nut or seed butter is too dry or thick, it will not mix well with the other ingredients.
- Do not cut the chilling time short. These granola bars need to be refrigerated to set and become firm. Refrigerate the bars for at least one hour before the bars are cut.
- Store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer. Place the cut bars in an airtight container. I recommend storing them with a sheet of parchment paper between layers so that the bars don’t stick together. The bars will keep for a week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the bars for up to 2 months. If the bars are frozen, allow them to thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before eating them.
Homemade Gluten-Free Granola Bars Variations
It is easy to change the granola bar mix-ins! You can substitute raisins, chopped dried fruit, shredded coconut, nuts, or seeds.
Make sure that you chop any nuts or dried fruits to a small size. You should also only use ¼ cup of mix-ins. If the mix-ins are too large, or if you add too much, the bars might not firm up and hold together.
Gluten-Free And Dairy-Free Granola Bars
The main ingredients of these granola bars are both gluten-free and dairy-free. If you use mini chocolate chips as your mix-in, make sure to use a gluten-free and dairy-free chips. I like Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips.
Easy Gluten-Free Granola Bar Recipe
If you need an easy gluten-free snack, these granola bars are made in just a few minutes! You can easily customize the bars with your favorite mix-ins also.
My kids love these granola bars, and I love that they are made with simple and natural ingredients!
More Gluten-Free Oatmeal Recipes To Try!
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Homemade Gluten-Free Granola Bar Recipe {Dairy-Free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, nut or seed butter
- ⅔ cup honey
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups gluten-free quick oats
- ¼ cup gluten-free mini chocolate chips (dairy-free use Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips)
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch by an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, honey, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt, until smooth.
- Add the gluten-free quick oats and mini chocolate chips. Stir until fully combined. The mixture will seem dry at first, but it'll come together.
- Press the mixture firmly into the pan with your hands or a spatula. Use the back of a ¼ measuring cup to help flatten the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, then slice into bars.
- Store the cut bars in an air-tight container the refrigerator.
- The bars can be frozen up to 2 months. Defrost for 30 minutes at room temperature before eating.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use gluten-free oats.
- For dairy-free use Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an air-tight container for up to a week.
- To freeze: Place cut bars in a plastic freezer bag. Use a piece of parchment as a liner between the layer of bars. Defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Mama says, "always check your labels!"
Olivia H says
These are really delicious! I swapped out a cup of oatmeal for a cup of Rice Crispies cereal to get a fun, crunchy texture, too!
Jen says
OMG these are sooo good!!! I haven’t had a granola bar in years. And when I’ve had any store brands in the past they were gross. I used chocolate sunbutter instead of peanut butter, because of allergy. Also used agave instead of honey for my blood sugar. Used Bob Red Mill quick cook Oats. The bars came out so soft, not gross and chewy like packaged bars. My non gf husband said they are so good. Def will be making these again and playing with other fun toppings!!
Dhana Gunter says
I used a half and half mixture of almond butter, and sunflower butter, chopped up some raisins, pecan pieces and dried apricot and mixed with raw honey. Very thick and dense, did need to add a 1/4 cup more of the sunflower butter and a about 2 more tablespoons of honey to make sure the mixture stuck together. The nice thing about these bars is they don’t need baking. Thank you for coming up with the recipe.
Mindy says
This is a great recipe as is and as a base for a variety of mix-ins. The first time I used full sugar peanutbutter and the honey and while very yummy that way, I knew it was too much sugar. So second time around we used no-sugar peanut butter, 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup of date paste (has lower glycemic index) and still was yummy and sweet, probably will cut more next time but was concerned they may not hold togther with out the stickiness. Worth a try though! We used chopped dates instead of chocolate chips (daughter can’t have chocolate) and added pecans the second time too, very simiple and versatile recipe for what you have on hand, food allergies and tastes. TY! 🙂
Mara says
My sister and I love making these! So easy and healthy! Thanks so much!