Almond, Blueberry & Date Homemade Granola Bars
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These homemade granola bars are a mishmash of almonds, dried blueberries, oats, cereal and coconut — all held together with a sweet almond butter-date paste.
Meet my new favorite homemade granola bars. They’re crispy, chewy, and rich: a mishmash of nuts, cereal, coconut, and dried blueberries held together with a sweet almond butter-date paste. Unlike most homemade granola bars, they hold together as well as store-bought bars. You can pack them in the kids’ lunches or stuff them in your purse for on-the-go snacking — and they won’t crumble into a million pieces when you’re noshing on the sofa either.
The trick is to purée the dates with the liquid ingredients to make a sticky concoction that binds the ingredients together. A quick flash in the oven helps the bars set too. Keep in mind: these are quick to throw together but they do take a few hours to set up after baking. They also keep well; actually, they seem to get better and better so stash them in a zip-lock bag and leave them on the counter all week long to grab-and-go as you please.
For more granola bar recipe inspiration, check out my Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and my Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars. I also have a wonderful peanut butter granola recipe in my cookbook.
Table of Contents
“These granola bars are delicious–so much better than anything store-bought! They’ve been a hit with anyone who has tried them.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Granola Bars
- Pitted Medjool Dates: Provide natural sweetness and bind the ingredients together.
- Unsalted Melted Butter: Adds richness and helps with binding.
- Light Brown Sugar: Enhances sweetness and contributes to the chewiness.
- Honey: Adds additional sweetness and acts as a binder.
- Unsalted Creamy Almond Butter: Contributes to the nutty flavor and acts as a glue for the ingredients.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Offer texture and substance to the bars.
- Crispy Rice Cereal: Adds crunchiness and lightness to the bars.
- Unsweetened Flaked Coconut: Provides texture and a hint of coconut flavor.
- Chopped Almonds: Add crunch and nuttiness to the bars.
- Dried Blueberries: Offer bursts of sweetness and chewiness to the bars.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-BY-Step Instructions
To begin, place the dates, melted butter, brown sugar, honey, almond butter, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (or use a blender).
Process until mixture is smooth and thick.
Transfer to a large pot or microwave-safe bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk to combine, and then add the oats, rice cereal, coconut, almonds, and dried blueberries.
Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture until the wet ingredients evenly coat the dry ingredients. Be gentle so as not to crush the rice cereal.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press firmly into an even, compact layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Set the pan on a rack and let cool completely, a few hours. (Please do not attempt to cut the bars while still warm, as they will fall apart.)
Use the foil overhang to lift the uncut bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a large chef’s knife, cut the block into 16 bars.
Wrap the bars individually with foil or parchment paper for easy on-the-go snacking, or place them in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll need about 5 Medjool dates for this recipe but it’s best to weigh them if possible, as sizes vary.
Definitely! You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely, then place them in an airtight container with layers separated by parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, take them out of the container and let them come to room temperature.
You can wrap the bars individually with foil or parchment for easy on-the-go snacking, or put them in an airtight container. They will keep nicely for up to a week at room temperature.
Peanut butter is a fine substitute but for best results, stick with a smooth and creamy commercial almond (or peanut) butter. (I don’t recommend all-natural or chunky nut butter.)
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Almond, Blueberry & Date Granola Bars
These homemade granola bars are a mishmash of almonds, dried blueberries, oats, cereal and coconut — all held together with a sweet almond butter-date paste.
Ingredients
- 3 oz pitted Medjool dates (see note)
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp honey
- ¾ cup unsalted creamy almond butter (see note)
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2½ cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
- ½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped almonds
- Heaping ⅓ cup dried blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 9-by-13-in pan with aluminum foil, so that it hangs over the edges, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the dates, melted butter, brown sugar, honey, almond butter and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or use a blender. Process until mixture is smooth and thick. Transfer to a large pot (or microwave-safe bowl) large enough to hold all of the ingredients; don’t worry if the butter separates. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stovetop (or in the microwave), whisking to combine. Take off the heat.
- While the mixture is still hot, add the oats, rice cereal, coconut, almonds, and dried blueberries. Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture until the wet ingredients evenly coat the dry ingredients. The mixture will be thick. Be gentle so as not to crush the rice cereal.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press firmly into an even, compact layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Set the pan on a rack and let cool completely, a few hours. (Please do not attempt to cut the bars while still warm, as they will fall apart.)
- Use the foil overhang to lift the uncut bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a large chef’s knife, cut the block into 16 bars. Wrap the bars individually with foil or parchment paper for easy on-the-go snacking, or place them in an airtight container. The bars will keep for up to a week at room temperature.
- Note: You'll need about 5 Medjool dates for this recipe but it's best to weigh them if possible, as sizes vary.
- Note: For best results, use a smooth and creamy commercial almond butter. (I do not recommend all-natural or chunky almond butter.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 264
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 113 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I love these bars, I just made them with chocolate chips instead of dried blueberries so my six year old would eat them, and they are just as delicious! So much better for you than the processed bars at the store and easy to make!
I made these a few weeks ago and they were SO good! I didn’t have almond butter or dried blueberries on hand so used peanut butter and dried cherries. They were really delicious and had just the right amount of chew. And they didn’t crumble at all, which happened the last time I tried a recipe for homemade granola bars. I froze half of them (wrapped individually in foil) and they were an awesome snack with just a few minutes thaw time. Sadly they’re all gone, so it’s time to make another batch. I’ve since bought almond butter and it’ll be interesting to see how they compare, but I know they’ll be delish. Another winner, Jenn, thanks so much!
Can you make this with peanuts and peanut butter instead of almond? If so, would you keep the measurements the same?
Hi Deepa, Yes and yes. 🙂
What a good, solid granola bar recipe. They are a little bit chewy and crunchy. Great texture! And they really do hold up in my lunch bag without turning into a zip lock full of loose granola.
I used dried cranberries instead of blueberries because that’s what was in my pantry. I also don’t own a metal baking pan, so I used a Pyrex baking dish. Still used the aluminum foil. I did have to add an extra few minutes to baking time. 19 minutes in the oven.
Hi, Jen. Love your site and almost every recipe I’ve tried has become “the” recipe at my house. How do you do it? Anyway, I’m curious if you use salted almond butter or just simply roasted? I only buy roasted AND salted, but most jars on the shelf contain no salt—should I adjust the amount of salt down for this recipe?
Hi Kaime, so glad you like the recipes! 🙂 For the granola bars, I use unsalted almond butter. If you only have salted, just reduce the added salt to 1/2 tsp. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks, Jen. I’ve made these twice now, and the consistency could not be more perfect. All of your granola bar recipes are amazing—I don’t think I can choose a favorite.
Will the recipe turn out the same if I use a glass 9X13 pan versus an aluminum pan?
Thanks!
Yes, Chloe, I think that should work. Enjoy!
What a great recipe! Yummy; a satisfying “chewy-crisp” bite, and full of wonderful flavors. Truly worth making again and again.
These are absolutely delicious and came out perfectly. I have used dried cranberries in lieu of the blueberries and they were just as delicious!
Thanks for a yummy nutritious treat.
The best granola bars ever! I used Coconut Oil instead of butter.
My family loves these bars! I substituted peanut butter for the almond butter since that’s what I regularly have in the pantry. A great healthy snack that satisfies those cravings for a little something sweet. Since they are requested frequently, sometimes I change out the dried blueberries with cranberries, cherries or a mix. Have added pumpkin seeds too.