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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Hello Jenn,
I just made your almond, blueberry & date granola bars with the following changes: natural peanut butter instead of almond butter; dried apricots instead of dried blueberries. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. However, I ended up with crumbs – not bars. Although delicious, it is not what I wanted. Do you have suggestions as to what went wrong?
Hi Linda, I’m pretty sure the issue is the natural peanut butter. It doesn’t have the same sticky quality as processed nut butters that also contain sugar — it doesn’t stay emulsified. I hope that helps!
Jenn if you want to use natural peanut butter, what do you suggest doing to get the same “stick together” consistency?
Hi Amy, Unfortunately, I don’t recommend using all-natural peanut butter here. Sorry!
Hi Jenn, can you recommend a substitute for the butter. I cannot eat dairy. Thank you, Kelly
Hi Kelly, Although I’ve never tried it, I think you could substitute coconut oil for the butter here. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you make them! 🙂
These turn out equally delicious with coconut oil. They may even be better.
Oh and I meant to add, you could also use Earth Balance vegan butter or any of the vegan butter substitutes. Earth Balance is the only “butter” I use.
These are incredible. Soooo soooo good. I actually made them with a cornflake type cereal that had slivered almonds and dried cranberries in it (lightly crushed to the size of Rice Krispies) as was what I had. I cannot imagine them being any better with the Rice Krispies but will try next time. Worked very well with cornflakes.
My Costco has bags of mixed dried fruit that included blueberries, cherries and strawberries and used that instead of just blueberries.
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made these bars and my daughter loves them! I was wondering if I could up the protein by adding Raw Fit Vegan Protein Powder to the recipe and if so, do I need to add more liquid and what liquid do you suggest?
Thank you for the recipe as is. It is wonderful and so easy to make.
Hi Sandy, So glad your daughter likes them! If you add a few tablespoons of protein powder, I would the same amount of dry ingredients (equal parts Rice Krispies and oats).
Hi Jennifer:
Thought I had enough almond butter to make these but was short about 4T. Added peanut butter and it worked beautifully well!
Question: my son is vegan – would coconut oil work instead of butter?
Hi Connie, glad you liked these! I’ve never made these with coconut oil, but I suspect it should work.
Just made a batch using coconut oil and dried apricots instead of blueberries (didn’t have any on hand). Turned out just as good as the original recipe, but now my vegan son can also enjoy them Thanks for the recipe.
Glad to hear it – thanks for reporting back!
Hey Jen,
Can I substitute brown sugar with jaggery?
Hi Salina, I think that’d probably work (although I’ve never cooked with jaggery so I can’t say with 100% certainty).
Hi Salina, did you try with jaggery and how did it turn out?
Delicious! My 3yo had one for breakfast this morning and I heard him singing, “Yum, yum, yum!” This is a keeper.
Is there a substitute for the butter? Would it work with the same amount of coconut oil? Any other ideas?
Your recipes are INCREDIBLE! Reasonable and delicious!
So glad you like the recipes, Nylca! Yes, I think you could substitute coconut oil for the butter. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
So I tell my best friend of 40 years, Sunny J., that I was looking for ways to eat oats to lower my cholesterol. She had just made these granola bars and raved how delicious they were. She has never been wrong about something tasting delicious and she is a fantastic non-professional baker. So despite I hated baking I trusted her. I used all the ingredients except the dried blueberries (store didn’t have any) and added ground flaxseed meal. They came out amazingly delicious! My husband and son looked at them questioningly at first (have a history of sucking at baking) but now can’t stop eating them. My husband said how the sweet dates really shined through. I loved the texture of the Rice Crispies. I don’t feel guilty for eating these healthy granola bars and will make them again. I also tasted it before putting it in the oven and they were yummy without baking. Thank you for creating such a thoughtful melody of flavors and textures and to Sunny, ” Sharing is Caring” as you have always said!
These almond, blueberry and date granola bars were absolutely delicious and addictive. It took a little more time to make than other granola bars but it was worth it! I made one batch exactly as written but used dried cranberries instead of blueberries and swapped brown rice krispies for white. I also made another batch with semi-sweet choco-chips that I gently added at the very end before placing into the oven to bake. These bars were by far the best I have had (store bought or homemade)! My sister and best friend have requested the recipe and loves them, too. Make sure not to cut the bars too thick and definitely make sure to make two batches because it is so addictive!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!