Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
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These chewy, crispy no-bake chocolate chip granola bars are easy to make — and they put all those store-bought bars to shame.
Chocolate chip granola bars are a staple in my pantry, but between my husband, my kids, and my kids’ hungry friends, I can’t seem to keep enough of them in the house. So I figured it was time to try and make them from scratch, and maybe even sneak in some health food. After many trials, I finally cracked the code and came up with a version that puts all those store-bought bars to shame. What’s more, they’re no-bake and take only ten minutes to make.
Table of Contents
“My kids rated these infinity out of ten. And my husband, the man who once left a 3 Michelin star restaurant proclaiming he’s ‘had better’ said these were delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Butter: Adds richness and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and contributes to the chewy texture.
- Honey: Acts as a natural binder and adds sweetness.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor profile with its aromatic essence.
- Quick-Cooking/Instant Oats: Serve as the base for texture and substance.
- Crispy Rice Cereal: Adds crispiness and lightness to the bars.
- Sliced Almonds: Introduce nuttiness and extra crunch.
- Flax Meal or Wheat Germ: Offers additional nutritional value and helps with binding.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Provide little pockets of chocolatey goodness throughout the bars.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a large pan.
Bring it to a boil, then let it bubble over low heat for a few minutes to thicken slightly.
Off the heat, stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
Then add the oats, crispy rice cereal, almonds, and flax meal (or wheat germ).
Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.
Transfer the granola bar mixture to a 9 x 13-inch pan lined with aluminum foil.
Press the mixture lightly with a rubber spatula to flatten, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top. Use the spatula to press the chips firmly into place and compact the mixture into the pan as much as possible. (The reason you don’t mix the chips in is that they’ll melt.)
Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 -2 hours, until the bars are cool. Then use the foil overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles.
Keep the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator; if you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise, they’ll crumble and stick. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s important to stick with quick-cooking oats which are rolled oats that have been coarsely chopped. Regular old-fashioned oats are too coarse and chewy for this recipe and cause the bars to fall apart. If you don’t have any quick-cooking oats in your pantry, you can make your own by pulsing regular oatmeal in the food processor a few times.
Sure! Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you have to stack the granola bars, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers; otherwise, they’ll stick together and fall apart. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, move them to the refrigerator to thaw.
Yes, these bars offer great versatility. If chocolate chips aren’t your thing, you can opt for raisins or cranberries. Similarly, if almonds aren’t to your taste or if you are dealing with a nut allergy, swap them out for unsalted sunflower seeds. While oats and rice cereal are essential, you have plenty of freedom to substitute other ingredients as long as you maintain the wet-to-dry ingredient ratio.
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Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
These chewy, crispy no-bake chocolate chip granola bars are easy to make — and they put all those store-bought bars to shame.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Heaping ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups quick-cooking/instant oats, such as Quaker Quick 1-Minute Oats (do not use regular old-fashioned oats)
- 1¾ cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup flax meal or wheat germ
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (or to taste)
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, combine the butter, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the oats, rice cereal, almonds and flax meal (or wheat germ) to the pan and fold with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly with a rubber spatula to even out. Sprinkle the miniature chocolate chips over top, adding more or less to suit your taste, and press down firmly with the spatula so the chips stick.The mixture should be tightly compacted in the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1½ - 2 hours to cool.
- Use the foil overhang to transfer the uncut bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they'll stick together and fall apart.
- Note: If you are substituting dried fruit for the chocolate chips, mix it in along with the other ingredients as opposed to sprinkling over top.
- 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, move them to the refrigerator and store there.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 187
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 21mg
- Cholesterol: 11mg
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.
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Jenny, after Sally Fallon’s education on how cereal is made to “stay crisp” with a “shellac finish” I cannot even buy these cereals. Can I simply substitute the Rice Krispys with more oatmeal or my homemade granola?
Hi Beverly, You could definitely substitute either more oats or homemade granola, but your bars will be denser. The rice cereal keeps them light and a little crispy.
I found brown rice crisps cereal in the health food store and a great substitute to Rice Krispies. The rice crispies does make this recipe have a lighter texture.
These were perfect to make yesterday afternoon for my after school bunch. So easy to prepare as shown, and I had all the ingredients on hand (used wheat germ instead of the flax). I had to stop my husband from eating more than one before dinner! Love the chewy texture that is lightened by the rice krispies and the honey flavor really shines through to make this one of the best snacks yet! Thank you, Jenn.
These are delicious! Just made them this afternoon and I love them! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I always have a pantry stocked full of granola bars, too. They are so nice to on-the-go snacks. I’ve never made them at home but I think I should try these out!
Thank you! My son always asks for granola bars, but I won’t buy the store bought one due to all the junk in them. These look fabulous! I’m headed to the store now to buy the ingredients 🙂
Do you happen to have the detailed nutritional information for these bars? They look AWESOME!!!
Hi Melanie, Unfortunately, I do not offer nutritional info for my recipes, but it is something I’m working on. Stay tuned 🙂
the calorie count is about 171 calories per bar
Jen- This look delish and I’m always looking for unprocessed snacks for the kids. Do you think subbing vegetable oil or coconut oil will ruin the consistency? Luke is allergic to dairy (butter) . . . . Thanks!
Hi Bridget, Could you use margarine? If not, I think either of those oils would probably work fine.
Jenn, just wanted to report back that using coconut oil (which is hard at room temp) instead of butter worked great! I also replaced the nuts with 1/4 cup steel cut oats for different texture and 1/4 cup more Rice Krispies and omitted the choco chips so my nut and daily allergy kids could all enjoy them! They declared them delicious! Thanks for the terrific recipe!
So good to know! That’s the great thing about these bars — you can switch up all the ingredients and they’re still delicious.
Hi Bridget,
My brother uses Vegan “Buttery Sticks” in place of butter for his dairy allergy. They work just like butter and have saved my family!
Hi – Is there anything I could sub for the brown sugar? We are really trying to omit processed sugar from our diets. Would it be ok to not include this ingredient? Thanks! They look delish!
Hey Laura, you could add more honey or agave instead of the sugar.
I’m about to try date paste- I’ll let you know! ;D
Okay- I made the original recipe last night- the only change was I didn’t add almonds and did add about 1/4 raisins. (And my chocolate chips were regular sized so I put them in my Blendtec and just sprinkled chocolate powder over the top!) They did fall apart a bit, especially if they weren’t JUST out of the fridge. But they were tasty!!
Then this morning I made them with 6 Tbsp coconut oil and 1 cup of date paste in place of the butter and sugar. (No almonds, powdered chips, and raisins again.) They are just as sweet, and hold their form at room temp.
Raw and vegan if you leave off the chips! My kids loved both- the date paste version was not as messy- ha. Thanks, Jenn!
I’ve subbed Coconut sugar or Coconut crystals for the brown sugar, and you can’t tell a difference. They both have a lower glycemic impact than brown sugar. I bought it at Whole Foods.
great tip, lisa. thank you!
Just wondering if you can freeze these and/or how long they will stay fresh at room temp.
Hi Jill, I do think they’d freeze well, and they’d keep at room temp for about a week (though mine have never lasted that long!).
I was eating this wonderful granola bar in the cafeteria today at breakfast. I would like to know whats the ingredients that you guys use to make this amazing chocolate bar taste like heaven on earth ?
Hello,
This is a great recipe-I can’t wait to try it 🙂 thank you!
Is there something healthy I can sub for the almonds as I am allergic to nuts?
Thanks!
Cristina
Hi Christina, Sure, it’s fine to replace the nuts with something else. You can add dried fruits, seeds or equal parts oats and crispy rice cereal.