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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These were delicious and held together well the first time I made them. The second time I tried to cut back on the honey and they didn’t hold up as well. Is there a substitute I can use that isn’t peanut butter?
Hi Sarah, As you learned the second time around, the honey really helps to hold the ingredients together. The only substitute that comes to mind is peanut butter (or other nut butter) – sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Can I add peanut butter to increase the protein?
Yes, If you want to add some peanut butter, just cut the equivalent amount of butter back. Enjoy!
These were easy to make and I loved sending them to school for my daughters snack. The are gone and my girls are asking for more!
Our family adores this recipe! We love experimenting with different combinations beyond the chocolate chips and almonds. Recently made it with dried cranberries, pistachios and white chocolate chips – delicious!
These were easy to make and the perfect texture! My only complaint is that they were too, too sweet. Any way to make them less sweet while still keeping that perfect consistency? Could I add peanut butter as a replacement for some of the honey?
I think that would work well, Sharon. Please let me know how they turn out if you try it that way – could be a new recipe :).
I followed the recipe exactly but my granola wouldn’t stay intact even after refrigerating it, I ended up with clusters. Other than that, the recipe was still delicious and could probably make it into a granola cluster cereal like you see at the store.
I found that straight from the fridge these were quite brittle and broke apart when I tried to cut them. Once they were back to room temp. they cut nice and clean. I keep them in an airtight container in the cupboard and they are delicious!
My kids loved these and my husband even broke his atkins diet to eat a few. Mine were a little crumbly (I kept them in the refrigerator). Any suggestions on how to help them hold their shape? And, if I want to add peanut butter do I need to make any other changes to the recipe?
Glad everyone in your family enjoys these (even your husband :)! Did you store them with foil or parchment paper between the layers? If not they’ll stick to each other and get crumbly. If you want to add some peanut butter, just cut the equivalent amount of butter back.
I have made this recipe at least 10 times now and I feel like I have finally perfected it to my liking! This recipe is perfect as, but we have a bit allergy so we don’t add nuts and I have a really hard time finding “nut-free” seeds where I am. So instead of almonds I use help hearts and I use both flax seeds and wheat germ. I also find adding the chocolate chips to the mixture before spreading it in the pan works better than sprinkling them on top. Some melt but it’s ok! I agree with the review that stated the temp to cook the sugar and butter mixture to. Otherwise, if it’s not heated high enough it doesn’t seem to hold together well. I love this recipe…I make it almost once a week. My three kids devour them. I’d like to experiment with healthier sweet options but for not I’m not too bothered.
I have coconut sugar in the house. I don’t like the taste of it for tea. Can I use it in place of the dark brown sugar ?? Maybe half and half. I want to use up that coconut sugar. What to you recommend?
Hi Debbie, I’ve never made these with coconut sugar, but a few other readers have commented that they have and have gotten good results. Keep in mind, though, that if you’re not crazy about the taste of it with your tea, you may have the same experience here.
Dear Jennifer, your recipes never fail me. This past weekend was our Canada Day 150 year celebration and I wanted to try a few new recipes for the occasion. I tried the Moroccan carrot chickpea salad and the whipped feta dip. Both were fabulous as always. Thanks for making our Canada Day even better. I have been a fan of your recipes for awhile now and will rush out to buy your cookbook when it comes out!!! Cheers, Tammy
The honey was overpowering and the whole thing was sickeningly sweet. Much sweeter than when you get from a box in my opinion. I will try again with less sugar