Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These are DELISH! Better than any store bought brand I’ve ever had! Wondering if you have an apple cinnamon bar recipe to share??
No yet, Jennifer, but I love that idea and will add it to my list.
Hi…..
I’ve been SO wanting to make my own granola bars because between my husband and son i’m constantly buying them.
I do want yo try this recipe BUT will it make much of a difference if i don’t add the flax seed and wheat germ?
Hi Melanie, No worries, just replace the flax meal with more of another ingredient (I’d use equal parts oats and rice krispies) and it won’t make any difference at all. I hope your family enjoys them!
Thank you SO much! My peanut allergy son has been begging me for granola bars, and we’ve had a hard time finding them locally in our little town. I finally decided it was time to start making my own, and this recipe was a HUGE hit!
We followed the recipe exactly since it was our first try, and the bars are absolutely DELICIOUS! We made 18 bars on Monday night, and now, on Thursday at noon, there are only 8 left. I think this may be a ‘once a week’ recipe around here!
We look forward to tweaking & trying fun variations! I think cinnamon-raisin may be up next!
I have been wanting to try a homemade snack bar for a while and after a lot of research, tried this one with a few adjustments: I didn’t have rice crispies, so I used 3 cups quick oats and added extra flax meal. I chopped up some roasted salted almonds and some dried cherries. Also used about 5 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. canola oil. I used about a cup of regular choc. chips. I also added about 1/4 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut. I lined my pan with parchment paper, threw in some of the chocolate chips, then pressed in the granola with the rest of the chocolate chips on top. I baked it for 20 min. at 350, let it cool, then put it in the fridge before cutting. Once at room temp, the bars were perfect! I didn’t think my kids would like them with nuts and cherries, but the were cut up so small they could hardly detect them! My 8 year old twins gobbled them up. I am thrilled to have found an economical, healthy alternative to the pricey store-bought variety!
These are so addicting! I have made about 4 pans since I found this recipe. I hated to buy packaged bars that aren’t even as filling as these. My kids love them and I don’t feel bad about them eating more than one! Thank you!
I discovered this recipe in late August and we have made a batch EVERY WEEK since then. My 12 year old daughter LOVES these granola bars and takes one in her lunch box every day. We grind the almonds in a food processor so they are disguised. (To save time I grind enough almonds for two batches and keep them in a baggie in the fridge along with the flax meal.) Thanks for the great recipe!
I have been making this for the last four months, and it is a huge hit at my house. From making so many batches, I realized that overcooking the butter/sugar mix can make the bars taste more like brittle than a granola bar.
This recipe gets a thumbs up from my 3 year old.
I always try new granola and granola bar recipes. I especially liked that this was no bake. Taste is really good. I think i’ll try adding some peanut butter to the gooey ingredients to make them salty & sweet. Also, be sure to really compact them into your pan – they will hold their form better.
I love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I made two batches. One with dried fruit & nuts; the other with mini marshmellows & choc chips. The bars held together beautifully!
After one bite I knew I would making these forever! They are soooo good!
I am wondering if those that say their bars fall apart at room temperature are not simmering the honey mixture long enough. I have made these 3 times in the past week and none have fallen apart.