Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
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Crispy and not too sweet, these granola bars are loaded with oats, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit.
I’ve tried dozens of recipes for homemade granola bar recipes over the years. This crispy, crunchy version loaded with oats, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit is one of my favorites. Surprisingly, the secret ingredient is Rice Krispies, which lend the bars a light and airy crispiness. Imagine a delightful cross between a granola bar and a Rice Krispies Treat—that’s exactly what you get here.
Table of Contents
“Exactly what I was searching for- Crunchy and delicious, but not too sweet.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: The base ingredient, adding bulk and texture.
- Chopped Walnuts: Add crunch and nutty flavor.
- Sliced Almonds: Introduce additional crunch and a delicate, slightly sweet taste.
- Shredded Unsweetened Coconut: Offers a hint of tropical flavor and nice texture contrast.
- Honey: Acts as a natural binder and adds subtle sweetness to the bars.
- Light Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps with crispiness.
- Unsalted Butter: Contributes richness and aids in binding.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances flavor complexity.
- Crisp Rice Cereal: Adds crispiness and lightness to the bars.
- Dried Fruit: Offers bursts of natural sweetness and chewiness. Also provides a nice color contrast.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Ingredients
To begin, spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the shredded coconut and toss well.
Place the pan back into the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl.
Toss well to combine.
Turn the granola bar mixture out into a foil-lined baking dish.
Using a rubber spatula, spread and pat the mixture into an even layer.
Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer bars to cutting board.
Use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles.
Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container for up to a week (do not stack the bars or they will stick together and fall apart).
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap them individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
Definitely! These granola bars freeze nicely for up to 3 months. Ensure they’ve cooled completely, then store them in an airtight container with parchment paper or aluminum foil between layers. When you’re ready to enjoy, take them out of the container and let them thaw at room temperature.
Sure — as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same, these are super versatile. You can switch up the nuts or dried fruits depending on your preferences or what you have on hand. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can’t mix them in or they’ll melt). Experiment and have fun with it!
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Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
Crispy and not too sweet, these granola bars are loaded with oats, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ⅔ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (available at Whole Foods or natural food markets)
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
- ¾ cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, diced apricots, blueberries, currants, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
- In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)
- Use the reserved foil to line a 9x13-inch baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F, then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
- Note: You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. On occasion, I’ll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
- Note: Be sure your oven is fully preheated before toasting nuts; the initial blast of heat to preheat the oven can burn them.
- 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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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Cholesterol: 4mg
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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I think I may left a previous comment, but I just had to say it again, this is the best crispy granola. I always have it on hand. I just made a batch and had to comment. Love this granola! Thank you!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and then broke it into large clusters. It was perfect. I’ve experimented with different granola recipes. This is my favorite. Thank you for another great recipe Jenn 😊
These are amazing! Love them- making the second batch now. I used pecans, pepitas chopped apricots and dried cherries. I was short on honey by a bit and topped it off with 100% maple syrup. They came out great!
Do I have to include the rice cereal or can I leave it out? What can I substitute instead?
Hi Jazmine, It’s fine for you to swap out the rice cereal for any of the other dried ingredients. Hope you enjoy!
I just made these Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars as written (almost….subbed pecans for walnuts and used multi-grain cheerios b/c I didn’t have crisped rice) Very pleased. One mistake I made was that I baked the mixture on the baking sheet. But when it was finished baking, I just transferred the loose mixture to a 9×13 dish to cool and it worked beautifully! Used a knife to begin cutting and they are a bit crumbly, meaning you can’t get perfectly cut bars (maybe when less cooled) but that doesn’t matter to me. I just broke them into single serving pieces all randomly shaped. They taste amazing! The ‘crumbs’ will be delish on my yogurt! Love this recipe! Will try using pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and add some spice like cinnamon or cardamom. Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe, my son enjoys them every morning. I ran of store bought ones and decided to whip him up a batch, never going back! Peace and blessings.
These were wonderful and will be making them again but trying to lessen the amount of sweetness. We are no longer accustomed to making things with sugar but I like to try the recipe exactly as stated in the first go. These were exactly what was promised. Wonderful flavor and crunch and they held together beautifully. A bit soft in the middle and crunchy on the edges can’t be beat. Now I will start to play around with sweetness and sub ingredients to make new flavors. Cannot thank you enough for this recipe as this is the first “granola bar” recipe that has ever resulted in that store bought texture that holds together (at least for me). Thank you!!!!
Sorry Jenn, I realised no eggs in this recipe. I’ve just come across aquafaba and slightly obsessed with it – hence looking for ways in which I can replace eggs (even if with recipes that don’t have them! :))
These granola bars are so moreish! I used eggs, but am wondering if I could make them with aquafaba on my next batch?
Thanks Jenn.
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for this delicious granola recipe. I have a question. Can I omit the dried fruits and just make a mixed nut granola bar? Will it be too dry?
If not, do I just add an extra 3/4 cup of nuts?
Thanks for your recipes. They are so good.
Hi Lucy, it will work as long as you keep the ratios of wet to dry ingredients the same, so yes, you would need to include an additional 3/4 cup of nuts or any of the other dried ingredients. Please LMK how they turn out!
Hi Jenn,
It worked out great! Thank you. I omitted the dried fruits and just added more nuts and I love it. You have the best granola recipe yet. Thanks.
So glad — thanks for reporting back! 🙂