I’m already starting to think about how I will fuel myself (quickly) after the little bambino arrives this fall. I’m not one who functions well with long periods between meals, so planning in advance is going to be my best ally. The healthier and more balanced, the better I‘m sure I’ll feel. Bring on the healthy, hippie foods, I say! In addition to freezer friendly meals – like veggie burgers and balls, chili, soup, falafel, enchiladas, pasta + pesto sauces, burritos, etc. – I hope to prepare snacks in advance that I can individually wrap and store in the freezer. Things that I can toss into my purse or quickly unwrap when I need a boost will be so handy. Amidst uncertainty, it always feels good to have a back up plan (even if my reality will be take out food more than not).
These lightly-sweet granola bars are a great option because they are only sweetened with bananas and sweetened dried fruit. No sugar crashes here! You could even remove the dried fruit if you really wanted to, but I love how the dried cherries provide a pop of sweetness throughout. But it’s not what the bars don’t have – it’s what they do have. How about hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, rolled oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, banana, and more. These wholesome bars are crunchy, hearty, and chewy in the best way possible. And super filling thanks to the balance of protein, fibre, carbs, and healthy fats. One bar clocks in at 6.6 grams of protein and almost 5 grams of fibre (you can see the complete nutritional info in the recipe below). If you wanted to boost the protein even more, you can increase the hemp seeds (and maybe reduce the sunflower seeds a bit).
For even more staying power, try spreading on some nut or seed butter (with chia seed jam to make it a party!) or even a bit of coconut oil. That’s never a bad idea. Is it snack time yet?
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Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars
Yield
14-16 large bars
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Hearty, soft-baked, and chewy, these no-sugar-added granola bars will fill up the tank and keep your energy stable. Feel free to play around with the mix-ins, as the recipe is quite adaptable. Also, if you’re feeding a nut-free crowd, you can easily swap out the walnuts and almonds for more seeds (or chocolate chips, if you’re feeling wild!). This recipe is adapted from Anjali's Oat Snack Bars recipe, which was originally adapted from Faith's 4-Ingredient Banana Oat Bars.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 g) mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (200 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (60 to 90 g) dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, to taste*
- 1/2 cup (50 g) walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup (75 g) sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup (80 g) pepita seeds
- 1/2 cup (60 g) sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup (35 g) hemp hearts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (approximately 9" x 13") and line with a piece of parchment paper (with overhang) so the bars are easier to remove.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Make sure you have 1 1/2 cups (if you have extra mashed banana, you can freeze it for a smoothie).
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Place the oats into a food processor (or blender set on the lowest speed) and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped (but still have lots of texture). Stir the chopped oats into the banana mixture until fully incorporated.
- Stir the dried fruit, walnuts, sunflower and pepita seeds, almonds, hemp hearts, cinnamon, and salt into the banana-oat mixture until thoroughly combined. The dough will be very heavy and a bit wet.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish. With lightly wet hands, smooth out until even and uniform. Press down on the dough until compacted.
- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until firm and lightly golden along the edges.
- Place the dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully slide a knife to loosen the ends and gently lift out. Place the slab on a cooling rack until completely cool.
- Once cool, slice into bars. I like to use a pizza slicer as it easily cuts through the dried fruit and nuts. Leftovers can be wrapped up and stored in the fridge for a week, or stored in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks.
Tip:
* You can omit the dried fruit and sub in chocolate chips (or add a mix of both).
These bars aren't super sweet, so if you prefer something sweeter you may want to add a touch of sweetener.
To store these in the freezer, wrap the bars individually in parchment paper using 6-inch by 12-inch pieces of parchment, then tie with string or tape to secure. Finally, place all of the bars into a freezer-safe zip bag, press out all the air, and seal it shut. Or, you can simply wrap each bar with plastic wrap or tinfoil.
Make it Nut free: Swap the almonds and walnuts for more sunflower, pepita, and hemp seeds.
Approximate nutritional info: (per bar, based on 14 large bars using 1/2 cup dried sweetened cherries): 186 calories, 8.7 grams fat, 22 grams carbs, 4.7 grams fibre, 6 grams sugar, 6.6 grams protein. Without dried cherries, bars have approx. 3.6 grams of sugar and 166 calories.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
PS- The winner of the Vitamix contest has been announced at the bottom of this post! A big thank you to everyone who took part in the #osgcookbook Vitamix giveaway and to Vitamix for donating the machine. I had a blast seeing all your pictures come in over the past 2 weeks.
These are fantastic. They are excellent, quick and nutritious breakfast, and such a fun recipe to make with the kids. One of our favorites! Thanks for posting, we really love them.
Thank YOU for the sweet comment, Tina! I’m so happy they’re a hit with the fam, and that you’re all having fun making them together. :)
These are delicious…I love that there is no sweetener added, the bananas are sweet enough and they’re just perfect. I used dried cranberries because I didn’t have cherries and mmmm…! Quick question, how long do these last on the counter? can I just put them in a cookie jar, or how would you suggest I store them? Fridge? Thanks!
Hi Brigitte, I typically store them in the fridge or freezer, but they stay fine at room temp for at least a few days. They hold together surprisingly well; some bits might fall off but they don’t “crumble” like some do.
Great they look delicious, would love to add some cacao powder in it for better
OOO I hate super sweet bars, so I’ll definitely be giving these a try! Can’t wait to make these tonight!!
I hope you enjoy them, Naomi!
I’ve made these twice now and my family loves them. I needed 4 bananas both times, used all seeds (the second time included flax) because of nut allergies, and used raisins because I had them on hand. Looking forward to trying them with cherries. Oh, and I did put a small amount of chocolate chips (vegan) in, as well. Really good. My son wants these now instead of store bought. Thank you!!!
Thanks for sharing, Laura! It sounds like these are really a winner!!
I’m a bar-happy gal, so I’ve tried making a ton of different bars. This recipe has become my go-to. I have made these at least 6 times, probably more. I really appreciate that there is no sugar added to these (although I do add chocolate chips), which is why it has persisted as my staple. I am imprecise about the exact amount of each ingredient that I add, but I make sure that my total number of cups of nuts/seeds/fruits stays the same as called for in the recipe. I also use half oat flour/half rolled oats instead of blending my oats, because I am lazy. And I use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon. I make a double batch at one time, because I am all about power cooking and freezing, so it takes me a whole bunch of bananas (about 8). I like to use a blend of chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut shreds, raisins, cranberries, walnuts, almonds and chocolate chips to make a bar that packs a huge power punch! I freeze my bars individually in ziploc bags and take one out every day for my lunch. They freeze great, and are defrosted by the time it’s time to eat. The one thing I have noticed is that the bars tend to turn out a bit dry. I may experiment with adding some coconut oil to my next batch!
Thanks so much for this great recipe! I never write comments, but I just love this one so much. =)
Hey Iona, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a helpful comment! I love your ideas. I had forgotten about this recipe, but I think I’m going to have to make a batch this weekend (or even today!). Enjoy
I used chia seeds and flax seeds to increase the binding of this granola bar. Excellent flavour, sweetness and crunch factor. Thank you! My new favourite granola bar recipe!
Thanks for sharing that idea, Tammy! So happy to hear you loved the recipe.
I really love granola bar. And it really looks so amazing and delicious. I cannot wait to try this one at home. Great Job.
They came out gorgeous, thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I was looking all over stores/websites for the perfect snack to bring along on hikes and this is it for me. Was skeptical at first with using just banana as a binder. But these bars hold up very well, cuts easily, and is very substantial and tasty!
hi Angela,
I was wondering if You have nutritional information for these granola bars? I am trying to find a home made granola bar my mom( who is diabetic) could mak together. 5 g of sugar or less per bar would be ideal?
Hi Rebecca, You can find the approximate nutritional info just below the recipe directions. :) Hope that helps!
Hi! i am not a fan of bananas at all, do you think a nut butter would be a good sub? thanks!!
Hey Rebecca, This is a tricky sub for sure as the bananas lend sweetness and also binding properties. My guess is you’d have to experiment with a combo of nut butter and a sweetener (maybe maple syrup or brown rice syrup) until you found something that worked. Happy baking!
Thank you for the recipe. I made this for my boyfriend since he tends to skip breakfast and I wanted to make him something that’s on the go. This is perfect in all ways–ease to make, nutrition, and package! I added about 2 tablespoons of honey to add a little sweetness and I’m not a fan of hemp seeds to I substituted the 1/4 cup with 1/8 flax seeds and 1/8 uncooked quinoa. Certainly delicious and I will make this in the future.
Hey Aly, I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit! And thanks for sharing those swaps with us :)
I love these and have made them many times! I make a seed only version so that I can send them with my son to school. I use whatever I have around (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes or shreds, sesame seeds, chia seeds) in varying quantities as long as they add up to 2 cups. I also use a combination of dates or raisins and chocolate chips. My husband takes a big bag to work and leaves them in the freezer for snacks. So easy and delicious and these have completely replaced store-bought bars for us. Thanks for the recipe!
What could i sub for sunflower seeds
Hi Karla, I think the easiest option would be to simply sub in more chopped walnuts, pepita seeds, or sliced almonds for the sunflower seeds (or a combination!). I hope that helps; If you try anything, please let us know how it goes!
I love these granola bars! They are just what I needed: tasty, substantial, and not too sweet. I will be making these again :)
Happy to hear they hit the spot :)
Wow. All the comments are people saying these look good. Any useful commentary on what they taste like???
Hello Angela!
Do you have any substitute for bananas?
Alicia
Hey Alicia, I haven’t tried this yet, but you may be able to try a combo of applesauce and almond butter instead of the banana. I suggest the almond butter for a bit of binding. I would maybe try something like 1 1/4 cups applesauce and 1/4 cup almond butter. It won’t be as sweet as the banana version so you may want to add a bit of coconut sugar or something to taste. Hope this helps and please let me know if you try anything out!
Just made these tonight. Oh my holy heck! Love them. Thank you so much.
Hey Glory, Thanks for trying out the bars! Glad they were a hit :)
Last to the party here!
How long do you think a batch would stay good for if stored at room temp? Do you think it would be better to stored in the fridge?
Thanks! I look forward to giving them a trying and checking out your other recipes:/
Hey John, I think storing them in the fridge is always a good bet. They should last in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or you can try freezing them too.
Awesome!
Thanks for the reply:/
could I dehydrate this recipe?
Hey Dorothy, I haven’t tried it myself, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you try anything I’d love to hear how it goes. :)