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?
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.
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.
I wanted to make these granola bars, but didn’t have all the ingredients so I had to change it up. I replaced 3/4 cups of bananas with natural crunchy peanut butter, I replaced the cherries with dates and added 1/2 a cup of applesauce. Turns out THEY ARE AWESOME. Thank you for the inspiration!
Seem to be unable to get Hemp Seeds in Australia. I know you’ve mentioned sesame seeds as a substitute, but would chia seeds work too? Also seem unable to track down dried cherries, was thinking Goji Berries as a sub, what do you think?
The title is misleading. I made these yesterday and I have to say they made me feel GREAT, not just good : )
I made these today and they were such a winner Angela, I replaced half walnuts for hazelnuts and replaced cherries with dried cranberries and added 1 tbsp brown sugar (though it still wasn’t as sweet as I was aiming for). Everyone loved it and I’m DEFINITELY making these again. Thank you for this. Sending lots of love all the way from Dubai :)
what a great energy bar!
this is exactly, EXACTLY what i have been looking for.
will you do any with quinoa and chia please?
I also love dried cranberries.
could you ensure the gluten free angle is covered as i do get a bit frazzled with my substitutions, you know.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I love that it doesn’t have any added sugar & it introduced me to hemp seeds- something that’s been on my ‘to eat’ list for a while!
I love these bars! I made them almost exactly as posted except I added organic raw cacao nibs & organic shredded coconut. I didn’t have the dried cherries on hand so I used raisins, but I just picked up the dried cherries today so I can add them next time- because there will most definitely be a next time!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I love that it doesn’t have any added sugar & it introduced me to hemp seeds- something that’s been on my ‘to eat’ list for a while!
I’m new to your amazing blog and must say, wow am I inspired! I made these granola bars today with substitutions hoping the banana was all I needed to bind the seeds and dried fruit and it did the trick. These leads me to ask why store bought varieties have unnecessary oils and sugars in them? Angela, you make food seem so simple and easy. Thank you!
I have a question! I made these and loved them. I don’t have parchment paper so I took them right out of pan after cooling a few minutes and wrapped them in paper towels and put them in the fridge. They got really soggy!! Can I leave them out room temperature will that make them less soggy? I’m not sure what to do
I forgot to also mention that I put them in Tupperware as well
Thank you so much! Made these today with my boys. One little addition: chocolate chips, per their request. Just ate one and OMGoodness! They are AWESOME! Thanks again. We’ll be making them again.
Hi there!
Quick question……I went to go buy the ingredients for this and with the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds there was an option for raw or roasted. Does it matter which one you use?
I can’t wait to try these!
Thanks!
-J
nope, it’s totally up to you! I used raw seeds.
Hello.
I am on my 4th month of full time vegan. Your blog helps me tons.
This recepie is awesome. I have it for breakfast and it lasts me until lunch.
Thank you for sharing your awesome creations.
Can I use normal cherry’s?
Or something else instead of cherry’s?
Can’t wait to try them!!:)
Hey Noa, Fresh cherries will likely make the bars too moist (and won’t have as long of a shelf life), but you can certainly use other dried fruit like dried cranberries or chopped up dried apricots.
I ended up using raisens, added chia seeds and it turned out to be perfect!!
Defently going to make them another time as soon as I finish them!!
Amazing recipe!! Thanks!!:)
I currently have my second batch of these in the oven- they are incredible! As the blog states, they freeze very well, and are great to grab on the go (or enjoy at home ;)) Added bonus: They are also boyfriend-approved (he loves them). If you are reading this and are debating trying to, I highly recommend that you do! Thanks for another great recipe :)
Oh, and I used 1/2 C of dried cranberries instead of cherries, and a 1/2 C of chocolate chips :) delicious!
Yum! These are so delicious and simple and I’m so pleased to of discovered your website! Can’t wait to try the almond joy bars next :D
These bars are very delicious, easy and convienent on the go bars, I keep in my freezer take with me as i m running out the door, I love nuts and seeds, and the dried cherries in these bars, very fullfiling!! Just like bowl of oatmeal, with fruits and nuts but on the go instead of in a bowl!! Thanks a million for this delicious receipe!
I found these kind of chewy and very banana-y. Not sure how to modify it. I prefer more crunch.
I love these. I bake them every week for me and my husband. Sometimes I use 2 bananas and a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.
Just made my first batch of granola bars. OMG THEY ARE SOOO DELICIOUS. I’m happy I chose your recipe for my first attempt. Love love them. Thank you for sharing with us
HI,
I love your site! These granola bars are great. You might want to check out lactating cookie recipes to adapt for your granola bars adding flax seed into them.
These bars are very delicious, easy and convienent on the go bars, I keep in my freezer take with me as i m running out the door, I love nuts and seeds, and the dried cherries in these bars, very fullfiling!! Just blike bowl of oatmeal, with fruits and nuts but on the go instead of in a bowl!! Thanks a million for this delicious receipe and the nutritional value it helps alot!