It appears I’m on a granola bar kick this week.
and I can’t be stopped.
But I didn’t think you’d mind too much?
Experimenting with granola bar recipes (and flavours) is one of my favourite things to do. It’s rare that I don’t have a bar tucked away in my purse for “emergencies”. You know, hangry attacks! Eric went so crazy for these bars he insisted I post the recipe on the blog RIGHT THIS SECOND so who am I to argue? I imagine that I’ll be making these a lot over the summer and stashing them in the freezer over the next several months. That’s if we can keep our paws off them for that long (unlikely, really).
Much like my Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars, these bars are also lower in sugar than most (5.8 grams per bar). This time I used just 1/4 cup of coconut nectar syrup which is a fruity-tasting low-glycemic sweetener. It doesn’t seem to give me sugar crashes like regular cane sugar does. Due to its fruity flavour, I don’t find it works in all recipes. For instance, it’s not my favourite sweetener in some chocolate recipes, but in granola or fruit-based recipes it tends to always blend in nicely.
The only caveat with this recipe is that the bars don’t hold together perfectly, so I recommend storing them in the fridge and not letting them sit at room temperature. Best to take one straight from the fridge and stuff it in the face! It’s a hard task, I know. They definitely aren’t “travel” bars (unless you don’t mind it turning into loose granola at room temp).
Oh and for the record, I did try baking a batch in the oven for curiosity’s sake and the no-bake version won by a landslide. The baked bars held together a teeny tiny bit better, but they tasted less sweet and a bit bland. I don’t think it’s worth the extra time or oven heat, personally.
Like most granola bar recipes, this one is versatile so be sure to let me know what flavours you come up with in the comment section. Think we can come up with 52 flavours, or what?
No-Bake Almond Joy Granola Bars
Yield
14 small bars
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
10 minutes
Total time
Easy no-bake granola bars inspired by the popular Almond Joy Chocolate bar flavour. Roasted almond butter, mini chocolate chips, and coconut unite to create one tasty bar that's whipped up in 10 minutes (no oven required!). Recipe adapted from Yummy Mummy.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 cup rice crisp cereal
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup roasted almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup (or brown rice syrup - see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- 1.5 tablespoons non-dairy mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand, optional)
Directions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way so it's easy to lift out.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, rice crisp cereal, sliced almonds, coconut, and chia seeds.
- In a medium pot over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Remove from heat and stir in the almond butter, coconut nectar, and vanilla, until smooth.
- Pour wet mixture over dry and stir well until thoroughly combined. Add a pinch of salt to taste and stir again.
- Spoon mixture into the pan and roughly spread out (but don't pack down yet). Sprinkle on the chocolate chips in an even layer. Wet hands lightly and then press down the mixture until even. Use a pastry roller to roll it out and pack it in even more.
- Transfer pan to the freezer for about 10 minutes until firm. Slice into bars, wrap, and store in the fridge or freezer. These bars fall apart easily so I don't recommend leaving them at room temperature for longer than a few minutes.
Tip:
I do not recommend swapping the coconut nectar or brown rice syrup for any other liquid sweetener. Other sweeteners won't be sticky enough to bind the bars.
Absolutely scrumptious! This is my second batch of the week. The whole family love them and I will save money on cereal bars that I seem to always be buying from TJs, Whole Foods, etc. I need more bar recipes!
Sorry! Wrong link on the last comment!
Coconut?! chocolate?! almond butter?! RIGHT UP MY STREET! Loving the look of these Angela!
youtube.com/addalittlefood
I need these now!! So yummy.
I made these and they didn’t stay together at all! They tasted good but we had to eat it in a bowl like granola.
I finally found a good rice crisp cereal at Zehrs the other day by Nature’s Path using brown rice & organic ingredients, so I decided to try this recipe yesterday – absolutely amazing! It tastes exactly like commercial granola bars (but healthy!), and it’s great eating them cold with the hot weather coming on. Thank you so much for this recipe! :)
Dear lady, so glad I found you; you are a Godsend! I tried your lovely brownies, they are great, great, great!, Will definitely be buying your book! Thank you, thank you!!! You have made this old lady happy, this is the way to eat! Fabulous! :-D
Hi Hazel, So happy to hear this! Thanks for your support :)
I made these last night and they are mind-glowingly good!! I will have to look for some brown rice syrup or coconut nectar though, because I used agave and they aren’t holding together as well as they should. But delicious none-the-less!
I made a special trip to get coconut nectar – and my bars held together beautifully. Thumbs way up!
These were super delish although I wish I had read the comments before forgoing the brown rice syrup ‘sticky glue’ solution! I had a tougher time packaging them because half of them kept falling apart even after I refroze! But, they taste wonderful and will do the trick once the babes comes! Thank you for another amazing recipe.
LOVE this flavor combo! I’ve been addicted to your glo bars since March, but haven’t thought to change up my granola bar flavors. This was the switch I needed! I used brown rice syrup in mine since it’s what I had on hand and still had the crumbly problem so I added a flax egg. Made the bars super moist which is nice, but still a bit on the crumbly side. Must be cooking the brown rice syrup with the nut butter that makes the glo bars hold so well. I’ll pick up some coconut nectar and try cooking that with the nut butter for these! Maybe that will make them hold better? Only time and some granola experimentation will tell! Crumbly works for now but I love having options for travel-ready snacks.
This is my first time commenting but I wanted to say I absolutely LOVE your blog. I’ve been cutting out sugar this year which at first was tough but is now second nature! Turning to your blog and cookbook for healthy but delicious recipes has been a life saver! I wanted to share that instead of using nectar syrup, I used a tiny bit of agave (maybe a tablespoon) and an uber ripe mashed banana for sweetness. I also froze over night since I saw they were a little too crumbly. They turned out SO good and held together great. Since I’m studying for the CA bar exam right now, they are the PERFECT study snack. Thank you so much for being such a great resource and for sharing your passion. It’s been a joy reading from San Francisco :)
Pleasure to meet you Samantha! Thanks for your kind words about the blog. :) So happy you are enjoying it so much!
Yum! I made these today while my toddler napped and the flavor is so good. I subbed maple syrup for the coconut nectar, added extra chia, sunflower seeds & raisins. I only had whole almonds so I gave them a few pulses in my food processor and like the variant in textures. They did crumble as I cut them but I was able to get some nice bars out and just ate what was left. Yum! I only had standard size chocolate chips and I think next time I would incorporate them into the batter before I pressed them down as they loosened while I cut them. Oh well, had to eat those, too, ha ha. Thanks for sharing another delicious recipe! Went great along side a glass of almond milk.
These bars are so good! And so easy!
For what it’s worth, my child with type 1 diabetes ate two after school and–as witnessed on his continuous glucose meter–did not have a blood glucose spike. I attribute this to your ingenious balance of a lower-glycemic index sweetener + fiber + plenty of nutty fat.
If i keep those in the fridge how long do you think they will be good for ?
I just made these bars with the brown rice substitute. Some fell apart after I cut the bars but the crumbles will make amazing granola for snacking! I also used sprouted brown rice cereal, so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it. I highly recommend this recipe, though!!!
Hi Angela,
I was wondering if you could be more specific about what Rolled Oats you use ( 1 min, quick, large flake, etc). The grocery store near me has pretty much every Quaker variety they manufacture, same with the bulk barn, and I’m not sure which ones would work the best.
Thanks!
Lindsay
Hey Lindsay,
For sure – I use “old fashioned” rolled oats – as they are often called. They aren’t 1 minute or quick cooking oats. Large flake should work fine, although I try not to buy the extra thick cut ones as those can dry out recipes sometimes depending on the use. Hope this helps!
I made these using whole wheat puffed rice instead and they were pretty good! I love these as a sweet treat!
Angela, do you use blonde or amber coconut nectar? Cheers!
I didn’t know there were two kinds to be honest – I don’t think my label specifies! I’ll have to check next time I use it :)
Hi! I absolutely love all of the recipes I’ve tried of yours. Thank you!
I can’t wait to make these bars but do you think I could substitute the coconut syrup for maple syrup or honey?
Thanks!!
These were nothing short of OUTSTANDING! I was a sucker for almond joys back in the day. There is something about almonds, coconut, and chocolate that is so wonderful. These are just what I have been looking for in a granola bar! And can I just say, I am running out of adjectives to describe all of your delicious recipes. I have yet to make anything I did not LOVE :) I have serious doubts that these bars will last more than a few days in my freezer. Hopefully I can hide them from my fiance… Thank you :D