Chewy, crunchy, oh so tasty 5 Ingredient Granola Bars made in about 5 minutes and you can make them with peanut butter or almond butter. No baking required!
My Granola Bar Addiction
For another episode of: “My Granola Bar Addiction,” I bring you the easiest ones yet. And, dare I say, the tastiest?! These no-bake granola bars are just too easy to make and boy, do they taste greeeeeat! I made them with granola cereal I had on hand, so no baking, no food processor, no oven. Just mix, pop ’em in the fridge, and enjoy!
I was craving homemade granola bars one morning and my craving wasn’t about to wait for me to bake a batch. So with limited ingredients on hand, I stirred together these 5-ingredient granola bars in about 5 minutes and they turned out awesome! Between breakfast that morning, snacktime that afternoon and some girlfriends coming over to watch The Bachelorette that night, they were gone by the end of the day. So what’s a mama to do when her boys wake up begging for another one the next morning?!…mix together another batch…
Your Choice: Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
The first time I made them with peanut butter, the next time I used almond butter, the next time peanut butter and here I sit eating from yet another batch with almond butter. You choose: peanut butter or almond butter. Both nut butter versions have great flavor! The almond butter is less sweet than peanut butter and the texture is thinner so you have to use a 1/2 cup more of it. So if you’re using peanut butter, use 1 cup and if you’re using almond butter, use 1-1/2 cups. Get it? Got it? Go!
Besides peanut butter or almond butter, all you’ll need is honey, pre-made granola, old-fashioned oats and chocolate chips. I use Cascadian Farm’s dark chocolate almond granola, but feel free to use your favorite flavor of granola. I could see these being made with the optional additions of dried fruit, raisins or cranberries, and even small bits of banana chips. Those work, too!
The pre-made granola adds such great crunch and texture to the granola bars, but if you want to keep it super simple and you’re willing to forgo the crunch and firmer consistency, you could use all oatmeal and they would still taste great! The nice thing about using pre-made granola is this recipe can easily be vegan or gluten-free, if your store-bought cereal is. If you want your granola bars to be gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten-free oat mixture.
My boys are just as in love with these granola bars as I am so they’ll definitely be on tap until we tire of them, which I have a feeling might never happen. In fact, the boys were patiently waiting for me to photograph a batch for the blog before we ate them for snack yesterday afternoon. Well, most of the boys! Bryce was anything but patient as he stood by trying to poke his hand or head in every shot in hopes that I would wrap it up so he could finally eat one. Little stinker. He sure knows how to rush a photoshoot. 😉 How could I resist this face as he was begging for just a little bite?!
How to Make 5-Ingredient Granola Bars
Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Note, if you prefer thicker bars, feel free to use a small pan, like a loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter (or almond butter) and honey. Stir in the granola and oatmeal until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Use a spatula or your hands with parchment paper under them to press down firmly all over the top of the mixture making sure the top is smooth and the mixture is as compact in the dish as possible.
At this point, you can lift the bars out of the dish (using the edges of the foil or parchment paper) and immediately cut into bars with a sharp knife or you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the bars in the refrigerator to firm them up even more, about 30 minutes, before cutting them into bars. Store cut bars in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Granola Recipes You’ll Love
Sweetened with warm honey and packed with coconut flakes, sunflower seeds and unsalted almonds with just a hint of vanilla, this amazing Chunky Homemade Granola is a breakfast you can enjoy all week long! Easily make your own granola with simple, healthy ingredients you already have on hand. This protein and fiber-packed Maple Walnut Granola is sweetened with maple syrup and makes for a great breakfast or afternoon snack.
Alright, that’s all there is to ’em! 5 ingredients and 5 minutes is all it takes to make these tasty granola bars. If you make them, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
5-Ingredient Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 15-30 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
Just 5 ingredients and about 5 minutes is all it takes to make these chewy, crunchy, oh so tasty granola bars and you can make them with peanut butter or almond butter. No baking required!
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter or 1–1/2 cups natural almond butter
- 3/4 cup honey
- 4 cups pre-made dark chocolate almond granola (or your favorite pre-made granola flavor)
- 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter (or almond butter) and honey. Stir in the granola and oatmeal until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Use a spatula or your hands with parchment paper under them to press down firmly all over the top of the mixture making sure the top is smooth and the mixture is as compact in the dish as possible.
- At this point, you can lift the bars out of the dish (using the edges of the foil or parchment paper) and immediately cut into bars with a sharp knife or you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the bars in the refrigerator to firm them up even more, about 30 minutes, before cutting them into bars. Store cut bars in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Yields 15 large bars or 30 small bars.
These granola bars can be baked at 350 for 13-15 minutes, if desired.
These look so good and I love how easy they are! What a sweet picture of Bryce 🙂 I will definitely be trying these soon!!
Thanks Jessica! 🙂
These look awesome! I know my son would love these. I’m excited to try them! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Kathleen! Enjoy! 🙂
I have never seen dark chocolate granola.
What brand are you using and where did you buy it?
Thanks for all of your work.
Hi Julie! I use Cascadian Farm dark chocolate almond granola (it has chunks of dark chocolate in it). Nature’s Path and Nature Valley also make dark chocolate granolas, but you can use any flavor of your favorite granola in these.
[…] Almond Butter Granola Bars These homemade almond granola bars are great when you want a chewy, sweet snack, and since they are homemade, they have less preservatives, unnatural additives, and less sugar. Even better? These bars, made with only almond butter, honey, dark chocolate chips, old-fashioned oatmeal and granola, are no bake and can be made in just five minutes. That simply is too sweet! […]
When you say 1 cup oatmeal….do you mean you can use quick oats?
Hi Jennifer! I actually state in the recipe that I use old-fashioned oatmeal (I just prefer it), but you could definitely use quick oats and they would still taste great! Enjoy!
These look so good. Do you have a number of calories per bar? I must count calories, and I don’t see that here.
Hi Arlene! I don’t provide nutritional information for the recipes on my blog because information varies so much based on the brand/exact ingredient you use. You can easily plug the ingredients you use into a free online nutrition calculator to calculate them yourself. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Hi Maegan . Just made your 5 ingredient granola bars . Very good . Do I have to cut them and store them . Or can I leave them in the dish
Hi Mary! You can definitely leave them in the dish. Just cover the top tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Enjoy!
Do you mean oatmeal, as in cooked oatmeal; or do you mean uncooked rolled oats?
Hi Pat! I mean uncooked, rolled oats. Enjoy!
These look delicious Maegan! Can’t wait to try!
I’m super excited to make these! I’m tired of making baked granola bars that crumble and fall apart….these look awesome! I would like to make with my own “granola” mixture for a bit lower sugar bar (we don’t have kids so these are for my husband and myself). I was thinking a mixture of oats, milled flax seed, slivered almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds….would you recommend I bake my granola mixture on it’s own or would it be fine just added as is? Thanks for the great idea and wonderful presentation! 🙂
Hi Lindsey! I think they’d taste great both ways. If you bake the granola, the bars will have more crunch and toasted flavor, but the ingredients you mentioned combined with the other ingredients in this recipe would turn out just as great not baked. Enjoy!
Where can I find the Nutritional Information for these bars?
Hi Gregory! I don’t provide nutrition information on my site, but you can easily plug the exact ingredients you use into a free online recipe nutrition calculator to get the information. Here’s one I’d recommend: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I found this recipe on the YUMMLY recipe app, and it gives a complete nutritional breakdown of the bars.
Mine won’t hold together! I added some PB when they first crumbled, remixed, repressed, rechilled. Still crumbly. Thoughts?
Hi! What kind of peanut butter are you using? Maybe it’s too dry? The mixture should definitely be chewy not crumbly.
Hi Maegan, I will definitely try these bars out, but I don’t care for chocolate in my granola bars can I just omit them in the recipe or do I need to replace them for something else?
I used butterscotch chips, because chocolate gives me migraines. Tastes great!
I made these and they fell apart. What did I do wrong?
Hi Sue! Did you stir your peanut butter or almond butter really well before measuring it? Sometimes if the peanut butter or almond butter are dried out, it won’t incorporate like it should to make the bars.
No bake dark chocolate granola bars!! Heavenly! Why haven’t I found this before today? Must make them NOW! Thank you!
Hi Sue, I was trying to make lactation bars can I just add the brewers yeast?
Hi Ana! That’s a great idea! Yes, I would just mix it right in. OR you could try my No-Bake Lactation Bites which are amazing: https://thebakermama.com/recipes/no-bake-lactation-bites/ Enjoy!
Could I use a regular mixer instead of the one with the paddle attachment?
Hi Brenda! You could certainly try, but it is a thicker mixture so it might be tough for a hand mixer to handle. You might be better off just mixing it by hand with a wooden or sturdy mixing spoon. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Hi Maegan, what do you mean by chocolate granola, is 5his a cereal type I should be looking for. I live in a small town in halfway, Oregon. They do not carry any such type of granola, should I look for this product at a health food store, can I buy this at Safeway or Albertsons store, they are the only one around. Please help!. Thanks Linda
Hi Linda! I usually use Cascadian Farm Dark Chocolate Almond Granola (https://www.cascadianfarm.com/products/cereals/granola/dark-chocolate-almond-granola), but honestly you can use any pre-made granola. Whatever your store carries that you enjoy eating. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for your time, also found them at amazon, Linda
Yay! Enjoy!
Hi Nannette! Yes, you can definitely omit the chocolate chips. I always encourage people to just make them your own. Enjoy!
I’m going to try this today! Was wondering if I could substitute the oatmeal for crispy rice cereal, or if there’s a way I could incorporate them into the granola bars? Thanks in advance☺️
Hi Makenzie! I apologize I’m just seeing your question. Yes, you can definitely use crispy rice cereal in place of the oats. It will add a nice crunch to the granola bars. I hope y’all enjoyed them!
Hi! If I didn’t use the granola would I use 5 cups of oatmeal?
Thanks!
Hi Jen! Yes, I’ve done this before and they turn out great. You can use old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats. Enjoy!
Can these be made in a silicone bar mold?
Hi Amy! Absolutely, they would shape great in a silicone bar mold. Great idea! Enjoy!