These Peanut Butter Granola Bars are easy, soft protein breakfast bars loaded with 9 grams of protein and refined sugar-free. Plus, these homemade granola bars are also vegan, egg-free, and gluten-free.
If you love peanut butter and you are looking for a healthy on-the-go breakfast bar, then try these peanut butter granola bars. They are a great peanut-butter-lover alternative to my Peanut Butter Donuts, Samoa Bars, or Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal.
These are baked granola bars packed with a good amount of plant-based proteins from peanut butter and seeds and lightly sweetened with refined sugar-free sweeteners. They are soft, slightly crunchy on the border, but moist, not chewy.
Like This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page where I reply to (almost) all comments, our Instagram page for inspiration, or our Pinterest for saving recipes!
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Puffed Cereals - Small grains like puffed amaranth or puffed quinoa or use quick oats
- 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
- ¼ cup Chopped Almond
- ¼ cup Hemp Seeds - or pumpkin seeds
- ¾ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted)
- ½ cup Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Drizzle
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
Optional – for chewy bars – increase sugar content
- ¼ cup Cane Sugar - or sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a 9-inch x 9-inch pan with parchment paper. Spray oil over the paper. Set aside.
- Note that these bars are only sweetened with maple syrup, no added sugar and they can be crumbly. For a chewy texture add 1/4 cup unrefined sugar.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients: old-fashioned oats, puffed cereal, chopped almonds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Stir to combine.
- In a non-stick saucepan, add peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut sugar if you want a chewy bar.
- Cook over low heat, stirring with a spoon until ingredients are warm and well combined.
- Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry and add vanilla extract.
- Stir very well until the dry ingredients are well combined and covered with the liquid ingredients.
- Pour the granola batter into the pan and press to evenly spread over the pan in a single layer. Add a piece of parchment paper on top and using the back of a measuring cup, press hard to stick the ingredients together and make the bars firm.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top and sides.
- Cool completely in the pan – about 3 hours before cutting.
- After that time, pull out the bar from the pan using the hanging parts of parchment paper and place it on a chopping board.
Decoration
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil. Drizzle on top of the bars.
- Pop the bars for 8 minutes in the freezer to set before cutting.
Cutting and storage
- Cut the bar into 12 rectangle bars and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. You can freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw them at room temperature.
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients you need to make them are:
- Natural Peanut Butter – I highly recommend using peanut butter with no added sugar and no added oil or sugar.
- Coconut Oil – don’t use another type of oil, or the bars won’t firm up as well. To avoid coconut flavor from the oil, pick refined coconut oil.
- Liquid Sweetener Of Choice – maple syrup tastes amazing but for a low-GI bar, try rice syrup. Other options are date syrup, coconut nectar, or agave.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – avoid quick oats or steal-cut oats.
- Puffed Cereal – Choose thin grains like puffed amaranth or puffed quinoa, their texture pack better than puffed rice. Or replace with quick oats -the thinner version of oats.
- Hemp Seeds or any seeds like pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds. I like hemp heart because it’s a naturally high vegan protein source.
- Chia Seeds or a flaxseed meal.
- Chopped Nuts like chopped almonds or walnuts or hazelnuts.
More Vegan Granola Recipes
If you like granola recipes and vegan bars, you’ll love these:
Have you ever tried doing these in a muffin tin?
There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work, but muffin tins are much smaller, so you might have to fill 3 or 4 tins.