Peanut Butter Granola Bars

If you love peanut butter and you are looking for a healthy on-the-go breakfast bar, then try these peanut butter granola bars. 

What Are Peanut Butter Granola Bars?

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.

Are Granola Bars Vegan?

No, not all store-bought granola bars are vegan. Some contain honey – read my article on is honey vegan for details – or milk because of the added chocolate chips.

How To Make Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I usually love to make no-bake granola bars, but sometimes, the baked granola bars are great for a change of flavor.

They are crunchier, and the toasted oats and nuts are delicious.

Ingredients

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
• 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.

Preparation

The process of making granola bars is super simple.

First, bring all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl: oats, puffed cereal, hemp seeds, chia seeds, chopped nuts, and stir to combine.

Next, in another bowl or in a non-stick saucepan, warm the peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup.

Stir and remove from the heat as soon as the ingredients are runny and well combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and add in vanilla extract.

Stir well until all the cereals are covered with the liquid ingredients.

Packing The Mixture

Fold the granola mixture into a 9-inch x 9-inch square pan and spread evenly over the pan.

Then, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and use the back of a measuring cup to press and pack the mixture tightly into a single even layer.

This step is crucial to prevent the bars from crumbling apart into small pieces.

Baking

Bake the bar in the center rack of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes.

The bars start to become golden at 15 minutes but don’t remove them too soon as they would be soft.

They are ready when the sides are crispy and dark brown and golden all over the top.

Cooling Down

Remove the pan from the oven and cool the bars in the pan for at least 2 or 3 hours.

The bars must be completely cool before cutting into granola bars, or they crumble and fall apart easily.

Decoration

You can drizzle some melted chocolate over the bars, as seen in the pictures.

To do so, place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until fully melted.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the peanut butter granola bars.

Freezing

Pop the entire bar block in the freezer for 8 minutes. The cold hardens the chocolate faster and also makes the bar easier to cut.

Cutting

Finally, it’s time to cut the bar into 12 rectangles.

Place the bar on a chopping board and use a long sharp knife to cut into small granola bars. It always crumbles a little bit if you didn’t use sugar.

Add-Ons

You can, of course, add some delicious ingredients up to 1/3 cup of the following to the granola bar mixture:

• Dried cranberries
• Mini dark chocolate chips
• Dried apricot
• Coconut flakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Below I listed the most common answers to your questions about granola bar making.

Do I Have To Warm The Liquid Ingredients Before Pouring Them?

You must melt the coconut oil before adding it to the dry ingredients.

As you may have seen on my Instagram videos, you can also just add the peanut butter and syrup to the bowl if they are runny and fresh.

However, if your peanut butter is not as runny, it’s better to melt the 3 ingredients together before adding to ensure the bar mixture is not dry.

Why Is My Granola Bar Mixture Dry And Not Sticking Together?

If the batter is loose and doesn’t stick well together when pressed in your pan, stir in the mixture of extra tablespoons of sweetener up to 3 tablespoons.

Can I Make Chewy Granola Bars?

You need to add a crystal sweetener to the liquid sweetener to make the granola bar chewy.

I don’t add any because it adds sugar to the recipe, but if you really love the chewy texture of granola bars, then add 1/4 cup of sugar – coconut sugar, white sugar, or unrefined cane sugar – into the saucepan with the liquid ingredient.

Warm until the sugar has melted.