Vegan Granola Bars

DIY healthy vegan granola bars! A mix of rolled oats, dried fruit, almond butter and whatever other mix ins you want. Perfect as a snack bar or a vegan breakfast bar.

this Recipe

Homemade vegan granola bars! These easy granola bars are perfect for lunchboxes and after school snacks.

If you like my triple chocolate granola bars, almond joy granola bars and dark chocolate almond oatmeal bars, then I know you will love these too.

Unlike store-bought granola bars, you can control the ingredients for these homemade granola bars. I obviously have a thing for chocolate when it comes to granola bars, but the beauty of these bars is that they are so customizable!

You can use whatever dried fruit, nut, or chocolate you have on hand. Try white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries, or raisins, walnuts, and dark chocolate. Any combination you like will work in these bars.

Ingredient Notes for Vegan Granola Bars

These bars couldn’t be easier and you only need a handful of ingredients.

• Rolled oats— old fashioned oats are best here, but instant oats will work in a pinch. Steel cut oats won’t work in this granola bar recipe.
• Mix-Ins of choice— I like chocolate chips and raisins, but any mix-in you like will work in these
• Cinnamon and Vanilla— Adding the cinnamon and vanilla make the bars taste more complex and give them additional flavor.
• Brown rice syrup— for my vegan friends, brown rice syrup is the best liquid sweetener option. Most granola bar recipes use honey, but as there is some debate as to whether or not honey is considered vegan, I didn’t include it. Maple syrup and agave syrup are too runny and won’t work in this recipe. You can use honey instead of brown rice syrup if you’d like.
• Almond butter— You could use peanut butter in these, but I like the more mild flavor of almond butter as I find that peanut butter overpowers the taste of the other ingredients. As these granola bars are naturally oil-free, the almond butter also adds in a source of healthy fats.

Variations and Substitutions

As mentioned above, I don’t recommend swapping in maple syrup or agave for this. If you can’t find or don’t want to use brown rice syrup, then honey is a good alternative.

You’ll need the liquid sweetener to help bind these vegan granola bars, and this recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative, like using date paste.

While I love raisins and chocolate chips, any mix-in will work in these vegan granola bars! Here are other variation ideas:

• Cranberry Bars: dried cranberries, macadamia nuts and white chocolate
• Trail Mix: Chopped peanuts or pecans, raisins and mini chocolate candy
• PB&J: dried cherries, peanut butter and chopped peanuts
• Allergy-Free: Tahini or Sunbutter for the peanut butter
• Apricot: If you like apricots, I have a subtly sweet almond apricot granola bar recipe.
• Seedy Granola Bars: You can also add in a sprinkle of seeds: sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds.

I know tahini might sound strange, but it’s fantastic paired with chocolate! My salted tahini chocolate chip cookies are a very popular recipe.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes, these vegan granola bars are naturally gluten-free as written. Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

How to make these granola bars

Preheat the oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, letting excess hang over the sides. This helps with easy removal from the pan. Lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix together the dry ingredients

Place oats, dried fruit/choc chips mix-ins, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Warm the syrup and almond butter together

In a small bowl, add brown rice syrup and nut butter. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring to create a liquid thin enough to pour. Add vanilla to the nut butter mixture, then pour the wet ingredients over the oat bowl and stir until combined.

Place granola in prepared pan and bake

Scrape the granola mixture into the prepared pan and press the granola bar mixture firmly into the pan. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until bars are lightly browned around the edges. 

Cool and slice

Remove from the oven, then lightly press them down again. Let cool completely, then remove and slice. 

More Vegan Bar Recipes

• Pumpkin Pie Bars with Pecan Crust
• Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
• Berry Freezer Fudge
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars
• Almond Joy Granola Bars
• No Bake Almond Apricot Granola Bars

If you try these vegan granola bars, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day and your feedback helps other readers!

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Vegan Granola Bars

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5 from 1 vote

DIY healthy vegan granola bars! A mix of rolled oats, dried fruit, almond butter and whatever other mix ins you want. Perfect as a snack bar or a vegan breakfast bar.

Servings: 12 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Square Baker

Ingredients 

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips and/or other add-ins of choice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup*
• 1/2 cup almond butter**
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper letting excess hang over sides. This helps with easy removal from the pan. Lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.
• Place the 2 cups oats, 1/2 cup dried fruit/choc chips mix ins, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. 
• In a small bowl, add the 1/2 cup brown rice syrup and 1/2 cup nut butter.

  Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring to create a liquid thin enough to pour. Add the teaspoon of vanilla to the nut butter mixture, then pour over the oat bowl and mix until combined.  (Warning if adding chocolate chips: if rice syrup gets too hot in the microwave as it will melt the chips (which isn't a bad thing but a visual thing)
• Scrape the granola mixture into the prepared pan and press it firmly into the pan. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until the bars are lightly browned around the edges. 
• Remove from the oven, then lightly press them down again. Let cool completely, then remove and slice. 

Notes

*To keep these vegan, I recommend using brown rice syrup over maple syrup. Maple syrup is more sticky than brown rice syrup and the bars won’t be as solid. If you don’t want to keep them vegan, then you can use honey.

**I like the almond butter best in these bars as peanut butter is a little overpowering. However, peanut butter can absolutely be used!

25 minutes will make a firm chewy bar. The longer you cook it the crispier they will get. I recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer. They will get sticky when they sit out for a few days if you aren’t adding the nut butter.

The granola bars will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container or plastic bag on the counter with pieces of parchment or waxed paper between layers to prevent sticking. To freeze, wrap them individually in parchment or waxed paper then place in a freezer safe bag for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 8gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 110mgPotassium: 233mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg

Course: granola bars, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Alexandra Caspero

This recipe was posted in 2022 and updated in 2024.