No Bake Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars from Scratch | Healthy and Simple

Homemade peanut butter granola bars are a great way to ditch the grocery store and do it yourself. With this easy and simple recipe, you’ll be serving your family homemade granola bars made from your own hands with only a handful of ingredients in no time!

My kids love granola bars.  And, really, so do I.  It’s so nice and convenient to just grab a granola bar and go.  But I hate all of the extra ingredients in the store granola bars.  So, I set off to create my own I’d be happy to feed my kids.

Why ditch the store bought granola bars?

For me, it’s always better to make it at home if you can because doing it yourself means you know exactly what’s going into the product. You don’t have to worry about preservatives, factory conditions, wonder how your food was made, or running to the store to grab granola bars. You can simply just enjoy it for what it is. And, can we just go on record saying that anything homemade is better tasting? Because I am 100% on board with that statement. I really do prefer a home cooked meal than a restaurant one or store bought one any day. Who is with me?

A simple recipe for homemade peanut butter granola bars

The reason I love this recipe is because it’s simple. I don’t have to slave away all day trying to bake the perfect homemade granola bar only to have it come out burnt or crispy. I can just whip up all of my ingredients in about 5 minutes, plop them in the refrigerator to solidify, cut and eat. It’s almost as convenient as running to the store!

Kid approved!

My kids LOVE these homemade peanut butter granola bars. Almost to the point where they want to eat the whole pan as soon as they’re ready and by the end of Day 2 they are usually gone. They are a kid-friendly, kid-approved recipe that will have your kids begging for these instead of the store-bought granola bars.

Naturally sweetened

These homemade peanut butter granola bars are even more amazing because they’re naturally sweetened (well, except for the chocolate chips, but those are optional). Natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners have the same purpose: to sweeten! However, natural sweeteners usually at least come with a great bonus of vitamins and minerals. That means if you’re going to be eating something sweet, at least you’re getting some nutritional value out of it as well. Sweetened with honey, you can feel good feeding your family this snack.

Storage

You can store these homemade peanut butter granola bars in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to a week. However, I highly doubt that they will last that long.

What you’ll need:

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Rubber Spatula
• Wooden Spoon
• 8×8 pan
• Aluminum Foil or Wax Paper

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine honey, and coconut oil.  Bring to low heat, stirring continuously until ingredients are melted and combined.  Remove from heat, then mix in peanut butter slowly.

Stir in the oats and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips (if you’re using).  Line your 8×8 pan with aluminum foil and pour the oat mixture into the pan.  Sprinkle on the remaining chocolate chips, pressing down slightly.  

Put the pan in the fridge and allow the granola bars to chill 2-3 hours.  After they have solidified, remove from the pan and cut into bars.  Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator.  

Notes:

• The amount of honey can be reduced to 1/3 cup instead of 2/3 of a cup and works just as well!
• To prevent the chocolate chips from melting, wait to add the peanut butter to the mixture in saucepan until oil and honey have cooled. Then, when it’s time to add the chocolate chips, they will keep their form more.
• Maple syrup can be substituted for honey, but they don’t hold together quite as nicely, from my experience.

You’ll want to save this recipe!

Looking for more sweet treats to make at home? Try these:

• Ooey Gooey Chocolate Brownies Made in One Bowl
• Cast Iron Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting