Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Posted Jun 13, 2017, Updated Oct 17, 2021
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe is a healthy homemade snack for busy moms! They are oil-free and sugar-free because they are sweetened with dates! Plus they are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and full of protein and fiber!
These Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars are a yummy and healthy homemade snack (along with these Chocolate Paleo Energy Balls).
They are made with 8 nutritious ingredients, sweetened with dates, and loaded with protein and fiber! They also freeze well, so it’s easy to make a batch and always have them on hand for snack emergencies!
Truth be told, most of the prepackaged snacks out there don’t meet my standards of health and nutrition, so I almost always make my own – I even make homemade fruit snacks!
How to make this Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe
These granola bars are super easy to make, but I want to note a couple of things about the method!
Soak the dates: To do this – measure out the dates into a glass container and pour boiling water over them until they’re completely submerged. Soak for 15-30 minutes or until the dates are soft. Then drain the dates, add them to the container of your Vitamix.
Blend: there are two options when making this recipe. If you like chunkier granola bars more similar to store-bought varieties, then do not blend the dry ingredients (follow the recipe as it’s written). If you prefer a less chunky bar, you can toss the dry ingredients into a Vitamix and blend everything together at the end. You’ll need to scrape the sides and use the tamper if you opt to do that though, because the mixture will be thick.
Bake the bars
These Peanut Butter Granola Bars need to be baked. I tried them as no-bakes but they were only good when eaten straight out of the freezer! So please don’t forget this step!
Store/freeze
Let the peanut butter granola bars cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serve them chilled or at room temperature.
Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe: Substitutions
As always I recommend making the recipe exactly as written, however there are some possible substitutions for this recipe that will not compromise the taste or texture of these bars.
- Dates. I love being able to use dates as a sweetener in healthy treats – like this Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe – instead of sugar. I don’t recommend substituting the dates in this recipe.
- Almond milk: Any non-dairy or regular milk works in this recipe. I recommend using unsweetened varieties.
- Peanut butter: Any nut or seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter – suggestions include almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Old-fashioned oats: I have also used quick-cooking oats with great results.
- Almond meal: If you need to leave out the almond meal you can simply increase the amount of oats by 1/4 cup.
Recipe FAQs
These last for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
Yes, double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13″ pan.
You can replace coconut with an equal amount of oatmeal.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates pitted & soaked for at least 1 hour
- ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut shredded
- ¼ cup almond meal
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line an 8×8” square baking pan with parchment paper and grease, set aside.
- Mix oats, coconut, almond meal, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl, set aside.
- Add the soaked dates and almond milk to the container of your Vitamix (or other high-powered blender).
- Blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high until ingredients are well blended but not totally smooth.
- Scrape down the sides of your container and add the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Blend again until mixture is smooth.
- Pour wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix by hand until well-combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and spread until evenly distributed. If desired, add chocolate chips to the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are golden brown.
- Set dish on a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooled, cut into bars and enjoy.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container!
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Dates. I love being able to use dates as a sweetener in healthy treats – like this Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe – instead of sugar. I don’t recommend substituting the dates in this recipe.
- Almond milk: Any non-dairy or regular milk works in this recipe. I recommend using unsweetened varieties.
- Peanut butter: Any nut or seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter – suggestions include almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Old-fashioned oats: I have also used quick-cooking oats with great results.
- Almond meal: If you need to leave out the almond meal you can simply increase the amount of oats by 1/4 cup.
Store/freeze
Let the peanut butter granola bars cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serve them chilled or at room temperature.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
1. What do you use the food processor for?
2. Do you have a recipe for the chocolate drizzle for on top?
I have made these granola bars several times now. Every time I end up tweaking the recipe slightly, as I never have almond flour so always looking to sub. I used a touch of almond extract along with vanilla; and a half and half mixture of flaxseed meal & coconut flour instead of almond flour. I have yet to taste them, but the recipe listed above is excellent. So happy to have found a healthy option.
How long do these keep in the refrigerator? And how do you thaw from the freezer? Looking for healthy options but also a way to cut costs from buy several boxes of store bought bars a month. Thanks!!
Can I double this recipe, in a larger pan? Would it not bake through in the time given? ( I have a super huge fam so everything is doubled or more to make enough)
Thx!
Hey! Yes you can double it! They might need to bake an extra 5 minutes!
If you want to drizzle them with chocolate like you have in the pictures above, do you do that after they have baked and are completely cooled? Thank you!
Are the dates dried?
They are dried, and then I soak them!
Hi there! In the process of soaking the dates, do you add the water to the vitamix or drain the dates before blending?
Thanks!
Drain!
These are perfect with a smoothie for a quick breakfast!! We absolutely love them. So much better than store-bought bars.
Would you have the sugar, carb and protein breakdown on these? They look fantastic but I’m diabetic and hope they would fit my diet. Thanks
I’d make lots of smoothies for sure and these granola bars look like a great snack, as well.
We love fruit smoothies!! I would make our favorite smoothie, peach and banana!!