Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Posted Jun 13, 2017, Updated Oct 17, 2021
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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.
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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.
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I love that you hike with your kids! Our closest nature is the park – it’s better than nothing! I like to pack fresh fruits for the kiddos and lots of water – kids forget to hydrate.
That’s why you need to come visit!!!!
Always love the pics!
Hmmm the first thing I would make with the Vitamix blender would be a BIG batch of tomato soup. YUM!
Smoothies!! 🙂
Thanks for a great giveaway! My favorite quick snack are no bake energy bites!
i would make my own hummus
Omg I love any sort of healthy snacks! I’ve recently gotten more in to clean eating and it’s amazing what my body has gone through in this short amount of time. I feel more energized, I’ve lost weight and I just feel happier. A vitamix is definitely on my wish list!
I would make green smoothies!
I can’t wait to try these! Yum!
And the picture of you walking with the kids 😍 LOVE
I’m always on the hunt for easy snack ideas to pack when we go camping! These look so tasty. Would love a new blender too! <3