Healthy Homemade Granola Bars {Meal Prep Friendly Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

Are homemade granola bars healthier? ›

Are Granola Bars Healthy or Unhealthy? While store-bought granola bars can be unhealthy and full of added sugars, these homemade granola bars are healthy in moderation. They're a delicious and nutritious snack option compared to those that come in a package.

While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey! When added to your homemade granola bars, honey acts as glue that sticks all the pieces together.

Honey – Along with the nut butter, it helps all these ingredients stick together! I love its warm amber flavor in this recipe. Vanilla extract – It amps up the bars' warm flavor.

Homemade granola bars aren't hard to make once you have all the right ingredients and they'll certainly save you money in the long term. It's hard to fight against the convenience and habit of picking up a box of bars at the store, but it really seems like it's worth trying to make our own.

The Bottom Line

Granola is healthy in small amounts, especially because oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit in granola provide some fiber that's good for heart and gut health. However, granola can also be a rich source of calories, saturated fat and sugar, depending on the brand you buy.

Yes, granola can be eaten daily. As part of a balanced diet and if the portions are checked. Go for healthier options with less added sugars and saturated fats to get the most out of it.

When dampened, chia seeds gel and swell to several times their original size, plus they get very sticky. Since they're already used as egg alternatives in baking, it's not surprising that chia seeds act as the ideal granola binder, but it is strange that they do it better than eggs.

Ground Flaxseed. Adds protein and, when combined with the wet ingredients, becomes a glue-like binding agent that helps hold the bars together. Wheat Germ. A superfood boost that adds folate, fiber, vitamin E, and other key nutrients to these no bake granola bars (as well as this Healthy Granola).

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Egg White

The idea is that the egg's protein will help the oats bind to each other and create delicate clusters. Results: Not only does the egg white work as a glue to hold the oats together, but it also gives the granola an incredibly crispy bite.

Should you soak oats before making granola bars? ›

Fill the bowl up with water to completely cover the mixture – enough that you can stir to combine. This soaking process will help the oats and seeds digest better. After the oat/seed mixture has soaked 8-12 hours, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.

We've found that homemade granola bars stay fresh for about 1 week when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Any longer than that and they tend to become a little stale.

And I do use plastic wrap for them, too — I think you are right that parchment is going to stick too much. You can also put them in small covered containers and bypass wrapping them at all.

They can be more cost-effective: Homemade granola bars can be less expensive than store-bought options, especially if you buy ingredients in bulk or on sale. They can be fresher: Homemade granola bars can be fresher than store-bought ones, which may have been sitting on the shelf for a while.

Granola is calorie-dense, as well as rich in protein, fiber, and micronutrients. In particular, it may provide iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, B vitamins, and vitamin E. However, its nutritional profile varies widely depending on the specific ingredients used.

Many people consider granola bars a convenient and healthy snack and enjoy their flavor and versatility. In some cases, granola bars can be a good source of fiber and protein to help curb cravings between meals. However, some contain as much sugar, carbs, and calories as candy bars.

Is granola processed? Technically, all granola is processed to some degree because it's a food made out of ingredients which you have combined and cooked. However, there are huge variations in the amount of processing used across different brands.

Advantage homemade. Both granolas have whole oats as their main ingredient, but the Kellogg's is high in refined sugar and contains palm oil. The homemade version contains protein-rich pecans and uses only a small amount of honey, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. It took me an hour to make granola from scratch.