Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
These chewy, crispy no-bake chocolate chip granola bars are easy to make — and they put all those store-bought bars to shame.
Chocolate chip granola bars are a staple in my pantry, but between my husband, my kids, and my kids’ hungry friends, I can’t seem to keep enough of them in the house. So I figured it was time to try and make them from scratch, and maybe even sneak in some health food. After many trials, I finally cracked the code and came up with a version that puts all those store-bought bars to shame. What’s more, they’re no-bake and take only ten minutes to make.
Table of Contents
“My kids rated these infinity out of ten. And my husband, the man who once left a 3 Michelin star restaurant proclaiming he’s ‘had better’ said these were delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Butter: Adds richness and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and contributes to the chewy texture.
- Honey: Acts as a natural binder and adds sweetness.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor profile with its aromatic essence.
- Quick-Cooking/Instant Oats: Serve as the base for texture and substance.
- Crispy Rice Cereal: Adds crispiness and lightness to the bars.
- Sliced Almonds: Introduce nuttiness and extra crunch.
- Flax Meal or Wheat Germ: Offers additional nutritional value and helps with binding.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Provide little pockets of chocolatey goodness throughout the bars.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a large pan.
Bring it to a boil, then let it bubble over low heat for a few minutes to thicken slightly.
Off the heat, stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
Then add the oats, crispy rice cereal, almonds, and flax meal (or wheat germ).
Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.
Transfer the granola bar mixture to a 9 x 13-inch pan lined with aluminum foil.
Press the mixture lightly with a rubber spatula to flatten, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top. Use the spatula to press the chips firmly into place and compact the mixture into the pan as much as possible. (The reason you don’t mix the chips in is that they’ll melt.)
Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 -2 hours, until the bars are cool. Then use the foil overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles.
Keep the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator; if you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise, they’ll crumble and stick. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s important to stick with quick-cooking oats which are rolled oats that have been coarsely chopped. Regular old-fashioned oats are too coarse and chewy for this recipe and cause the bars to fall apart. If you don’t have any quick-cooking oats in your pantry, you can make your own by pulsing regular oatmeal in the food processor a few times.
Sure! Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you have to stack the granola bars, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers; otherwise, they’ll stick together and fall apart. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, move them to the refrigerator to thaw.
Yes, these bars offer great versatility. If chocolate chips aren’t your thing, you can opt for raisins or cranberries. Similarly, if almonds aren’t to your taste or if you are dealing with a nut allergy, swap them out for unsalted sunflower seeds. While oats and rice cereal are essential, you have plenty of freedom to substitute other ingredients as long as you maintain the wet-to-dry ingredient ratio.
You May Also Like
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
These chewy, crispy no-bake chocolate chip granola bars are easy to make — and they put all those store-bought bars to shame.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Heaping ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups quick-cooking/instant oats, such as Quaker Quick 1-Minute Oats (do not use regular old-fashioned oats)
- 1¾ cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup flax meal or wheat germ
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (or to taste)
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, combine the butter, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the oats, rice cereal, almonds and flax meal (or wheat germ) to the pan and fold with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly with a rubber spatula to even out. Sprinkle the miniature chocolate chips over top, adding more or less to suit your taste, and press down firmly with the spatula so the chips stick.The mixture should be tightly compacted in the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1½ - 2 hours to cool.
- Use the foil overhang to transfer the uncut bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they'll stick together and fall apart.
- Note: If you are substituting dried fruit for the chocolate chips, mix it in along with the other ingredients as opposed to sprinkling over top.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, move them to the refrigerator and store there.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 187
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 21mg
- Cholesterol: 11mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These are awesome and I know the ingredients – compared to the store bought version! Great to pack in my kids backpack for school snacks.
Love these! So easy and yummy and customizable!
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Hi Cathey, You could use regular granulated sugar. More honey might be too strong.
We love these Granola bars! I will never be able to bring myself to buy store bought again. I made a tray and took them on a road trip to the mountains to snack on in the car. I also add shredded coconut on top and chia seeds. I also made the honey granola bars and these one day and had some friends over and we did a taste test… The kids all preferred the chocolate chip ones and the grown ups leaned toward the honey ones. I love to put the honey granola in a yogurt parfait.
These are great! I didn’t have the flax/wheat germ, so I used a substitute. I also put the choc chips in with the dry ingredients, so they melted throughout the entire granola bar making them very chocolate flavored. My kids love them! This is way better than buying! Question: Do you think you can substitute out the rice crispy cereal for something more homemade, like toasted quinoa? I would like to eliminate the store bought cereal for something healthier, and not processed. What are my options without losing the crisp/crunch?
Toasted quinoa is a good option. Can’t think of anything else homemade that would work. If you try it, please report back and let us know!
Followed the recipe to a tee.
Unbelievable, moist, fresh, great taste.
Whole family and friends love
Healthy snack for all
I made the chewy Chocolate chip granola bars with my seven year old tonight. Such a healthy snack. She wouldn’t eat sliced almonds any other way. I also love the fact there are flax seeds in there. Great recipe and look forward to trying more!
Wow – these are so incredibly sweet! Is there anyway to tone down the honey flavor? I used 1/4c brown sugar like other suggested. But so much better than other recipes I have tried. These are chewy and airy.
On a side note – thank you so much for sharing your recipes. Every one of your recipes has been amazing!! I tell everyone I know about your site!
Thanks for your note, Amy. Glad you are enjoying the recipes 🙂 Unfortunately, you need all the honey and sugar to “glue” the bars together; if you reduce it too much, I’m afraid they will fall apart.
These are now a staple in our house. I took the advice of others to decrease the sugar and use 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter instead of the brown sugar, and add just 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. I also use sunflower seeds instead of the almonds. This makes them nut-friendly for school! I have tried in vain to just do the chocolate chips after but they turn out a mess, so I mix them in, let it melt, and no one complains!
These turned out fantastic or would have, I should say. I substituted melted Earth Balance for the melted butter (dairy allergy in the family) & it gave the bars an almost fishy after taste…gross. What can I use in place of butter? I read some people used coconut oil. Are there any other dairy free alternatives I could use? I’m giving the recipe 5 stars anyway because if not for my own mistake, these granola bars would have been perfect!
Yes, I think coconut oil would work 🙂
I also recommend using soy-free Earth Balance to avoid the fishy taste. There is flax oil in the original Earth Balance that sometimes tastes fishy to me after it’s been heated and cooled. Not a problem with the soy-free version!
I always use half butter, half coconut oil in this recipe and it works great!
Made these exactly as listed for the first time and they were FABULOUS! A huge hit in our house. Tried them the second time with 3 TB peanut butter and 3 TB margarine (instead of the 6 TB butter) and they fell apart even after being refrigerated overnight. But the taste was amazing! Anyone have tips on how get them to hold together using peanut butter?
You could try the powder peanut butter for the flavor
Thank you for this recipe! Both my somewhat picky husband and my very picky 6 yr old gave these a thumbs up today! Always looking for ways to cut out artificial ingredients in our foods and hide more nutrition; this is perfect!
You are a genius, these are amazing. I took the advice of others and subbed 4 T peanut butter for some of the butter, added some coconut, and reduced sugar to 1/4 cup. Wow, they turned out wonderful. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thanks for this one!
My search for a homemade granola bar is over! Crazy good, easy, and cheap. What more could you ask?
I made it as is except slivered instead of sliced almonds and the crowd is going wild.
If I use peanut butter – is that a 1 to 1 substitution for butter?
Kudos to you for cracking this Jenn.
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, So glad your crew enjoyed the granola bars! I’ve got a peanut butter variation on my list of recipes to work on so hopefully that will be out soon…but yes, I’d replace most or all of the butter with PB and replace the almonds with peanuts. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
DELISHTASTIC!!! I ADDED A HAND FULL OF SWEETENED COCONUT, A HAND FULL OF MINI MARSHMELLOWS AND FOOD PROCESSED MY CHOCOLATE CHIPS SO THEY were almost a sliver so when I put them on the granola mixture, it melted. When it cooled, it was a gooey chocolate coconut heaven. The second batch I did the exact same but used only 2 tbsn of unsalted butter and 5 tbsp of peanut butter. They were AMAZING. I will never buy store bought again. ☆☆☆☆☆
These are amazing – I make them w/ingredients safe for my families allergies and they are a staple in the kids lunches. The favorite version is the above chocolate chip recipe, minus the nuts but with the addition of some crumbled pretzels and a big scoop of sunflower seed butter! They hold together great and after cutting them I store them in the freezer to give them a little extra chill for lunch box packing.
YUM! I’ve tried several granola bar recipes in search of one I’m happy with, and this one’s the best by far. My search is over! I did substitute golden raisins and dried cranberries for the chocolate chips (didn’t have any mini ones on hand), and I accidentally used regular old-fashioned oats without processing them first…and they still came out fine! They set up nicely in the fridge and cut into clean rectangles without any crumbling. So, no worries for those of you who may not have the quick-cooking oats on hand. Do try these—they blow store-bought granola bars out of the water!
This recipe worked out so well! I did it as a tester for my homemade (aka cheap) Christmas gifts, and the results are dangerously good. I anticipate many variations with homemade caramel and other tasty combinations! And the other reviews and suggestions were great too.
My only suggestions to others would be to make sure you reduce the butter/sugar/honey mixture further than specified, so the bars hold together better. Mine were almost too gooey, which for me just means more finger-linkin’ fun!
Liked how easy these were to make but they are too sweet tasting for my son. (and me). Any ideas for making them less sweet but where they still hold together?
Hi Ann, You could reduce some of the honey and/or brown sugar replace with peanut or almond butter. Hope that helps!
Made these for my outdoorsy, granola loving, geologist husband and they turned out GREAT! I only buy old fashioned oats and was nervous about grinding them to get the quick oats texture, but it worked and will definitely make and share this recipe again!
Hi – I’ve made this recipe twice exactly as stated and my family LOVES it! But, unless I keep them refrigerated, the granola bars fall apart and don’t stick together. Which is a problem because I want to send them to school with the kids. Any idea what I can do to make them stick together more?
Hi Alena, Yes, these bars do need to be refrigerated. You could try adding a few tablespoons of peanut butter to the wet mixture, and they will hold together much better.
I am sorry to say that these have completely fallen apart and I am not sure what to do with the rice crispy/outmeal loose mixture, I have to eat it as a regular cereal, I guess. Followed the recipe exactly, the only thing I can think of is that I did not boil the hot mixture long enough for it to be gluey. I made quite a few no-cook granola bars before and the mixture to flatten was always a LOT stickier.
Hi Natalia, I am so sorry the bars fell apart. I’m curious, were you able to form the bars and then they fell apart or was the mixture too loose to even cut the mixture into bars? Also, did you refrigerate them? These bars definitely need to be refrigerated.
it just came out as a slightly moist cereal, I will have to eat it with a spoon. 🙂
Because the liquid was still pretty runny when I poured it in, rice crispies absorbed it all, and there was nothing left to bind the dry ingredients together. Still I was very surprised on how little liquid the recipe asked for, usually for no-bake granola bars there is a lot of honey/maple syrup/peanutbutter/sticky dry fruit is required and even then it’s tricky sometimes to keep them together. Hmm. Still confused!
UPDATE: after a night in the fridge things have improved! They can now be cut up and have become a messy bar rather than a pile of crumbs. 🙂
These are fantastic!!! I will make these over and over again (I made the recipe exactly as stated yesterday, today I’m going to switch it up a bit and do cranberries and pecans).
Thanks you for posting such a great recipe. Now I’m going to have to go through the rest of your site and see what other yummy recipes you have!!
Today is 5 days since I made the first batch and I am now on the 4th batch (just went into the fridge). We LOVE these! BTW, we haven’t finished all the others yet, but my favorite was gone by the next day-cranberry & pecan!! Those are divine!! My daughter’s favorite are the original chocolate chip, my husband likes them all, and my son and I love the cranberry & pecan! Thanks again for posting this great recipe!! I definitely will not be buying store-bought again.
BTW, my husband took one in his lunch the other day and he said it held up fine (was still in bar form). I keep them stored in the fridge all other times.
Not sure what combination I’ll try next-maybe peanut butter and chocolate chips. I will tell people, if you’re going to try different variations, I recommend keeping the additions the same size as the original recipe. When I made white chocolate, toasted coconut and almond, I only had regular size white chocolate chips. They’re a bit overpowering in taste in the individual bars. I’ve checked the price of buying white chocolate mini chips and it’s ridiculous, so I think next time I’ll just chop ’em up myself a bit. I do chop my dried cranberries before adding ’em to the mix.
Just made these granola bars . They were awesome!
Why can’t regular oats be used? I have so many if those I was hoping to use them up making granola bars!
Do you have any suggestions on what I can use regular old fashioned oats for?
Thank you!
Hi Brooke, If you have a food processor, you can process the regular oats for a few seconds to turn them into quick oats. Just pulse a few times until they are coarsely chopped — you don’t want them to turn into powder. Otherwise, you might try these recipes:
https://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/03/amish-style-baked-oatmeal-with-apples-raisins-walnuts.html
https://www.onceuponachef.com/2010/03/oatmeal-brown-sugar-cookies-with-raisins-and-pecans.html
https://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/08/glazed-oatmeal-maple-scones-with-pecans-currants.html
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/secret-ingredient-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/apple-cranberry-oat-crumble.html
https://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/05/homemade-granola-bars.html
Hi,
I live in France and here Quaker Quick 1min oats doesn’t exist 🙁 I can only buy the Original one… Do you have idea for I can make this awesome granola bar ?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Jeanne, Do you have a food processor? You can turn them into quick oats by pulsing 5-6 times, until they are coarsely chopped (but not powdery).
My family loved these! I found keeping them refrigerated held their shape better. Will be making them again and again… Thanks!
Great recipe! The bars are absolutely delish! Everyone in my house loves them!
Could I substitute coconut oil for the butter? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, Yes, that should work just fine.
I love this recipe and your site! What I was wondering was whether or not I could use becel instead of butter as my husband as high cholesterol. Thanks Sharon
Hi Sharon, Yes, that should work just fine.
Thank you so much for a beautiful and informative blog. I just made the granola bars yesterday and they came out perfectly. Today I made the spinach quiche and it came out like a picture. I love to cook but it’s usually a fifty fifty shot with me. These little details that you provide make all the difference. You seem to take the “best of the best” recipes and perfect them. You are very talented and I hope you have your own cookbook and show very soon. I feel that you fill a niche that is somewhere between Sandra Lee and Ina Garten that is desperately needed in the cooking world. Can’t wait to try more recipes …
Thank you so much, Donna! I’m so glad that you are enjoying and having success with the recipes 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I was wondering if these would freeze well?
Hi Heather, I do think they’d freeze well 🙂
Hello…love your granola bar recipe! However…I am not sure why the last few times I have made them…they are rock hard (and crumble when I try and cut them). The first time I made them they were perfect. I thought that I was possibly adding too much butter the last few times…so I carefully measured this time. However…still hard. Any suggestions? Maybe I am boiling too long?
Thank you
I think it was boiling too long. When you make candy, the longer you cook, the harder/crunchier the candy.
I have made these delicious bars several times because they are easy to modify and store well in an air-tight container. My favorite combination includes dried cherries and pecans, instead of almonds. I have also tried this with steel-cut oats but the consistency isn’t quite the same.
Soooooo good. I already made my second batch this week because my kids gobbled them up so quickly. I used organic ingredients and cut the sugar and butter down just a little bit. WOW they are awesome. My 5 year old says they taste better than the store bought ones and they are healthier because they don’t have preservatives and fillers. I highly recommend. Thank you so much for sharing!
This has become my “go to” recipe for granola bars. They are substantial, yet still light and chewy, and so easy to make. I usually use golden flax meal (it seems to bind better than the wheat germ) and omit the chocolate chips. I have added up to 1/4 cup of dried chopped fruit and/or seeds for variety. I wrap the individual bars in wax paper and store in a container in the fridge for easy on-the-go and healthy snacking.
If I use frozen chocolate chips, do you think they would survive being mixed in?
Hi Michaela, I fear they’d melt too, but this is not necessarily a bad thing if you don’t mind 🙂
Did anyone else find it terrifyingly sweet ? Loved the recipe .. ill just remember not to put as much brown sugar next time.
Yes, I did too. And a bit too salty. I’ll cut back on both next time. My kids, on the other hand, thought they were PERFECT.
I have made these granola bars five times in the past month because my kids continue to ask for them. I follow the recipe as is, except I omit the nuts for my nut-allergy kid. The texture is wonderful, and I’m so pleased that I can offer my kids healthful alternatives to the sugar-laden snacks in the grocery aisle. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Does anyone know how much fiber is in these?
Just made my first batch…have a toddler who will not eat regular food – she hates being fed and will only eat a bite or two of whatever is served…and she loves chocolates and all kinds of junk…hoping this will add some nutrition to her otherwise lacking diet!
P.S. I tweaked the recipe a bit – I added salted butter and skipped the extra salt. Added nearly a cup of flax meal, powdered nuts – almonds, cashews and pistachios. I also threw in the chocolate chips while the mix was hot so it was all nice and gooey! I ate a bit of the mix before I put it into a tray and it tasted heavenly! I also baked it for about 15 minutes. Can’t wait for my bubba to taste it!
Made these this evening (when kiddos were in bed). So excited to share these granola bars with them tomorrow. I did not use any nuts. I used dried fruit (blueberries and strawberries). And, added chocolate chips too! Yummy!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!
is there i can substitute the butter for?or even better, has anyone tried the recipe without it?
We loved these bars. I would love to incorporate some peanut butter. Should I replace some of the honey with the peanut butter. I would love to be able to keep the consistency the same. Thank you for the post.
Hi Janet, Yes, I think a few tablespoons would work well. Please come back and let me know how they come out.
My suggestion…
Double the recipe and keep the same size pan. I completely omitted the almonds and it was fine.
I’m going to try it with peanut butter chips next time.
These are delicious but what is the calorie. Fat.protien.fiber?. I am doung Weight watchers and need to know the points?
Hi Patty, Unfortunately I’m not set up to provide nutritional data on this site.
Can we replace the brown sugar with regular sugar?
Hi Jen, Yes, that should work.
Amazing! How long would these last in the fridge?
Hi Amanda, Probably about a week.
Hi Jenn, I just made these today using a combination of suggestions from your readers and they came out great. I prefer a crunchier texture so I didn’t know how the ‘chewy’ would work for me, but they’re perfect. I used half butter and half canola oil, coconut sugar instead of brown, brown rice crispies from Whole Foods and hemp hearts instead of the flax. My son who doesn’t usually eat sweets kept eating it, sliver by sliver — that’s my test! Thanks — Marsha
Hey I was wondering if you can take out the almonds altogether and just have chocolate chips? Please awnser if you can.
~Dilynn
Hi Dilynn, It’s fine to omit the almonds; just substitute more oats and/or rice krispies.