Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
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Don’t let their wholesome look fool you—these granola bars are seriously good. Golden, nutty, and packed with oats and dried fruit, they come together quickly with just a handful of pantry staples.
I’ve tried more homemade granola bar recipes than I can count, but this crispy, crunchy version packed with oats, nuts, coconut, and dried fruit is the one I keep coming back to. It’s the kind of snack I love having on hand for busy mornings, road trips, or something to grab with coffee in the afternoon.
The secret ingredient? Rice Krispies. They give the bars a light, crisp texture that lands somewhere between a crunchy granola bar and a chewy Rice Krispie Treat. Feel free to mix and match ingredients based on what you have in the pantry—this recipe is super flexible and always turns out great.
“Exactly what I was searching for—crunchy and delicious, but not too sweet. The perfect healthy snack.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
- Old-fashioned oats & crisp rice cereal: The crunchy, crispy base of the bars—oats add chew and heartiness, while the cereal lightens things up and brings a little crispiness.
- Walnuts, almonds, dried fruit & shredded coconut: This combo brings crunch, chew, sweetness, and a hint of tropical flavor. Use whatever mix you like—just aim for a balance of textures.
Pro Tip: If your dried fruit is very firm (especially dried apricots or cherries), soak it in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry. It’ll keep the texture tender and pleasant. - Honey, brown sugar, butter & vanilla: These bind the bars and add flavor, making them sweet and buttery with just the right amount of richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Ingredients
Step 1: Toast the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the oats, walnuts, and almonds on a foil-lined baking sheet and toast for 7 minutes. Add the shredded coconut, toss well, and return to the oven for another 4 to 5 minutes, keeping a close eye so the coconut turns golden but doesn’t burn.
Step 2: Make the honey mixture. While the oats and nuts are toasting, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
Pro Tip: Warm your honey jar in a bowl of hot water before measuring—it pours more easily and won’t cling to the measuring cup as much.
Step 3: Mix everything together. Once the oat mixture is out of the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. In a large bowl, combine the toasted oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit. Stir until evenly coated.
Step 4: Press and bake. Transfer the mixture to a foil-lined baking dish, and use a rubber spatula to spread and press it into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool completely in the pan, 1 to 1½ hours.
Step 5: Slice. Use the foil overhang to lift the bars out, then slice into rectangles with a large, sharp knife. Keep the bars in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months.
Make Them Your OWn
These granola bars are easy to customize—just keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same, and you can mix and match to your heart’s content. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Nuts: Swap in pecans, cashews, peanuts, or pistachios
- Seeds: Use pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds in place of some of the nuts
- Dried fruit: Mix it up each time you make these—cranberries, chopped apricots, cherries, blueberries, currants, or raisins
- Add-ins for kids (or you): Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top once the bars are pressed into the pan (mixing them in will melt them)
- Flavor twists: A pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or orange zest will add a different layer of flavor to the mix
Homemade Granola Bars Video Tutorial
More Nutritious oat Recipes you May like
Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars
These homemade granola bars are everything the store-bought kind wishes they were—perfect for busy mornings, afternoon pick-me-ups, or stashing in your bag for a snack on the go.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ⅔ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (available at Whole Foods or natural food markets)
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
- ¾ cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, diced apricots, blueberries, currants, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
- In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)
- Use the reserved foil to line a 9x13-inch baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F, then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
- Note: You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. On occasion, I’ll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
- Note: Be sure your oven is fully preheated before toasting nuts; the initial blast of heat to preheat the oven can burn them.
- 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, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Cholesterol: 4mg
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.
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These turned out really well! I went ahead and played with the dry ingredients a bit with no issues. I also subbed in chopped apricots for some of the craisins, super yummy!
Best granola ever, they don’t crumble and fall apart.
I added cachews ,almonds and raisins
Thank you for sharing
Nathalie B
Question for Chef Jenn Segal,
How sturdy are these bars, do they crumble, fall apart or hold together tightly?
Are they sticky at room temperature?
Are they hard crunchy or chewy?
Thank you for answering all questions.
Hi Ms. V, These are crunchy rather than chewy, they’re not sticky at room temperature and hold together nicely. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
This has the be the best Granola bars, roasting the oat flakes, sure brings out the nutty taste.
Just perfect treat.
Thanks
I loved the taste of these bars (used dried apricots), but they were definitely not crispy. What did I do wrong? I’m anxious to make them again with dried cherries for tartness.
Hi Leslie, Did you make any changes to the recipe? If not, they may just need another minute or two in the oven.
I am not a breakfast food fan but these bars have changed my breakfast menu completely. Instead of muffins or scones, this is my breakfast on the go. I wish I had this recipe when my kiddos were young, but grateful to have it for my grandchildren.
I’m baking mine off right now, but before putting it into the oven, I took a taste off of my mixing spoon, and WOW does it taste good! Counting down the minutes ‘til they come out of the oven! Thanks Jenn for this recipe!
I am a 63 year old grandad recently retired, never really cooked before but now have more time on my hands so have been cooking for my 3 grandchildren, I have been searching for a long time for a relatively healthy breakfast bar to wean them off sugary processed cereals, something that will give them a good start to the day and set them up for school. I have tried several recipes but none have really hit the right mark with the Kids. Until now – wow the Kids love them and now my problem is trying to keep up with the demand. I have slightly reduced the sugar and honey content ( well by half actually ) but use raisins as the dried fruit which adds back the sweetness. Thank you so much for this recipe, it is fantastic.
How nice that you’re doing this for your grandkids — glad they’re enjoying them!
Hi Jenn, it’s been a long time since I made these, but did again 2 days ago and remembered just how good these are. I used agave in place of honey, coconut palm sugar for brown sugar and brown rice krispies. Added in chopped dried cherry and they came out so delicious. (also added choc. chips on top of 1/2 of them but really just ended up being messy and loved them more without them) (and I’m a huge chocolate fan) Thank-you!!
I have heard that heating honey makes it poisoness. Can I use maple instead of honey ?
Sure, Sheetal. Enjoy!