35+ Healthy Granola Bar Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is it OK to eat granola bars everyday? ›

Are Granola Bars Healthy? Granola bars can be healthy, but added sugars, calories, and artificial flavors can diminish the health quality of some over others. Many people consider granola bars a convenient and healthy snack and enjoy their flavor and versatility.

Homemade granola bars are a great alternative to store-bought ones. Because they typically use minimally processed ingredients and very little added sugar or salt, they're often more nutritious than packaged versions.

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.

Using the right binding agent in your granola bar recipe is a crucial part of keeping your bars from falling apart. While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey!

Honestly, a lot of Nature Valley's granola bar products are packed with added sugar, which is totally OK to enjoy once in a while, but be sure to check the nutrition label if you're looking for something less sugary to enjoy on the daily.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.

Because granola contains carbohydrates, it can spike blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes. However, whether or not granola spikes your blood sugar levels, and how quickly it may cause a blood sugar spike, will vary depending on what type of granola you eat and what you pair it with.

Store them in the fridge or freezer.

They'll keep for up to a week in the fridge, but you can also freeze them for up to 2 months. I like to eat these granola bars straight out of the fridge, but if they're frozen, let them thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before you eat.

Why are granola bars so sweet? ›

Granola bars typically rely on honey, maple syrup or agave nectar – or sometimes just a mix of sugar and water – to moisten and flavor them. The problem is that by the time you add enough honey to adequately bind your dry ingredients, your granola bars will be way too sweet.

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.

The better you press, the better the bars hold together.

When you're happy with the pressed mixture, press a spoonful of chocolate chips on top, and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This hardens everything and makes it easy to cut the granola mixture into bars.

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Whole Wheat and Almond Flour

First, it adds a combo of whole wheat flour and almond flour (or almond meal), which act as a binder to hold the oat mixture together.

Individuals should be wary of the health halo effect, where granola may be perceived as healthy, and thus consumed in excessive amounts, leading to high calorie, sugar, and fat consumption. Recommended Portion Size for Granola: Minimum: 2 tablespoons (12.5 grams) Maximum: 2/3 cup (67 grams)

Benefits of Healthy Granola Bars

Healthy granola bars are also made primarily from oats, which are excellent sources of beta glucan. Beta glucan has been shown to help slow digestion, increase satiety, and suppress appetite.

CHICAGO, Illinois – December 15, 2023 – The Quaker Oats Company today announced the recall of specific granola bars and granola cereals listed below because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly ...

There's no wrong way to enjoy granola. It's just as good when sprinkled on as a crunchy topping, baked into healthy bars and bites, or eaten on its own like cereal. Adventurous cooks could even try sneaking it into baked goods or using it as a nutritious whole-grain breading for fried foods.