Over the years, I’ve created a lot of recipes, but one of the toughest to nail was my Grab-and-Go Granola Bars. It took about 10 tries to get it just right, because a lot of homemade granola bars are too dry, so they crumble when you try to eat them, and some are just too sweet.
This recipe for healthy homemade granola bars is made with walnuts, dried fruit — choose from dried plums/prunes, raisins, cherries, apricots, and/or cranberries — oats, whole grain cereal, and eggs, and it’s sweetened naturally with honey. It works like a charm every time.
I’ve probably made this recipe a few dozen times over the years. Josh and Simon ate them for on-the-go breakfasts, after-school snacks, and a healthy pick-me-up during long bike rides and summer hikes. I’ve even made them for holiday cookie swaps too. So I guess you could call them really versatile!
One batch lasts about a day in my house, but if you happen to have leftovers, you can wrap individual portions in plastic baggies or aluminum foil and freeze for later.
- Serves: 12
- Serving size: (1 bar)
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g

- 1 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
- 1 cup spoon-size shredded wheat cereal
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1½ cups dried fruit (choose one or more of the following: dried plums/prunes, raisins, cherries, apricots, cranberries)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the oats, shredded wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped (the fruit should be the size of a dried pea or lentil).
- Whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Add the oat mixture and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan, and flatten gently with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Bake about 18 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing into twelve 2 x 2½- inch bars.
If you have a favorite homemade healthy granola bar, tell me about it.
How were you able to get your nutritional ingredients posted. I have been trying to get more information on how to do that. Please help.
Thanks
A few years ago, we used a software program to do the calculation. As for posting, I have a plugin called Easy Recipe.
These look delicious. Would the bars have to be refrigerated?
Thank you
They don’t have to be refrigerated. I do, however, wrap leftover bars individually in plastic wrap or ziplock and freeze for later use!
Hi! These look great! I was planning to make them for a snack for my son to take to school. Unfortunately, there are kids in his class who have a nut allergy. If I omitted the walnuts, would it drastically change the outcome? Do you have a recommended substitute? Thank you!
What if you roughly chopped up some sunflower seeds and used half a cup … and then added an extra half cup of cereal to compensate? Try it! And let me know how they turn out. I need to try this too!