Get ready! These Amazing Granola Bars are so easy and will blow your mind! They are also an amazing dupe for your favorite crunchy store-bought granola bars, and they are SO GOOD. If you love nutty toasted oatmeal, brown sugar, maple syrup, and crunchy goodness, you will want to try this recipe ASAP. Fair warning, though – it will be hard to eat just one! Wait, I forgot to mention that they are amazingly gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free and low-FODMAP!
So, I’ve been obsessed with granola and granola bars lately, but all the recipes I tried were too sweet, like, icky sweet. Also, sticky! Granola isn’t supposed to be sticky. In general, I prefer recipes that are more on the side of lightly sweetened, rather than heavily sweetened, and it was hard to find that balance with homemade granola. I will say my recipe has a tiny bit of crumble to it, just like a Nature Valley bar, but overall, holds its shape nicely. And they have the perfect crunch!
They are easily customizable too. For soft baked bars, you’ll bake them for a shorter time, and for classic, crunchy bars, you’ll bake them for the full time. If you prefer honey to maple syrup, you can use it instead. So, let’s get into it.
The Ingredients
- Quick cooking oats (certified gluten-free if needed) – these are the foundation of granola bars! Choosing quick cooking over old-fashioned oats gives them the perfect texture.
- Salt – to bring out flavor and balance the sweetness.
- Brown sugar – the perfect sweetener to compliment oatmeal.
- Maple syrup OR honey – this brings out a little more complexity to the sweetness and gives the bars their golden hue.
- Vegetable oil (I prefer canola) – vegetable oil rather than butter or coconut oil helps the bars get crispy and crunchy.
- Baking soda – adds a little rise and helps the bars get crispy.
- Rice flour – this helps bind the oats together and really contributes to the perfect crispy texture. This is the most unusual ingredient in the recipe, but it is not hard to find. It’s usually in the international section of your supermarket, and I’ve used the Goya brand with great success.
How to make amazing granola bars
- First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. This low temperature for a longer cooking time will help the bars get crunchy but not overbaked. Line a 13×9 inch pan with foil or parchment paper (no need to spray with cooking spray).
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the canola oil, water, and maple syrup or honey and stir until incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared pan and press into place with wax paper or a sandwich bag over your hand.
- Score the layer of granola into 16 bars (4×4) with a knife or dough scraper.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 40 minutes for soft-baked bars. For crunchy bars, remove them at 40 minutes, rescore them, and bake them for 10 more minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Amazing Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant or old-fashioned)
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (no need to spray with cooking spray).
- In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and stir. Then add the canola oil, water, and maple syrup (or honey). Stir until incorporated. This will be a crumbly dough.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and press into place with wax paper or sandwich bag. Discard wax paper or sandwich bag when complete.
- Score the layer of granola into 16 bars (4×4) with a knife or dough scraper.
- Place into oven and bake for 40 minutes for soft-baked bars. For crunchy bars, remove them from the oven after 40 minutes, rescore the bars, and then bake for 10 more minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
