Gluten Free No Bake Granola Bars: Simple, wholesome ingredients come together in less than 5 minutes to create a chewy homemade granola bar that is better and healthier than any store bought granola bar on the market.

I am a snacker.

My kids are snackers.

My guess is you or your kids are snackers as well.

And that is OKAY. Actually, when you choose the right snacks, snacking is proven to be good for you!

Wholesome snacks like Banana Sushi, Trail Mix Snack Bars, Cinnamon No Bake Breakfast Protein Bites and a Cherry Pie Smoothie are great options as they are balanced in fiber, healthy fats, and healthy carbs.

Another easy, homemade snack you can feel good about serving yourself or your kids, are these homemade chewy granola bars.

Gluten Free No Bake Granola Bars

Name: Gluten Free No Bake Granola Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup pitted dates; 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey; 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted); 3 tablespoons peanut butter (or sunflower butter or almond butter); 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp sea salt (omit if you are using salted peanut butter); 2 cups gluten free oats; optional: add up to 1 cup of the following: chopped nuts (raisins, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, sesame seeds, chia seeds, etc)

Making homemade granola bars is about the easiest recipe ever. It is as simple as throwing a few ingredients into a food processor, a few zaps, and you just made DIY granola bars! Easy-peasy.

Reasons you need this recipe for granola bars NOW:

My recipe for gluten free homemade granola bars are free from:

high fructose corn syrup
trans fats
preservatives
eggs
soy
dairy
can easily be made nut free

My easy DIY Granola Bar Recips is:

naturally sweetened
gluten free
high in fiber
provides a dose of healthy fats

Need some more reasons to make these easy snack bars?

These Chewy Style Granola Bars are:

adaptable to your preferences
require no baking
super easy to make (like my kids make them all by themselves)
are perfect snack for any time

And these no bake granola bars happen to have one of my all time favorite ingredients–Oats –be sure to check out all my Oats Recipes.

Notes on No Bake Homemade Granola Bars

Pro-tip for working with dates: Soak unsweetened dates with hot water for 5 minutes to soften for easier processing.
If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use melted butter, but the coconut oil is key in reproducing the flavor you get in store-bought granola bars.
Do not use canola oil in place of coconut oil. The canola oil will not solidify and your granola bars will never set up properly.
If you have peanut allergy, use almond butter or sunflower butter in these granola bars.
Be sure to use gluten-free oats to keep these granola bars gluten-free if needed.
Quick-cooking oats or old-fahioned oats work in this granola bar recipe. Steel-cut oats do NOT.
If you want to keep these granola bars vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey. But both options work well.

Let’s make No Bake Chewy Style Granola Bars:

Gluten Free No Bake Granola Bars

Simple, wholesome ingredients come together in less than 5 minutes to create a chewy homemade granola bar that is better and healthier than any store bought granola bar on the market.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 147 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
3 tablespoons peanut butter or sunflower butter or almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt omit if you are using salted peanut butter
2 cups gluten free oats
optional: add up to 1 cup of the following: chopped nuts raisins, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, sesame seeds, chia seeds, etc

Instructions

Start by being sure your dates are relatively soft. If they are not, soak in hot water for up to 30 minutes and then drain.
Process dates in food processor and then add maple syrup, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt.
Add in oats and pulse until just combines and all the oats are moistened well.
Stir in any mix-ins into batter you desire. (I choose to use 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and then drizzled dark chocolate I melted over the top for the pictured batch--INSANE!!!)
Place into a 9x11 pan that has been lined with wax or parchment paper. Add the oats mixture to the pan and using either moistened hands or wax paper, spread out as evenly as possible.
Place in freezer for 15 minutes and then slice into bars.
I prefer storing these bars wrapped individually in wax paper and stored in the fridge. They are fine kept at room temperature as well.