This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar Recipe is THE BEST and easiest way to make granola bars! Plus, they’re cheaper and healthier than the store-bought kind!
You guys, I have found THE BEST and easiest way to make granola bars on this sweet planet earth. I was looking for recipe ideas and came across a few Pinterest photos that had me swooning over chewy chocolate chip granola bars and it made me want to try my hand at them. After a few testers, I ended up with a super kid and school lunch-friendly, *slightly* healthier version that has gotten rave review after rave review.
Granola Bar Recipe
These are pretty darn simple granola bars AND amazingly delicious. I was seriously shocked at how well these turned out for 3 minutes of work. Literally 3 minutes. If you have kids make these! Heck, even if you don’t, make ’em anyways. They are great snacks or fast breakfasts. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter – this is part of the boiled sugar mixture. Some readers have found that peanut butter works great here.
- Honey – a natural sweetener.
- Brown Sugar – more sweetener, this also is part of the boiled sugar mixture along with the honey.
- Quick Cooking Oats – not rolled oats!
- Crispy Rice Cereal – some readers have replaced this with other cereals such as Cheerios or Chex.
- Vanilla – to help the flavor.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – optional but highly recommended.
How to make granola bars
- In a small saucepan, heat up some butter, honey and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Stir it together, reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for up to 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves.
- While that is heating up, measure out oats and Rice Krispies into a large bowl.
- Stir in vanilla extract into the hot syrup.
- Pour the hot syrup over the dry ingredients and stir well to coat.
- Press firmly into a greased jelly roll pan using either buttered fingers or a greased spatula.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
- Cool to room temperature for about 1 hour or until set.
- Cut into bars, wrap individually and use as desired.
Adapting your granola bar recipe
The beauty of this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can make lots of granola bar flavor combinations and create your very own recipe, based on what you and your family like. Feel free to add in raisins, nuts, maple syrup, flax seeds, cinnamon, butterscotch chips, coconut, agave, craisins, citrus zest, the list goes on!
Getting the boiled sugar mixture right
This recipe is very much dependent on the boiled sugar mixture. If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have not boiled the mixture long enough…you want it to make it just past the softball stage.
If you boil the mixture TOO MUCH, then once they set, they will be nearly too hard to eat. So, the best way to set yourself up for success is to bring the honey-butter mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
Storing
After your bars have set, cut into portions, wrap individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap and store the whole lot of them in a large airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 7 days. I don’t like refrigerating or freezing because then the bars get really hard and don’t keep their amazing chewy texture, even after defrosting.
Of course, you can store them however you like, but keep in mind they are enjoyed best at room temperature.
More Granola Bars to Try!
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Homemade Granola Recipe with Almonds
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
- No-Bake Nut and Seed Bars
- Homemade Granola
Printable recipe card is below. Make sure to save this recipe because it’s a good one for any day of the week. Enjoy!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats not rolled oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium-high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. (should take 1-2 minutes) Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients.
- Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn't small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly.
- Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
A total homerun! They were terrific! Thank you!
I made a batch the other day and between myself, husband and two year old we ate them all. I made another batch today, and put 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter in the butter mixture. Wow. Amazing, thank you for the great recipe, I will make these again and again.
GREAT idea with the pb!! Mmmmm….
These looked so good and simple that I just had to make a batch right away. I made a couple of minor changes, but they are SO good! I posted them and linked back to you – check it out 🙂
http://cmomcook.blogspot.com/2012/01/no-bake-granola-bars.html
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe!
I JUST made these…. I was SUPER worried that they weren’t going to mix as when I added the liquid to the dry it still VERY dry. But I kept on mixing as if my life depended on it, accidentally started too quick and burnt my finger too LOL :). They are currently in the fridge cooling and I really hope they turn out well because hubby eats the store ones too fast and I don’t like buying them all that often, he would eat a box a day if the kids didn’t snatch some first! Now we wait a half an hour…. la dee da!
They are super yummy and easy to make and easy for a snack
This is a random question, but after wrapping them do u put them in the fridge?
No, I don’t put them in the fridge if they’re already set!
Just found your blog through Pinterest tonight and I love it!
This recipe looks great. I love finding recipes that are healthy and yummy!
So easy. So delicious! Thanks!
Yum! I love homemade granola bars and these look so perfect!
Can I tell you how much I spend on granola bars a month?? My kids LOVE them in their lunches & as an afternoon snack. I’m sooo excited to make these!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Looks good but not super healthy 😉
Hmm…..I wonder how one would make these high fiber?
You can stir in some wheat germ or a few bran flakes in place of some of the oats, maybe. Never done that before….good luck!
I don’t see why a little ground flax or some chia seeds would a problem to add in! It’ll give you more protein, too. I might back down on the crispy rice a little though… OR make sure to use crispy BROWN rice cereal! Definitely more fiber there! Oh, now look what you’ve done! I’ll be making these today…..’cause I have to play with this idea!
I chanced upon this from Pinterest, and came here to check it out! I been wanting to make granola bars for a while, and I love how simple this recipe is. Will be trying it out soon. Thanks for sharing 🙂
just bookmarked this to try soon!
I saw these on pinterest! I like your recipe even better…I need to make these!
Yummy! Oh, my littles are going to love these!
I love this! I can’t wait to play with it a little and make it perfect for our family! Great idea!!
Genius!!! So simply and perfect. The ingredients are pantry staples. Only difference is I will use splenda brown sugar and agave instead of honey. Thanks for sharing!
Yum! I just made granola bars too, and am suddenly seeing them all over the place – who knew I was on trend (first time ever :)) These look like perfect store bought granola bars!
Do these cut easily?? do you have to wait for it to cool completely before you cut them?? am making these.. and might put in some seeds and nuts and not forget the chocolate chips!! :))
I like your stuff! Easy and good. Tks.
What a simple and delicious looking recipe! I’ve been looking for a good granola recipe for awhile and this definitely looks like one I’m going to try.
These look lovely and delicious Lauren and you had me on No Bake!.. I just have one question.. Can you tell how many calories would there be in each bar and is it ok to have these while on a low calorie diet?
I love no bake bars and granola bars…they are so versatile and fun. Thanks for sharing these.
Delicious and Simple – – those chocolate chips seal the deal! Great recipe 🙂
These are very similar to the granola bars that I make, but I use peanut butter instead of butter. They are so yummy and they don’t stick around for long! I love, love, love your site, Lauren!
Oh, I’ll have to try THAT! YUM!
This sounds a bit like what I would call a flapjack – I don’t know if you have flapjacks in the US? They’re super delicious though and this looks a lot healthier than the ones I usually make!
Flapjacks in the states are pancakes. Not quite the same! 🙂
My husband is British and he introduced me to flapjacks. In the US we don’t have British flapjacks but these are probably as close as you will get. Similar. Both yummy.
My English Mom makes flapjacks all the time, and has absolutely no recipe they turn out differently every time but are always really good 🙂
I bake that way all the time! My family (especially my mom) hate it! I can never reproduce things! haha. I’m trying to get better about writing stuff down.
i LOVE flapjack. This is close, but not quite the same. I’d love to see your flapjack recipe if you have one!
so pretty! I love how simple they are 😀
I’m definitely going to try these! My husband loves the store bought chocolate chip granola bars but I’ve never found a good homemade recipe,until now. 🙂
I used to eat these type of granola bars like crazy. I was addicted. I made a version of these but they didn’t look quite and neat and perfect. Yours look delicious!
Lauren,
Ok, level with me, sister. Do these really cut into neat bars??? I mean, REALLLY. Because I’ve made several granola bar recipes from blogs (even several famous bloggers with cookbooks!!) only to have a crumbly mess on my hands. If I wanted granola, I would make granola. I want a portable granola BAR.
So I’m looking at these and they look delicious. But if I cut into bars and wrap in plastic for a lunch box, are they going to stay?
Sorry to be so bossy and demanding and accusatory. I love ya!
Much love & kisses,
Christina
Yes….I made these today..delicious! I did exchange peanut butter for the butter…and they cut into bars perfectly…my kids and I love them…in fact I had 2 for lunch! 😉 When I added the hot mixture to the dry…it seemed very crumbly and I was doubtful…but once I started pressing them into the pan..they really stuck together! Press firmly..really pack them in there!
Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
how much peanut butter did you use? and did you boil it the same with the peanut butter instead of butter? wanna try peanut butter, then some with nuts, maybe some with blue berries, though I would probably have to dry them first…
Never tried it with peanut butter….try subbing out 1/2 the butter for peanut butter and boil everything together.
Very easy to make this GLUTEN FREE too!
That’s why this recipe caught my eye! Going to make them for my wheat free, peanut/tree nut free daughter. She’s 5 and has never had a granola bar. I hope she likes them. 🙂
These were great. I used an 8×8 pan but will double next time for a 9×13. Kids loved them. Will add some different flavors next time. Really thrilled with how easy it was and how good they were. Will cook butter mixture an extra minute next time just so it sets a little firmer. Thank you!!
I made these today and they’ve been cooling for 2 hours but they’re not bars…they still crumble. They don’t stick together at all. What did I do wrong? I used regular oats. Is that what you used?
I’d try reducing the butter by 1 tablespoon and boiling it for an extra minute. Sorry they didn’t set up for you! I had to pack mine in pretty tight, almost like making rice krispie treats–maybe try pressing them down more next time too. Bummer!
I’ll try that. This is my first attempt at homemade granola bars so I just wasn’t sure what happened. The mixture is definitely yummy, though! I’ve managed to eat quite a bit of it despite how mine turned out :-). I’ll try it again with your suggestions!
I made these today and had the same problem. They taste amazing but will not stick together. They’ve now cooled for 2 hours and I’m pushing them down harder. I used regular oats as well. I wonder if that is the problem too! I’ll keep packing and let you know after a few hours if there is anything left to cut! 😉 Thanks Lauren!
nope, they never stuck together. i even let them sit on the counter uncovered all night and they are so sticky that i can’t get a nice bar cut. will try again with the other oats. they still taste great!
Up a bit in a comment, she clarifies that she used quick oats. I bet that would be the problem.
Absolutely the problem, you must use quick oats… I had the same crumbling problem with some cookies I made with regular oats (not thinking there was much of a difference…)- they’ll only work if you use QUICK oats…
do you know if these would still turn out delish if I used coconut oil instead of butter?
I think it should still work!
I used coconut oil and regular rolled oats with the addition of sliced almonds. Turned out fabulous! I did make sure to cook the mixture to soft ball stage, easy way to test is drop a little in some cold water, should ball up into a little chewy mass.
I add marshmallows to the butter and delete the honey. They stick together nicely
How many marshmallows did you add? That sounds better than using honey because I found them too sweet this way.
I am wondering how many marshmallows you used?
I use regular oats all the time. You probably didn’t boil the sugar mixture long enough, that is the tricky part. Google soft ball stage and watch dune videos on you tube, then you’ll know when to pull the mixture off the stove.
OH MY I cannot wait to make these for my girls and for myself (my husband probably won’t touch them, which is fine cause it’s more for ME)!!! These look fabulously easy and delish! Thanks for the post!!!!
These sound just perfect! I love that there is no baking involved!
Yummy!! I just posted about granola bars today too! LOVE simple easy snacks!
Yum!! I love granola bars, especially the homemade kind. 🙂 I just wish I had rice krispies on hand now! Darn it…
I didn’t have rice krispies on hand either. I used puffed wheat.
I was wondering how they would turn out with a puffed rice or puffed quinoa or something.. maybe in addition to the oats and crispy rice.. how did they turn out? Did it add to the chew? That’s what I’d be going for..
Isn’t crispy rice cereal {rice krispies} the same thing as puffed rice or is there a difference? And, puffed quinoa? I must find that!!
I made these twice in the last week, and doubled it each time – kids loved it so much! I replaced the rice krispies with quinoa puffs, BUT make sure to use a little less quinoa puffs seeing that they are way smaller than the rice krispies. Doubling the recipe, it worked perfectly when I used 1.5 cups of quinoa puffs instead of 2 cups of rice krispies.
I had no rice crispies so I used rice chex. it was delish
Hello!
I was just wondering if you have to include the Rice Krispies cereal? If I were to not include them in the recipe, what would the impact be?
Can’t wait to try this 😀
The rice krispies just add a different, crunchy and light texture. If you’re ok with just oats, then that’s fine. Just omit the cereal.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I used cheerios instead of the rice krispies. I also added some waw butter so they are school safe and maple syrup instead of the brown sugar. Turned out great.
This is great! My sons would love it if I made these seeing as I only give in occasionally to buying chewy granola bars at the store. They devour them for breakfasts and snacks.
Oh and they look nice and chewy too which I love for a granola bar.
I so wish I had some of these to snack on this afternoon!
I’m book marking this my friend. My girls are gonna LOVE these!
YUM! Can’t wait to make these with my girls! About how long can you store them for?
These look great! I will be trying them soon.
OH I can see this going into lunches bags this coming week!! What about toasting the oatmeal for a slightly nutty flavor?
LOVE that idea!! You could do that with some coconut too and some nuts, give the whole thing a nice toasty flavor!
Lauren,
Wondering if you could use Agave instead of the honey? Also, does anyone have a calorie count? Thanks, making.
You could plug in the recipe at Sparkrecipes.com – they have a recipe calculator that breaks all the nutritional info for you.
They are about 195 calories per bar if you cut this into 8.
I’ve used agave instead of honey. They tasted a bit sweet but my husband said they were the best bars he’s ever had…and he eats a lot of them. I did notice they were really crumbly so not sure if it’s my proportions or the agave or the use of granola but I’m determined to continue to make them til they are just right!
Thank you for NOT including nuts and peanut butter in these! My son is deathly allergic and I am so stokes to try these today for him!
Yep, baking these this weekend! Love this recipe!
More like No baking these this weekend : )
You had me at NO BAKE!
Woah these are delicious!!! Thank you!
We are going to have to try these this weekend. 🙂
Does it need to be quick oats or regular?
I used quick oats–the ones that are smaller than regular rolled oats.
Thank you!
this looks so good Lauren. I’m loving these recipes. I have to make homemade granola. I know Granola can be pretty high cal, can’t be fooled. I think i’ll add granola and oats, skip the rice krispies, will that work??
I think it should work just fine.
ahh, this looks like a healthy rice krispie treat! Love.
These look simple and perfect!! Totally going to adapt these to be dairy-free for my boys’!
Becky, I make some that are similar, but without the butter: 2 cups crispy rice cereal, 1 1/2 cups quick oats, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. The directions are the almost the same, except bring the brown sugar and honey to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter. I usually let it cool a bit, add the mini chips, and then spread into a buttered 9×13″ cake pan. You can also add 1/2 cup raisins, but my children and grandchildren don’t care for raisins in them. There are NEVER any left over.
I followed your recipe and they came out great (we are a huge PB + chocolate family!) Only change i made was I used 2 cups quick cooking oats and 1 ½ cups crispy rice cereal, because I had followed the original ingredient list first. Thank you!
Thanks for the PB alternative! My next step is to see if any raw sugars can substitute for the brown sugar. I didn’t have chocolate chips, so I took a dark chocolate bar and melted it over half of the bars, and the other half I put toffee bits for one of my daughters. They were delicious!!
Lindsey,
I didn’t do the pb alternative, but the recipe above on the blog. I used sucanat in place of the brown sugar and it worked great!
Do you think it would work with a non nut PB alternative so I can send them to school?
I’m assuming so? Maybe I’ll just try it haha. Great sounding recipe to make it dairy free thank you!