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Photo of several nut-free granola bars topped with loads of chocolate chips lined up on a white background
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Nut-free Granola Bars (gluten-free, vegan options)

Ingredients

  • 4 1/3 cups (400 grams) rolled oats (use GF oats for a GF version)
  • 1 cup crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies or Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal for gluten-free)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (95 grams) oat flour (please weigh it! It's easy to pack it down too much oat flour) (use GF oat flour for a GF version)
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar or coconut sugar (see post for more notes on coconut sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (285 grams) honey or brown rice syrup for vegan
  • 7 tablespoons (98 grams) coconut oil, melted (I prefer refined for no coconut taste)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for the top (use vegan / dairy-free chocolate chips, if needed)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats through salt).
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (honey, oil and vanilla) until combined. Pour over the dry ingredient mix. Mix until totally combined.
  • Press the mixture very firmly into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 23 minutes or until the top has lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and use a glass, bowl, or something with a flat bottom to press down the granola bars and to compact them more.
  • The chips stick better if you add them now before cutting. The bars will have chocolate on their edges from using a chocolate-smeared knife but unless you're serving these to company or taking photos of them, I don't see why that'd matter. If you want them to be super neat, like in the photos, you need to add the chips after cutting. See below.
  • Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the bars from the pan (using the parchment paper) and cut them into bars. Add your chocolate chips if you haven't already. I let them melt a tiny bit on the bottom of the chips and press down lightly on the chips. That helps them stick better. If your chips aren't melting at all, stick the bars back in the oven quickly until they're a little warm so the chips will stick.
  • Let cool completely. Once the chocolate has hardened, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.