Category: dates

When I’m looking for a snack, I want it to be wholesome. These Homemade Granola Bars are delicious and free of all the junk and preservatives you can’t pronounce on most boxes of affordable store-bought granola bars. Instead, I loaded mine with quick rolled oats, Medjool dates, peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips. They still taste amazing and are much healthier with whole food ingredients.

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a bit crunchy… the kind of “crunchy” who left the city for the county, lives on a farm, grows their own vegetables, and makes their own Granola Bars. Guilty as charged! I love a hearty, chewy granola bar with a variety of textures, and this recipe is all of that and more! Marsha and I break these out of the freezer at the Budget Bytes studio on a regular basis; they make one heck of a snack.

Bonus: Because there’s no heat involved, these homemade granola bars are also fun to make with kids! They can mold the dough into fun shapes and help you in the kitchen!

Is it cheaper to make your own granola bars?

Sometimes! I like to buy peanut butter and oats in bulk whenever they’re on sale since they keep well for a long time unopened. This really helps me cut down on costs. Some value-sized packs of store-bought granola bars are cheaper than my homemade recipe, but I can guarantee the ingredients aren’t nearly as wholesome. At just $0.72 per bar, these healthy homemade granola bars are good for your wallet and better for your body!

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Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars are wholesome and healthy! Loaded with oats, dates, peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Total Cost ($7.42 recipe / $0.72 serving)

Prep Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 (1 bar each)

Calories 222kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted $2.99
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter $0.29
• 1/4 cup walnuts $0.87
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon $0.05
• 1/4 tsp sea salt $0.01
• 1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats $2.23
• 1/4 cup honey $0.78
• 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips $0.20

Instructions

• Gather ingredients. In a food processor, process dates (make sure all of them are pitted!) until they form a big ball of “dough”
• In a mixing bowl, combine Medjool date "dough", chunky peanut butter, walnuts, ground cinnamon, sea salt, cups quick rolled oats, honey, and dark chocolate chips and mix together by hand (it’s going to be sticky!)
• Spread granola bar batter into a lined baking dish and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm but not completely solid.
• Remove from freezer. Cut bars into the size and shape you want. These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one month!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 122mg | Fiber: 3g

how to make Granola Bars – step by step photos

Gather ingredients. In a food processor, process 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (make sure all of them are pitted!) until they form a big ball of “dough”

In a mixing bowl, combine combine Medjool date “dough”, 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips and mix together by hand (it’s going to be sticky!)

Spread the granola bar batter into a lined baking dish and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm but not completely solid.

Remove from freezer. Cut bars into the size and shape you want. These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one month!

You’ll never buy store-bought granola bars again!

More Breakfast Recipes

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$2.80 recipe / 2.80 serving

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$2.22 recipe / $0.55 serving

Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

$3.51 recipe / $0.59 serving

Egg Muffins

$2.01 recipe / $0.34 serving

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