There are a thousand adjectives to describe the deliciousness of these no-bake protein granola bars but we’ll stick with this… chewy, healthy, no-bake protein granola bars 5-different ways. The one must-have recipe to keep for life. 
Schedules are busier than ever over here and I’m finally understanding what people mean when they say they have no time to cook. I feel the urge daily to just get something quick for dinner or a snack.
So I may give in a time or two but I decided that I wasn’t going to let busyness win. I was going to figure out how to create a new healthy normal on the fly. That’s why you’ll probably be seeing a lot of recipes like this one. One recipe, made five different ways. I pulled it off with that tomato soup I’m still loving {grab the recipe here for tomato soup 5-ways} and I have a few more up my sleeve.
- Pasta salad 5-ways
- Chicken salad 5-ways
- Spiralized sweet potatoes 5-ways
- Protein-packed oatmeal 5-ways
What else would you add to the list? Leave a comment below and let me know.
But let’s get back to these protein granola bars. We’re going to keep it short and sweet. Because all you really need is this deliciously nutritious recipe.
granola bar dangers
Granola bars can be one of those “health” foods that really aren’t very healthy. Most of them are loaded with sugars like high fructose corn syrup and contain very little nutrition value. They taste good but leave your blood sugar on the roller coaster that causes the spikes and the crashes making you crave everything.
Even worse, they rarely fill you up. Of course, unless you splurge on two.
But on the other hand, they are so easy and so convenient. They definitely have to be one of the most popular packaged food today because can pack and eat anytime. So I wondered could I make a healthier granola bar that could do the same thing?
pinching pennies
I know I’m leaving you in suspense for a minute. But are “healthy” granola bars expensive or are they expensive? I question where our food budget goes and I think for some time it was leaving my pocket and right into bars of all types.
Of course, all of my kids preferred a different brand and a different flavor and were so easy that they must have been eating at least one per day and the total for that adds up quick.
the best recipe
The good news is, you no longer have to wreck your budget or your diet over granola bars because today I give you the only healthy, no-bake granola bar recipe you need. Made in less than 10 minutes and loaded with protein and fiber and low in sugar, this is the real deal.
Plus, you can take this simple base recipe and turn it into five-plus different kinds. I’ve personally made oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, plain peanut butter, white chocolate cherry, and fudge. And they all rapidly disappear from the pantry.
Truth be told, I make four batches at once. Mostly because they save so easily and then I’m not having to make them every single weekend. Four batches usually last our family 3-4 weeks mostly because I’m still a fat ball girl, but these are pretty stinking good.
the ingredients
The secret to these chewy, no-bake protein granola bars is getting the right ratio. Are you ready, the perfect ratio is 4 cups dry ingredients to 1 1/2 cups wet ingredients. Once you have the ratio down, you can really mix and match to any ingredients of your choosing. You even take them as far as going grain-free or keto.
Just sub the oats for more coconut, or another dry ingredient of choice and switch out the peanut butter for almond butter. It really does just boil down to what ingredients you prefer.
There does happen to be some stellar ingredients I wouldn’t skip on. These include:
- Flax meal – adding all the fibers
- Chia seeds and/or hemp hearts- for a dose of healthy fats
- Coconut oil – to amp up our healthy fats even more
- Collagen – for the protein we’re looking to make these bars complete.
protein bars
Speaking of protein, not all protein is created equal. In fact, most granola bars are using some type of whey or soy-isolate as their protein source. There is a lot of debate on this and my opinion is they simply aren’t the best source of protein.
I prefer collagen over any other form of added protein. Collagen is more bio-available, easier to digest and absorb plus it contains vital nutrients we have a hard time getting from other foods.
collagen benefits
Really the list of benefits from collagen is quite long. I won’t get into all of them here, but make sure you check out this post to learn more.
But like anything, no all collagen is created equal. Given collagen comes from animal products, you want to make sure it’s coming from the healthiest of animals. That’s why I prefer a grass-fed collagen powder that is organic. My go-to collagen source has always been Vital Proteins and I don’t see that ending anytime soon. It’s so easy and convenient, plus it’s made my healing journey so much easier.
The collagen I use 85% of the time Vital Proteins. It is tasteless and non-gelatinizing collagen. I also love a good dose of creamer and their latest trend, matcha + collagen {AMAZING}.
pantry staples
Truth be told, these granola bars have been a time saver, budget savor, and time saver. I’m pretty sure my girls are pulling them out of the freezer daily and I really don’t mind. They are easy to make and then I slice them and package them individually so they can grab and go.
Not to mention, these are ingredients that are my pantry staples. I always have the ingredients to make a quick batch whenever I need. You can check out my other pantry staples here but for now, just place these in your cart.
- Flaxmeal
- Chia Seeds
- Hemp Hearts
- Collagen Powder
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Gluten-Free Oats
- Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
- Coconut Oil
- Almond Butter {or Peanut Butter}
- Dark Chocolate Chips
the recipe
Don’t forget you can switch up the flavors to be anything you prefer. The secret is to add 1/2 ingredient of add-in at the end. Some suggestions for changing the flavor:
- Chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Macadamia nuts
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Raisins
- Craisins
- Dried Cherries
- Cocoa Powder
- Crushed Pretzels
If you need specifics, here are our top five flavor choices that are added to the base.
- The Granola Bar Base:
- 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
- 1½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup flax meal
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ⅓ cup collagen powder
- 1-2 teaspoons seasonings {cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, pumpkin pie spice}
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup nut butter {almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter}
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup add-in
- Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Warm nut butter, coconut oil, and honey together in a smaller bowl.
- Mix well and pour over dry ingredients.
- Stir until well combined and then mix in the add-in.
- Stir until just incorporated.
- Pour onto a parchment paper lined
pan and flatten until you reach desired thickness. - Freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Remove, slice and then re-freeze in individual bags or all together.
- Store in the freezer until serving.
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- Add cocoa powder to dry ingredients before incorporating wet.
- Add chocolate chips and peanuts at the very end and stir until just combined.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- Add additional cinnamon to dry ingredients before mixing in wet.
- At the end add in raisins and mix until just incorporated.
- ¼ cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- Add dried cherries and chocolate chips right at the end and stir until just combined.
