Chewy, no-bake almond butter granola bars can be made in 15 minutes with just 7 ingredients. This easy recipe makes granola bars with a light, chewy texture and nutty, salty-sweet flavor with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.
These homemade almond butter granola bars are a healthy, wholesome treat, perfect for breakfast and afternoon snacks. They're my family's favorite chewy granola bars. My kids love them in their lunch boxes!
Looking for more wholesome treats? Try cinnamon granola or sunflower butter granola bars or tahini granola bars.
If you like almond butter, you'll also want to try no-bake almond butter chia granola bars that are sweetened with maple syrup. For a gooey baked treat, try almond butter bars with chocolate.
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Why You'll Love These Almond Butter Granola Bars
- Chewy texture, similar to Rice Krispies Treats with the added heft of oats.
- Wholesome, perfectly sweetened flavor. Not too sweet!
- No granulated sugar.
- Easy to make in about 15 minutes (plus about 1 hour to chill).
- Can be made with different types of nut butter.
- Adding chocolate is optional.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Almond butter: Almond butter gives these bars a wholesome, nutty flavor. However, you can use any type of nut butter (peanut butter is delicious!) Or, use sunflower butter to keep the bars nut-free. Just make sure to use a nut or seed butter that is unsweetened with no salt added.
Brown rice syrup: This sweetener is the secret to a chewy texture and not-too-sweet flavor for no-bake granola bars. Brown rice syrup also holds bars together well without being too sticky. For these reasons, it's the only sweetener that this recipe has been tested with.
Crispy rice cereal: This is a generic name for any type of cereal that is similar to Rice Krispies. Adding crispy rice cereal to granola bars keeps the texture light and adds a little bit of crunch.
Rolled Oats: This recipe uses 1 ½ cups crispy rice cereal and 1 cup rolled (old fashioned) oats, however, you can change the ratio if you want more oats in the bars. You can even make the bars using only oats (2 ½ cups) and no cereal. The more oats that you use, the heartier the bars will be.
Cinnamon + Vanilla: The combination of cinnamon and vanilla is a perfect complement to almond butter. If you really love the flavor of almonds, you can use almond extract instead of vanilla, but don't use a full teaspoon. Start by adding ¼ teaspoon of almond extract, then try the granola bar batter before adding more.
Chocolate: (Optional) If you'd like to add chocolate, mini chocolate chips work best. The second best option is regular chocolate chips.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Combine oats and crispy rice cereal in a bowl.
Step 2: In a smaller bowl, warm almond butter, brown rice syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in the microwave.
Step 3: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix really well!
Step 4: Pack the granola bars into a parchment-lined square baking dish. First, use your hands or a spatula. Next, really pack the bars in by folding over the parchment paper then using a glass jar to press down on the bars.
Refrigerate the bars for 1 hour before cutting into squares or longer rectangular bars.
Recipe Tip
There two steps in the recipe that are essential if you want the bars to hold together well. First, make sure to mix the batter really well. No dry spots! Coat all of the oats and cereal in almond butter and brown rice syrup. Second, pack the bars really tightly. As shown in the photos above, first use your hands or a spatula and then use a glass jar to press down on the bars even harder.
Storage Tips
Chilling the bars for about 1 hour helps bind the bars together and will make them easier to cut. I also like to store the bars in the refrigerator after I cut them. These almond granola bars don't have to be refrigerated at all times - they will hold together well in lunch boxes or on a road trip if they're not refrigerated, the texture will just be slightly softer and stickier.
These granola bars taste best if eaten within two weeks. To keep the bars longer, store them in an airtight bag or storage container the freezer for up to one month.
Recipe FAQs
Brown rice syrup is a liquid sweetener made from brown rice. The flavor is milder and less sweet than honey. The flavor is similar to molasses but is milder and a little bit nutty. You can find it online or in most grocery stores next to other sweeteners like honey and agave syrup.
These no-bake granola bars are held together by almond butter and brown rice syrup. All no-bake bars need a liquid sweetener and a moist, sticky ingredient (like nut butter) to bind them together.
Brown rice syrup is the only sweetener that this recipe has been tested with. Brown rice syrup has a thick consistency that binds no-bake granola bars together really well without making them taste too sweet. If you'd like to use maple syrup, try my recipe for no-bake almond butter chia bars.
Yes, you can make these bars with any type of unsalted, unsweetened nut butter. Peanut butter is especially good! You can also use sunflower butter.
More Granola Bar Recipes
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Print📖 Recipe
Chewy No-Bake Almond Butter Granola Bars
These chewy, no-bake almond butter granola bars can be made in about 15 minutes with just 7 ingredients. Make sure to chill the bars for at least 1 hour, which helps bind the bars together and makes them easier to cut.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 small bars
- Category: Snacks and Beverages
- Method: Mix and chill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups crispy rice cereal (anything that is similar to Rice Krispies)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup almond butter (unsweetened, no salt added)
- ½ cup brown rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment that is large enough to hang an inch or two over the edges. This will make it easy to lift the chilled bars out of the pan so you can cut them.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cereal and oats. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the almond butter, brown rice syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Warm the mixture for 30 seconds, then mix really well to combine all of the ingredients (you can also gently heat the mixture in a saucepan on the stove.)
- Pour the warm mixture over the cereal and oat mixture. Mix really well until the cereal and oats are very well coated - no dry spots!
- If you'd like to add chocolate chips, stir them in now.
- Use a spatula to spread the mixture out evenly in the parchment-lined pan (If you wet your fingers, it will be easier to push the batter down without it sticking to your fingers.) When the batter is evenly spread out in the pan, fold the parchment paper over the bars then use a small glass jar or drinking glass to firmly push the granola bar batter into a packed, even layer. Making sure the batter is tightly packed is important because it helps the bars hold together.
- Refrigerate the granola bars for about 1 hour. Lift the bars out of the baking pan using the parchment overhang. You can slice the bars into any shape or size you want.
- These bars keep best in the refrigerator, although they will hold together fine and have a softer texture at room temperature.
Notes
You can use any type of nut butter or use sunflower butter to keep the bars nut-free. Just make sure to use a nut or seed butter that is unsweetened with no salt added.
The bars keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. You can also keep them in the freezer for up to a month. The bars don't have to be refrigerated at all times - they will hold together well in lunch boxes or on a road trip if they're not refrigerated, the texture will just be slightly softer and stickier.
Adding chocolate chips is optional. Mini chocolate chips are the easiest to mix in.
Jen says
My kids love these granola bars and I love how easy they are to make and the lightly sweetened flavor!