How to Make Our Favorite Gluten-Free Granola Bars Recipe

Granola bars make a perfect snack. It’s evident by the fact that you’ll almost always find an old granola bar wrapper crumpled up at the bottom of a purse or gym bag. While most store-bought options have their merits, a homemade granola bar just can’t be beat. Loaded with hearty oats and mixed with nuts, dried fruit or chocolate, we love that homemade granola bars can be customized to suit just about any diet or taste preference.

This recipe for gluten-free granola bars, for example, is perfect for those with a gluten allergy or intolerance. Made using gluten-free oats, bananas, eggs and tasty gluten-free mix-ins, these granola bars come together in under 30 minutes and result in the absolute best chewy granola bars you’ll ever eat.

P.S. Bookmark this library for more gluten-free recipes!

How to Make Gluten-Free Granola Bars

This recipe for Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chip Bars comes to us from Susan James of Cokato, Minnesota.

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1 cup gluten-free butterscotch chips, we used Guittard baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Editor’s Note: Take care to read the labels of your ingredients when shopping to confirm they are indeed gluten-free and made in a wheat-free facility. If you’re concerned that your product may contain gluten, contact the company.

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

In a large bowl (or stand mixer) combine the brown sugar and eggs. Beat together until smooth and then add the mashed bananas and peanut butter. Stir until combined and then add the salt and old-fashioned oats. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and then fold in the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

Step: 2: Bake

Spread the batter evenly into a 15x10x1-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Then bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350° oven. Remove when the bars begin to bubble and the edges begin to turn brown.

Step 3: Cool and cut

Let the bars cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice into bars. For a slicing master class, watch this video.

baked gluten-free granola bars scattered and stacked together

How to Lighten Up these Granola Bars

Personally, we love the idea that these bars give you an excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast. However, we understand some may want healthier ingredient options for their GF granola bars. Here are a few tasty ideas:

Use Natural Sweetener

You can omit the brown sugar in this recipe and replace it with 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup. You could also use 1/2 cup of packed, pitted Medjool dates in place of the brown sugar. If you use dates, pulse the dates in a food processor with the eggs and bananas until smooth prior to adding the remaining ingredients.

Try Almond Butter Instead

If you have a peanut allergy or simply want to change things up, try swapping 1 cup of your favorite healthy nut butter in place of the peanut butter. We bet almond butter would be super delicious in these bars.

Skip the Chips

You may also omit the chocolate and butterscotch chips from this recipe. Instead, make an even swap (2 cups) of any combination of your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruit or shredded coconut. We recommend a combination of shredded coconut, chia seeds and dried cherries. Yum!

Work in More Whole Grains

Add extra wholesome whole grains to this recipe for added fiber, plant-based protein and texture. Consider replacing 1/2 cup of the rolled oats with 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa, amaranth, millet or buckwheat.

Here Are More Gluten-Free Snacks to Enjoy

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Rosemary Walnuts

My Aunt Mary started making this recipe years ago, and each time we visited her she would have a batch ready for us. The use of cayenne adds an unexpected zing to the savory combo of rosemary and walnuts. When you need a good housewarming or hostess gift, double the batch and save one for yourself. —Renee Ciancio, New Bern, North Carolina