Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars (Vegan)

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Granola bars are a fantastic everyday snack.

However, most store-bought ones often contain many unnecessary ingredients, such as sugars, oils, additives, and artificial sweeteners, which aren’t too healthy for regular consumption. So, the best thing you can do is make your granola bars.

Making homemade no-bake granola bars is SUPER quick & easy. All you need is to mix a couple of ingredients, put it to chill in the freezer for a while, and that’s it!

Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients you will need.

Ingredients for the Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Wet ingredients:

• Peanut butter – Peanut butter is rich in healthy fats and a fantastic source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibers. 
• Maple syrup – To naturally sweeten the granola bars. It also acts as a binding agent that works well in making the bars stick together.
• Coconut oil – It is mainly to make the bars better stick together.
• Lemon juice – To create a lemon flavor, you will use the juice of half a lemon. To make it even more lemony, you can add lemon zest, too.

Dry ingredients:

• Oats – I used rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) for this recipe. They create a more chewy and “rustic” texture. You can also use quick oats, but keep in mind that they will disappear more into the bars, and the texture will be different than if you use rolled oats.
• Seeds/nuts – I used pumpkin seeds for this recipe, but you can add your preferred selection of nuts/seeds! They will add a wonderful crunch and more healthy fats.
• Protein powder – To make the granola bars more filling and nutritious, you will add a scoop (30g) of protein powder. For this recipe, I used Form Nutrition. If you want to try it, and you are based in the US, you can order it from here, or get it within the UK and Europe.
• A pinch of salt – To enhance the flavor of the bars.

Why I love these Chewy Lemon Granola Bars:

• They are no-bake, which means they are done in NO time. 
• They are customizable – you can add different nuts, seeds, or even dry fruits.
• They don’t crumble, and they stick well together while being chewy and soft.
• They are super nourishing and packed with plant protein & healthy fats.
• You can plan with the flavors. Want to make Orange Granola Bars? Add orange juice instead of lemon. Or do you want to make Coconut Chocolate Granola bars? Add coconut flakes and cocoa powder. 

Chewy No-Bake Lemon Granola Bars Recipe

Ingredients

• 30ml lemon juice (half a lemon)
• 100ml maple syrup
• 20ml coconut oil, melted
• 70g peanut butter 
• 150g oats
• 30g Form Nutrition protein powder
• 40g pumpkin seeds
• 30g melted white chocolate + 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

1. First, combine all wet ingredients (lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, peanut butter) in a bowl and mix until everything is well incorporated. 
2. Add all the dry ingredients (oats, protein powder, pumpkin seeds) & mix.
3. After that, add the wet mixture to the dry one and mix well.
4. Once everything is well incorporated, add to a medium-size loaf pan and spread evenly.
5. Transfer the mixture to the freezer for 2-3 hours, then cut 7-9 bars (I ended up with 7).
6. Optional: Melt white chocolate and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Then sprinkle on top of each bar and let it cool down.
7. After the chocolate hardens, enjoy the bars!

Notes

• These bars are a bit softer and chewy, so keeping them in the fridge is recommended.
• If you are allergic to peanut butter or want to use a substitute, I’m pretty sure tahini, sunflower seed butter, or almond butter will work well.

Storage tips 

• Refrigerated – Keep bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Be sure to separate them with layers of parchment paper or wax wraps to prevent them from sticking together. At room temperature, they will soften. 
• In the freezer – Separate them individually with a bit of paper and keep them in the freezer for several months. To defrost, place them in the refrigerator overnight.