These No-Bake Granola Bars with peanut butter and chocolate chips are a fun, portable snack option for the kiddos (and you!). They are quick and easy to make and can be customized to your taste.
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As summer winds down and the kids head back to school, I thought I’d share one of my all time favorite kid-friendly snack recipes. These No-Bake Granola Bars with peanut butter and chocolate chips were a favorite of my boys when they were younger and I still can’t keep a batch around here for more than a day or two. They are soft and chewy, require no time in the oven, and are just perfect for tucking into lunch boxes.
These easy granola bars can be made on a whim with easy to stock ingredients that you can customize to your liking.
Ingredient Notes
- Crisped rice cereal – Like Rice Krispies or your favorite store brand.
- Oats – Quick cooking rolled oats, like Quaker 1-Minute Oats. You don’t want to use instant oats for this recipe.
- Light brown sugar
- Honey
- Light corn syrup – I’ve found that I get a better result by using a little corn syrup. It really does a lot to ensure a chewy result and helps the bars hold together much better than honey alone.
- Creamy peanut butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Salt – just a dash.
- Chocolate chips – I like to use bittersweet but semisweet work very well too.
- Almonds and/or peanuts – I like to add coarsely chopped raw almonds and roasted, salted peanuts for a little texture. Totally optional but we like them.
How to Make No-Bake Granola Bars
- Combine the cereal, oats, and nuts (if using) in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until boiling, then remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry mixture and mix well. If necessary, coat hands with nonstick cooking spray and use your coated hands to be sure it is well mixed.
- Add the chocolate chips, tossing lightly to distribute throughout. Transfer the mixture to a 13- x 9-inch baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Use a sheet of wax paper to press the mixture down evenly.
The chocolate chips tend to get a bit melty in the warm mixture. To make them more prominent in the finished bars, I like to reserve a handful and press them into the surface of the bars just after spreading them in the pan.
To ensure the bars will hold together well, it’s important to refrigerate them for an hour or two before slicing.
Storage
After you slice the chilled bars, transfer them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for a firmer texture or at room temperature for a softer, chewier texture. For the best quality, they are best if eaten within 4 to 5 days.
Wrap them individually in wax paper or plastic wrap for a snack on-the-go.
No-Bake Granola Bar Variations
- Substitute almond butter for the peanut butter for a different flavor profile.
- Add any dried fruit you love – cranberries, raisins, apricots, or cherries are all great choices. Chop larger fruits into small pieces, if needed.
- Try butterscotch chips in place of chocolate. Butterscotch and peanut butter are a delicious combination!
- Replace a little of the cereal or oats with some dried, shredded coconut. You want to be sure to keep the dry ingredient ratio the same to avoid a dry result.
- Use any nuts or seeds you love in place of the almonds and/or peanuts.
More Fun Snack Ideas
This post was originally published on June 4, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
No-Bake Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups crisped rice cereal, like Rice Krispies
- 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- ½ cup coarsely chopped raw almonds, optional
- ½ cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts , optional
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ honey
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
- 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the cereal, oats, and nuts (if using) in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar, honey, corn syrup in a small saucepan over MEDIUM heat. Heat just until boiling, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and stir until smooth. Pour over the dry mixture and mix well. If necessary, coat your hands with nonstick cooking spray and use your coated hands to combine well. Add the chocolate chips, tossing to distribute throughout.
- Press the mixture down evenly into the prepared baking dish using the back of a large spoon or a piece of wax paper.
- Refrigerate for an hour or two before cutting into bars
- Store in an airtight container. For firmer textured bars keep the container in the refrigerator. For softer, chewier bars, store the container at room temperature.
Notes
- Substitute almond butter for the peanut butter for a different flavor profile.
- Add any dried fruit you love – cranberries, raisins, apricots, or cherries are all great choices. Chop larger fruits into small pieces, if needed.
- Try butterscotch chips in place of chocolate. Butterscotch and peanut butter are a delicious combination!
- Replace a little of the cereal or oats with some dried, shredded coconut. You want to be sure to keep the dry ingredient ratio the same to avoid a dry result.
- Use any nuts or seeds you love in place of the almonds and/or peanuts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
These are amazing. I plan to make them for Bible Club snack at our church. Pretty sure they’ll be a hit. I could eat the whole pan.
I know exactly what you mean, BJ! Thanks so much for the comment and enjoy 🙂
These look like a great on-the-go snack!
I love to have granola bars on hand for our road trips this summer. Thanks for you recipe looks easy and yummy!
No judgement for not having kids but loving these sorts of no make treats right? Cuz I am all abou this granola !
You won’t get any judgement here! 🙂 I’d eat this whole batch by myself if I didn’t have anyone around to get to them first!
Hi Valerie! Just found your blog site today. My husband would love this but can I leave out the corn syrup? Thanks!
Hi Mary. You need something sticky in there to bind the ingredients or the bars will just fall apart. You could try doubling the honey but since I haven’t tried it, I can’t say for sure how it would work out.
Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to give this a try.
You’re very welcome, Josie. Enjoy!
mmmmmm homemade granola bars are THE BEST! and I love that these are no-bake so we don’t have to turn on the oven in the hot summerrr
Another winner Valerie- these look yummy!
I am always on the look-out for no bake recipes for summer and this is so perfect! What a delicious way to snack, too.
No bake? I’m in. Love this one 🙂