Looking for a healthy snack? Try our vegan granola bars. We love them because they are no bake and so versatile. You can eat them at breakfast, lunch, or a post workout snack.
If you love eating healthy vegan on the go snacks, try our vegan protein balls and our date coconut protein balls.
Ingredients
Our no bake vegan granola bars take simple ingredients that you can easily store in your pantry. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Base: We used rolled oats, which makes the bars chewier than quick oats.
- Dried Fruits: We used raisins and sweetened dried cranberries.
- Nuts and Seeds: We used lightly crushed roasted peanuts, sweetened dried shredded coconut, and ground flax seed.
- Binder: We used liquid unrefined coconut oil and agave nectar.
- Sweetener: We used brown sugar and orange juice, but you could substitute the brown sugar for date sugar.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the no bake vegan granola bars. Line your pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Crush the peanuts in a bag with the flat side of a meat mallet or use a rolling pin.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Pour all the wet ingredients into a bowl.
4. Mix all the wet ingredients together with a whisk.
5. Mix all the dry ingredients together until well blended.
6. Add the wet ingredients.
7. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
8. Place the mixture into the pan and press hard with the bottom of a glass or a wooden spoon to compress it. If you prefer to make into energy balls, just roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with foil and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to overnight to harden.
9. Using the parchment paper, lift the granola out of the pan and cut into 12 bars. Cut in half then in quarters. Finish with cutting each quarter into 3 bars.
10. Eat these vegan snacks right away, or store them in the fridge to keep them firm.
Recipe FAQs
Using a binding agent will help them stick together. Honey is very popular, but if you're vegan, you can substitute with agave nectar. Unrefined coconut oil hardens up when it is cold, so it's perfect for this recipe.
It's more fun to make your own because you can customize the recipe. Over the course of a year, it is much cheaper to make your own, and it's healthier because there are no preservatives and you can can control the amount of sugar and salt.
Make sure you have the right ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients. If you're too generous with your dry ingredients, there won't be enough of the binding agent to help everything stick together.
Parchment paper helps lift the granola bars out of the pan. This makes for easy cleanup and saves your pan because you can cut them on a cutting board instead of in the pan. Since this will not go in the oven, you can substitute with wax paper or with aluminum foil.
Serve
Our vegan granola bars are stand-alone snacks that are great for dessert at breakfast or lunch. They also make great pre- or post-workout snacks to give you the energy you need.
Store
- Make Ahead: Our no bake vegan granola bars are perfect for making the night before you need them.
- Leftovers: Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Yes, our vegan granola bars are freezer friendly - just place in a freezer zip top bag and they'll keep for up to one month. When ready to use, thaw what you need on the counter for 20 minutes.
Expert Tips
- These no bake vegan granola bars are best stored in the fridge, since they soften at room temperature.
- If you plan on taking a vegan granola bar in your lunch, wrap it in plastic wrap or put in a snack-sized Ziploc bag.
- Roll the mixture into balls for energy balls. This shape travels better.
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Recipe
Vegan Granola Bars (No Bake)
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 cup roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
- ½ cup sweetened dried coconut flakes
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- scant ½ cup liquid coconut oil, unrefined
- ½ cup agave nectar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, optional
Instructions
- Line the base and sides of a 9x9-inch pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Crush the peanuts by placing them in a zip-top freezer bag. Lightly bang with a meat mallet or rolling pin until the peanuts are the size you want.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the wet ingredients together, then pour into the dry ingredient bowl. (If the coconut oil has solidified, warm it up in the microwave to turn into a liquid.) Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together with a large wooden spoon.
- Dump the granola mixture into the prepared pan. Press the mixture into the pan using the back of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a glass to compact it.
- Cover with foil and place in the fridge for a minimum of two hours or overnight.
- Lift the vegan granola bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. To get 12 bars, using a sharp knife cut the square into fourths, then cut each quarter into 3 bars.
- Store the bars in the fridge to keep them firm or place them in the freezer to use when needed. Enjoy them as a snack or a dessert replacement.
Notes
- These bars are best stored in the fridge, since they soften at room temperature.
- If you plan on taking a vegan granola bar in your lunch, wrap it in plastic wrap or put in a snack-sized Ziploc bag.
- Roll the mixture into energy balls if you want to take the granola bars on the go.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This recipe post was originally posted on February 23, 2018 and was updated with new photos and content on February 7, 2023.
Alex
The oats and peanuts are nice and chewy, and the orange zest adds a lovely citrus flavor. The agave nectar inside is sweet, and is nice in the bars. ♥❤
Emma
Thank you so much, Alex!
Beth
This is a delicious blend of orange flavors and oats. These are some of the best homemade granola bars I've had. Although they're a bit crumbly, they're moist and yummy.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I'm so glad you enjoyed these!