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These soft and chewy Paleo Granola Bars are a healthy and no-bake snack! Made from scratch with grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free ingredients, they’re a perfect midday pick-me-up and come in handy when you’re craving a sweet and nutty treat.
Most granola bars are made with oats, sugar, and chocolate, which rules them out of a paleo diet. Thankfully, these oat-free Paleo Granola Bars are made with a tasty combination of paleo-friendly nuts, seeds, fruit, and nut butter!
They’re an easy, 100% paleo, no-bake treat you can pack for work or even for the kids. Just imagine an irresistibly sweet, salty, and soft granola bar with just the right amount of crunch. What’s not to love?
Not to mention, they taste better than any store bought granola bar and are healthy too! Just like my breakfast cookies and raw fig bars, all you need are a short list of budget-friendly pantry ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep time. Your fridge will do the rest of the work!
Recipe features
- A blend of wholesome ingredients comes together in one bowl to make a nutty and chewy gluten free snack.
- They’re also grain free, dairy free, oat free, egg free, oil free, AND can easily be made vegan.
- No oven necessary! These homemade granola bars are an easy no-bake snack.
- Made with almond butter and honey, so you know they're not only healthy, but delicious too!
Ingredient notes:
- Nuts - Ground nuts are the structure of these granola bars. Both raw or roasted nuts will work, but roasted nuts have a deeper, nuttier flavor. You can use pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, or walnuts.
- Almond flour - Almond flour adds density to the bars, making them soft and chewy. If you don’t have almond flour, cashew flour and cassava flour are both similar in texture and absorbency.
- Flaxseed meal - For added texture as well as a boost of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Coconut flakes - Coconut is a great source of fat and fiber. Be sure to use fresh coconut flakes for the best results.
- Maple syrup and honey - I like using equal parts maple syrup and honey to sweeten and hold the bars together.
- Nut butter - Use your favorite as long as it’s smooth and creamy. I used almond butter but cashew butter, hazelnut butter, and nut free sunflower seed butter are also great options. Peanut butter does work but it technically isn’t paleo.
- Seeds - For some crunch! You can use pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds.
- Dried fruit - Dried cherries, raisins, or dried fruit like mangos, pineapple, dates, or cranberries.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Pulse nuts. Add the pecans and almonds to your food processor and pulse for 10 seconds.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients. Transfer the pecan-almond mixture to a large bowl with the almond flour, flaxseed meal, and coconut flakes. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Mix with wet ingredients. Add the maple syrup, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl. Stir to combine, then stir in the pumpkin seeds and cherries or raisins.
Step 4: Mold and chill. Scoop the nut mixture into a lined and greased baking dish and use your hands or the back of a spoon to press it into a pan. Refrigerate to set before slicing into 10 bars and serving.
Tips and FAQs
- Be careful not to over pulse the nuts into a fine, flour-like texture. The mixture should still have some texture and small nut pieces.
- Setting the bars takes time. Let the bars chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or 1 hour in the freezer.
- If your granola bar mixture isn’t sticking together, add 1 tablespoon of honey at a time until it’s a workable, sticky consistency.
- Feel free to add some mini chocolate chips to the bar mixture as well!
What is the best pan for making homemade granola bars?
An 8” x 8” baking pan works best for thick, dense granola bars. Use a 9” x 9” baking pan for slightly thinner bars. Another option is using a silicone granola bar mold.
Can I make vegan paleo granola bars?
To make these bars vegan, you’ll need to replace the honey with another sticky, natural sweetener like date syrup or molasses. Brown rice syrup will also work (but it’s not paleo).
Can I make these without nuts?
This paleo granola bar recipe has only been tested with paleo-friendly ingredients, including nuts. To make nut free granola bars, try replacing the nuts with rolled oats, almond flour with oat flour, and replace nut butter with sunflower butter, cocoa butter, or coconut butter.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Keep the cut granola bars in an airtight container, separating the layers with parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: These granola bars freeze beautifully. Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or store a batch in a freezer-safe bag or container with parchment paper separating the bars. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
More paleo snack recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
No Bake Paleo Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans
- ½ cup almonds
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- 2 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup raisins or dried cherries
Instructions
- Add the pecans and almonds to your food processor. Turn it on and allow it to run for 10 seconds. You want the nuts to look crumb-like, but if you pulse too long they'll turn into a flour-like consistency, which we don't want.
- Transfer the pecans and almonds to a large bowl, then add the almond flour, coconut and flaxseed meal and stir to combine.
- To that same bowl, add the almond butter, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. Last, stir in the pumpkin seeds and raisins/dried cherries.
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper so that the edges hang off the sides. Spray the paper with nonstick spray, then scoop the granola bar mixture into the dish and use the back of a spoon or your hands press it into the pan.
- Place the baking dish into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or longer, which will allow the bars to set. Remove the bars from the dish by pulling on the sides of the parchment paper, then slice into 10 bars and enjoy!
Adam Bartlett says
Thanks so much! I haven’t made these yet but all of the paleo bars I’ve been finding on the market are 90% dates and that just gets so old after a while and I’ve been wanting to make something different for myself. I’m excited to try these!
Erin says
Thanks Adam -- I hope you like the bars!