Non-sticky Granola bars! My niece told me she couldn’t eat most granola bars as they were too sticky, I made her these almond flour, seed, oat bars! They need just 1 Bowl and everyday ingredients. Glutenfree.
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My niece just got her braces and expanders, and she cannot eat sticky granola bars. So she she’s been asking me to make some non-sticky versions that she can easily eat. So I made her two versions: a sweet one and a savory granola bar(think Doritos snack bars! Coming soon)
I use almond flour as the base of the granola bars and some maple syrup. The almond flour keeps the granola bars non sticky and somewhat like crisp shortbread. It also makes them a very filling granola bar that’s perfect for breakfast.
There are the usual ingredients, like oats, nuts and seeds, and some chocolate chips, because you just need chocolate chips in a sweet granola bar!
You can change up the nuts and seeds and add some dried cranberries instead of the chocolate chips, if you like. Just be mindful that the dried fruit can get a bit sticky.
Why You’ll Love Crunchy Granola Bars
- sweet and crunchy with plenty of chocolate!
- non-sticky, so perfect for snacking on the road or eating with braces
- customizable
- naturally gluten-free
- oil-free and coconut-free options
- Did I mention chocolate?
More Homemade Granola Bars
- No-Bake Sun Butter Granola Bars
- No Bake Ginger Chocolate Granola Bars
- Caramelized Banana Granola Bars
- Banana Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Crumb
Recipe Card
Crunchy Granola Bars Non Sticky
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut , optional
- 1/3 cup (27 g) old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup (36 g) chopped nuts and seeds, I use a mix of chopped pistachios, chia seeds and hemp seeds.
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil I use refined coconut oil for a less coconutty flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or more, to taste
- 4 to 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon applesauce
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
For Topping
- 3 tablespoon chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients. That’s almond flour, tapioca starch, salt, coconut, oats, nuts and seeds, and baking soda. Mix really well. Press and mix to break up any lumps of almond flour.
- Add in the melted coconut oil, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix and press again to make a homogeneous mixture. Add more maple 1 teaspoon at a time if needed if the mix is not a soft dough.
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix, then line an 8×8-inch brownie pan or baking dish, and press this mixture into the pan. Even it out with a spatula.
- Bake at 330° F (165° C) for 20 to 28 minutes. The baking time depends on your oven and baking dish and how crispy you want your granola bars to be.
- At 22 minutes, bars will be kind of like a soft cookie. For really crispy bars, you can either bake them all the way to 32 or more minutes or you can take the bars out after 25 minutes, let them cool for a bit, slice them up into the bars, and then put them back in on a baking sheet to bake for 10 -15 minutes so that they get more crispy. The longer baking time keeps them more shelf stable.
- Once the bars are done baking, remove them from the oven, and let them cool for 5 minutes,
- Make the optional melted chocolate topping by melting the chocolate chips on a double boiler or in the microwave and then just drizzling that all over the bars. Put the bars in the fridge, so that the chocolate can set. Then, separate them out and let them cool completely and store. If you're storing for longer, you want to refrigerate them to last for to 3 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
- almond flour – This is the key to make these crunchy granola bars non-sticky.
- tapioca starch – Helps bind the dough.
- salt and baking soda – Conditions the dough for the best texture.
- coconut – For flavor and texture. You can omit, if you like.
- old-fashioned oats – These are also called rolled oats. Don’t use steel cut or quick oats. You can omit, if needed.
- nuts and seeds – Adds protein and crunch! Use your favorite mix. I like pistachios, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
- coconut oil – Adds moisture. You can use other oils, if you prefer, or replace with maple syrup for oil-free.
- vanilla extract – For flavor.
- maple syrup and applesauce – Adds unrefined sweetness and more moisture to the dough.
- chocolate chips – Because chocolate!
Tips
- When mixing the dough, make sure that you press out any lumps. Almond flour loves to clump together, and you want an even mixture.
- You can bake and then slice or bake these in two rounds, slicing after the first round of baking. That is the method that will yield the most shelf-stable and crunchy granola bars.
How to Make Crunchy Granola Bars
In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients. That’s almond flour, tapioca starch, salt, coconut, oats, nuts and seeds, and baking soda. Mix really well. Press and mix to break up any lumps of almond flour.
Add in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix and press again to make a homogeneous mixture.
Add in the chocolate chips and mix, then line an 8×8-inch brownie pan or baking dish, and press this mixture into the pan. Even it out with a spatula.
Bake at 330° F (165° C) for 20 to 28 minutes. The baking time depends on your oven and baking dish and how crispy you want your granola bars to be. You can also bake them a bit longer, if you want the granola bars to be super crispy.
At 22 minutes, bars will be kind of like a soft cookie. For really crispy bars, you can either bake them all the way to 32 or more minutes or you can take the bars out after 25 minutes, let them cool for a bit, slice them up into the bars, and then put them back in on a baking sheet to bake for 5 to 10 minutes so that they get more crispy. The longer baking time keeps them more shelf stable.
Once the bars are done baking, remove them from the oven, and let them cool for 5 minutes, and then slice with a really sharp serrated knife.
Make the optional melted chocolate topping by melting the chocolate chips on a double boiler or in the microwave and then just drizzling that all over the bars. Put the bars in the fridge, so that the chocolate can set.
Then, separate them out and let them cool completely and store. If you’re storing for longer, you want to refrigerate them to last for 2 to 3 weeks.
If you are rebaking the granola bars, separate them out, and you can add the chocolate topping or not. And then re-bake them like a biscotti, at 350° F (177° C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’re crisp to preference, then cool them completely and store.
Frequently Asked Questions
The base of the bars is almond flour, so it’s really hard to omit almonds from here. But you can eliminate the other nuts from the chopped nuts and seeds and use more seeds instead of pistachios.
To make these oil-free, omit the coconut oil and add more maple syrup. You’ll need about a tablespoon more of maple syrup.
For coconut-free, omit the shredded coconut and use a different oil in place of the coconut oil.
Store them on the counter for upto a week. Store refrigerated for upto a month.
Yes just omit the oats. You’ll need a bit less maple syrup in the mixture
Amy
So easy to make and very very delicious! So glad I tried them.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Roxanne Corbeil
I’d never dared cook Granola bars before I tried your delicious recipe. It was a huge success. Everyone loved it and asked for more. Thank you for this tasty and nutritious recipe.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Lisa B
Just made these . . . SOOOO good!!!! I omitted the coconut oil and didn’t need more maple syrup. Used 1 tbspn corn starch and 1 tbspn regular flour in lieu of the tapioca starch bc I didn’t have on hand. I used dark chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, walnuts, and pecans. Hubby thought they were delicious too. Cooked them 25 mns, cooled a little, cut them into long rectangles, put them on a cookie sheet then turned them over and cooked them 6-8 more minutes. Came out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. A healthy, yummy treat!
Richa
Awesome
Emily
These are exactly the kind of bars I was looking for. Made these for my kids and they loved them!
Richa
Awesome
Sally
Hi. I have a question regarding the 1 cup of almond flour. When I use a scale to weigh the almond flour in grams, the one cup of almond flour is closer to 136 grams versus 236 grams. Any suggestions to which way I measure out the almond flour? Thank you!
Richa
Ah that is an error. I updated it to 112 gm. The weight was not correct.
Dareth Benhalima
Hello! I have to agree with the other comment. The ingredients seem to be off. I had the same issue. My batter barely spread to cover the 8×8 dish and because if that, they were super thin. Didn’t look think like yours. Thanks!
Richa
These are thin. So that they crisp up. Try a smaller pan or a loaf pan.
Richa
There was an error in the gram weight of almond flour. If you used the weight then that might have caused the dough to be too dense and hence difficult to spread and it wouldn’t have risen as well with the double amount of almond flour.
Jen Beddia
HI – Just tried making these but are the measurements correct? I followed as instructed but barely could spread it out to fill the 8×8 pan. They seem more like cake bars than granola bars
Richa
Spread thin using a spatula. Then get thin and crisp. Else they will be like soft cookie, which seems to what you are describing as cake.
Maayan
Hi Richa, this is exactly what I was looking for.
Could it work with coconut flour instead of almond flour? if so should I play with the coconut flour oat flour ratio?
I’m looking for a school safe option for my kids, thanks.
Vegan Richa Support
this would be great for school! i do believe it’s about the same. you can substitute coconut flour for almond flour by using 1/4 cup of coconut flour for every cup of almond flour.