These Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars are the perfect snack! They’re satisfying, easy to make, and much better than the store-bought stuff. The creamy peanut butter and sticky honey bind together the oats and sunflower seeds for the most delicious treat!
Why I Love Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
There’s a reason granola bars are a classic snack to throw in lunches, grab after school, or pack for soccer practice fuel. They’re delicious, nutritious, and will keep you full for a while! Pre-packaged granola bars can get pretty expensive, especially for the rate my family goes through them, so I developed a simple recipe to make sure we never run out.
These chewy peanut butter granola bars take the cake over some other granola snacks I’ve seen because it takes us back to basics. I mean, I adore a granola recipe like Apple Peanut Butter Granola Sandwiches, but there’s a time and place for those and a time and place for this quick on-the-go snack.
Plus, they’re satisfying and so easy to make. You can make them my way, or customize them yourself, but either way, I know you’ll love them!
Ingredients to Make Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
You’ll notice this list is made of real, recognizable ingredients! That’s part of why I love this recipe – you probably have most, if not all, of these ingredients in your pantry already. These homemade granola bars have no hidden ingredients.
You’ll need old-fashioned oats, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, and ground flax seed (if you’d like – this is optional for additional nutrients!).
Then, to bind the dry ingredients together you’ll need peanut butter, honey, melted butter, and vanilla.
That’s it! Simple and tasty!
How To Make Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Step 1: Combine Wet Ingredients and Sugar
Start by combining the wet ingredients and sugar together first. Add the peanut butter, sugar, honey, butter, and vanilla to a small bowl.
Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed.
Step 3: Add Wet to Dry
Mix the peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and then press it into a greased 8×8 baking pan.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Allow it to cool completely before cutting it into bars.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to cut them once they’ve cooled and wrap them individually in foil before storing them in an airtight container. That way we can just grab them and throw them in the lunch box.
These granola bars will last about one week in an air-tight container.
It sounds like they didn’t cool long enough after baking. If you try to cut them before they’re fully cooled, they don’t set into one solid sheet and then they crumble when you cut them.
You can, but you may need to play around with the measurements of other ingredients like the oats. Natural peanut butter can be runnier which means it’ll take longer to set.
Variations on Granola Bars
- Add marshmallows and chocolate chips for s’mores granola bars!
- Try adding nuts to make this Almond Granola Bar recipe.
- If you love Reese’s as much as we do, add chocolate chips to this recipe!
- Incorporate dried fruit and M&Ms for a trail mix bar.
- Chop pretzels into small chunks to add a little saltiness.
- Cranberry and white chocolate are a great combination! Drizzle the white chocolate on top for extra flair.
- Same with classic chocolate and chunks of chopped cherry!
- Make Cheerio Granola Bars for a yummy breakfast version.
More Recipes Like This
- Honey Almond Granola
- Maple Almond Granola
- Crunchy Pumpkin Granola
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
- Chewy Rice Krispie Treats
- Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats
I hope you and your kids love these granola bars! They’re a great family treat and I’m excited to share them with all of you!
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Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (87g) peanut butter
- ¼ cup ( 50g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) honey
- ¼ cup (56g) butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cup (120g) old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup (30g) sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup (28g) ground flax seed optional
Instructions
- Combine peanut butter, sugar, honey, butter and vanilla in a small bowl. In a medium mixing bowl combine the oats, sunflower seeds and flax seed. Mix in the peanut butter mixture. Press into a greased 8×8 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
I truly never considered making my own granola bars, but it makes so much sense. It’s such a money saver!
I agree!! Thanks Ashley!
I follow you fondly with the translation of uncle goggle, many things are expensive in my country. I’m trying to do it at home, but the problem is your units of measurement are very different from us, we use grams and liters, so 1cup is how many grams or milliliters, my setting is rapidly moving away.
Hi! Thank you for your comment, I have updated the recipe with conversions. Hope you enjoy!
I made these with natural peanut butter and they came out a bit soggy. Should I decrease the amount of butter for the next batch?
It’s hard to say. Some brands of natural peanut butter are thinner so yes that could have made them a little soggy. Sorry they didn’t turn out as you had hoped.
Looking forward to making these they look so great!