Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

These Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars are the perfect snack! Theyโ€™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!

two Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars on a cooling rack and drizzled with chocolate

Why I Love Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Thereโ€™s a reason granola bars are a classic snack to throw in lunches, grab after school, or pack for soccer practice fuel. Theyโ€™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 Iโ€™ve seen because it takes us back to basics. I mean, I adore a granola recipe like Apple Peanut Butter Granola Sandwiches, but thereโ€™s a time and place for those and a time and place for this quick on-the-go snack. 

Plus, theyโ€™re satisfying and so easy to make. You can make them my way, or customize them yourself, but either way, I know youโ€™ll love them!

Ingredients to Make Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

Youโ€™ll notice this list is made of real, recognizable ingredients! Thatโ€™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. 

Youโ€™ll need old-fashioned oats, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, and ground flax seed (if youโ€™d like – this is optional for additional nutrients!). 

Then, to bind the dry ingredients together youโ€™ll need peanut butter, honey, melted butter, and vanilla. 

Thatโ€™s it! Simple and tasty!

A Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bar drizzled with chocolate and placed on a piece of parchment paper with others in the background on a cooling rack

FAQs

How do I store homemade granola bars?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to cut them once theyโ€™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.ย 

How long will they last?

These granola bars will last about one week in an air-tight container.ย 

Why are my granola bars falling apart?ย 

It sounds like they didnโ€™t cool long enough after baking. If you try to cut them before theyโ€™re fully cooled, they donโ€™t set into one solid sheet and then they crumble when you cut them.ย 

Can I use natural peanut butter?ย 

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 itโ€™ll take longer to set.

Variations on Granola Bars

  • Add marshmallows and chocolate chips for sโ€™mores granola bars!
  • Try adding nuts to make this Almond Granola Bar recipe. 
  • If you love Reeseโ€™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

I hope you and your kids love these granola bars! Theyโ€™re a great family treat and Iโ€™m excited to share them with all of you!

Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

These Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars are the perfect snack! Theyโ€™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!
Servings: 9 large squares
Author: Malinda Linnebur
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • โ…“ cup (87g) peanut butter
  • ยผ cup ( 50g) brown sugar
  • ยผ cup (60ml) honey
  • ยผ cup (56g) butter melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1ยฝ cup (120g) old fashioned oats
  • ยผ cup (30g) sunflower seeds
  • ยผ 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 168IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this?Let me know by sharing a picture and tagging @countryside_cravings on Instagram

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I truly never considered making my own granola bars, but it makes so much sense. It’s such a money saver!

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 3 stars
    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?

4.34 from 3 votes

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