Sweet, salty, chewy, and crisp, these no-bake trail mix granola bars are sure to satisfy any craving! Gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan, they’re a healthy snack that anyone can enjoy!
This post is for my fellow snack addicts. For those who can’t comprehend how (or why) someone could get by on three square meals a day. For those who constantly find themselves rifling through their kitchen cupboards in search of the the perfect thing to munch on.
My fellow snackers, your search is over. These no-bake trail mix granola bars are guaranteed to satisfy and kick cravings in the teeth, thereby taking away the [sometimes agonizing] process of having to stand in the kitchen and ask yourself “what do I feel like eating?“
These. You feel like eating these.
Want something sweet? These have it.
Something salty? These have it.
Chewy? Yep.
Crispy? Uh huh.
Chocolatey? Obvioiusly.
Healthy? You betcha!
Allergy-friendly? Yes, yes, YES!
No matter what you want, these bars can provide.
Unless, of course, you’re craving something like your grandmother’s famous triple cheese lasagna, left sitting in the fridge for 2 days so the flavours and textures can develop just so. If that’s the case, I’m afraid these won’t do you much good. But I do have to admit to being slightly jealous that your cravings are that specific since I can’t figure out what it is that I want 99.9% of the time. That’s why you’ll often find me doing laps around my kitchen, grabbing little handfuls of ‘this & that’ with the hope that I’ll accidentally manage to hit the nail on the head.
Actually, thats probably why I threw a little of ‘this & that’ into these bars…
Oats. Crispy rice cereal. Pretzels. Raisins. Cranberries. Pumpkin seeds. Chocolate chips. And, of course, the liquid gold that holds it all together– brown rice syrup and sunflower seed butter…
What you won’t find in these bars? Trans fats, refined sugars, and any of the chemicals and preservatives that are often found in store-bought bars. Because whether you’re a serial snacker or the three-square-a-day occasional snacker, it’s important to fuel your body with foods that will leave you feeling good in the long run.
I made these gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan so that everyone can enjoy them, but feel free to customize them based on your personal preferences and needs. Don’t have brown rice syrup on hand? Honey works just fine. Don’t like the taste of sunflower seed butter? Sub in your favourite nut or seed butter. I like to keep these nut-free to make them safe to take to school, but again… it all depends on what you need. Hope you love ’em as much as I do!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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No Bake Sweet and Salty Trail Mix Granola Bars
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (160 g) brown rice syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 2 Tbsp (32 g) sunflower seed butter*
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) coconut oil
- 3/4 cup (60 g) old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup (15 g) crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 cup (17 g) pretzels, crushed**
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (80 g) dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)
- 1/2 cup (70 g) pumpkin seeds***
- 1/3 cup (60 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Generously spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add brown rice syrup, sunflower seed butter, and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and nuke on high until ingredients are fully melted and combined, about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and allow to cool and thicken.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring until evenly distributed. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan and use a spatula or your hands to spread it evenly, making sure to press down firmly. Cover pan with a sheet of foil and place into the fridge to set, at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. When bars have set, remove from pan using the foil overhang, and use a sharp knife to cut into individual bars. Store bars in the fridge or freezer for best results.
Notes
* You can easily sub this with your favourite nut butter if you don’t need these to be nut-free. ** Make sure to use certified gluten-free pretzels if you need these to be gluten-free. *** Feel free to sub these with another type of seed or nut if you don’t need them to be nut-free.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. All opinions and text are my own. Lots of love for showing some love to the brands that help sponsor Spoons! If you want to learn more about gluten-free or allergy-friendly living, you can visit Udi’s community page or check them out on Facebook!
Nice. When I see it I really want to eat it.
Hi,
These look delicious, can I use Peanut butter instead of sunflower seed butter and olive oil instead of coconut oil?
Thanks!
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These look so perfect and healthy. Packed with good stuff. I like ones made at home they are so much better for you! Thank you for sharing.
Can you leave out the pretzels? Not that I want to, but I’m staying away from wheat. I know you mentioned gf pretzels, but I may not can find those.
You could probably leave them out if you couldn’t find gf pretzels, Laura. I would recommend replacing the pretzels with another 1/4 cup of oats.
Hi, I would appreciate suggestion re your granola bar recipe- no bake trail mix granola bars. I have made it twice and really enjoyed the result but today it wouldn’t bind- fell apart and I left it in the fridge overnight. Any suggestions on how to recover this. The taste is still great but it just crumbled back to its separateness.
Amanda, I made these a few months ago, son loved them. Now I can’t get them right. I used 1/2 cup honey and 2 tbsp of creamy peanut butter and 1 tbsp coconut oil. They are too oily and won’t stay together. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to let the mixture cool to a certain level? Thanks.
I made these last night and they are delicious! (I subbed out the nut butter for regular butter and brown rice syrup for honey). They are having some troubles sticking together this morning, completely falling apart once I took them out of the fridge 🙁 any ideas on why this could be?
Hi Jasmine! The reason they’re having issues sticking together is because of the butter. It doesn’t make a suitable substitution for nut butter because it’s too oily and not “sticky” enough to hold things together.
Hi Amanda! i’m having this problem also, instead of Sunflower butter i used Peanut Butter, and they came apart completely. did you tried some other recipe or other method??
Excited to try these! Can I substitute coconut oil for olive oil or butter? (It’s not necessary to be vegan for my purposes)
Thanks!
Robyn
It should be fine since it’s such a small amount, Robyn. But if you use butter, make sure it’s melted first.
It looks wonderful! But I noticed that you use the microwave a lot for your cooking… what if a don’t like to use it? would it need the same amount of time on the stove?
Thank you! It would need a little longer on the stove. Maybe about 3-5 minutes? Just until it starts boiling a bit.