Homemade sweet and salty coconut granola bars are soft, chewy, and pack huge flavor. Made with healthy and wholesome ingredients, these bars are a satisfying and naturally gluten-free dessert recipe (use certified GF ingredients). Skip the oven and allow the bars to set up in the refrigerator or freezer.
Say hello to my favorite homemade snack. Which also totally double as dessert. I cannot stop eating these! The good news is that today’s chewy coconut granola bars are actually pretty wholesome, combining real foods with real flavor. The great news is that you don’t need to turn on your oven.
Besides all that, what I love most is the taste and texture. The consistency and flavor both remind me of soft caramel, but there’s no butter or refined sugar. Pair that with coconut, oats, and a little dark chocolate and you’ve got a square of heaven.
Homemade alternative to processed foods? Absolutely. Addicting? 100%.
The next time you need healthier dessert recipe ideas, these bars will fit the bill.
Why You’ll Love These No-Bake Coconut Granola Bars
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Soft and chewy
- Made with healthy and wholesome ingredients
- Naturally gluten free if you use certified GF oats (making these one of my favorite gluten free dessert recipes, in fact!)
- Sweet and salty in each bite
- Tons of texture
- No-bake recipe (just like my beloved peanut butter trail mix bars and no-bake chocolate fudge oat bars)
- They freeze beautifully
- Taste just like a candy bar!
Overview: How to Make Coconut Granola Bars
These no-bake bars come together quickly and easily. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Puree the dates. I like to use a food processor for this step; if you don’t have one, very finely chop the dates.
- Make the binding mixture. Mix the pureed dates with almond butter, coconut oil, and honey on the stove. This warm mixture combined with the almond meal binds the granola bars together, and allows us to skip baking them.
- Add the dry ingredients. Do this right in the saucepan.
- Press the granola bar mixture into a baking pan. Line a square 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Pack the mixture into the panโthe more compact, the more the bars will hold their shape.
- Chill the bars. Let the bars set up in the refrigerator or freezer. I recommend the freezer to save time.
- Cut into squares.
Key Ingredients in These Granola Bars
With so few ingredients, each has an important job:
- Dates: to sweeten + bind
- Honey: to sweeten + bind
- Almond butter: to bind
- Coconut oil: to bind
- Salt + vanilla extract: for flavor
- Oats: for texture
- Coconut: for texture/flavor
- Almonds:ย for texture/flavor
- Almond meal: to bind
- Chocolate: for flavor
I know what you’re thinking… coconut, almond, and chocolate? ALMOND JOY BARS!! Told you these taste like candy.
Note: If you want a lighter version, leave out the chocolateโI promise they’re still awesome without it. But if you want a little extra something special, don’t skip it.
More Favorite Healthy Recipes
- Baked Oatmeal (and Baked Oatmeal Cups)
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Granola Bars
- Healthy Berry Streusel Bars
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Breakfast Cookies
- Healthy Banana Pancakes
And 20+ healthy dessert recipes for even more inspiration!
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No-Bake Chewy Coconut Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 large squares
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These sweet and salty granola bars are soft, chewy, and pack huge flavor. We’re combining almonds, coconut, oats, and chocolate for a wholesome and satisfying treat. Skip the oven and allow the bars to set up in the refrigerator or freezer.
Ingredients
- 4โ5 Medjool dates, pitted (about 100-110g)
- 1/3 cup (113g) honey (or brown rice syrup)
- 1/3 cup (85g)ย almond butter (or any nut butter)
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) coconut oil (or unsalted butter; you need a fat that’s solid at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (128g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened shredded coconut (plus extra for topping, if desired)
- 3/4 cup (65g) slivered/sliced almonds
- 2 Tablespoons almond meal/almond flourย (or oat flour)
- optional: 1/3 cup (60g) finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate orย mini chocolate chipsย
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- Pulse the dates in a food processor until they form a chunky paste. (You’ll have about 3 Tablespoons paste.) Or, if you don’t have a food processor, very finely chop the dates.
- Whisk the date paste/chopped dates, honey, almond butter, and coconut oil together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Try to break up the dates as much as you can. Once combined and warm, remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients including the chocolate, if using.
- Press mixture into prepared baking pan and top with extra coconut, if desired. Pack the mixture down as much as you can. I recommend using the back of a flat spatula to really press it tightly.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
- Store leftover granola bars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They get a little sticky if left out for several hours.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:ย These granola bars are freezer friendly. I LOVE them right out of the freezer! Wrap each individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 8-inch or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Food Processor | Medium Saucepan | Whisk | Flat Spatula
- Substitutions: Feel free to make any substitutions, keeping in mind that the texture and flavor will change. The bars were a little more crumbly without the chocolate. The warm mixture melts the chocolate, which really helps the bars hold their shape.
- Nutritional Information: I’m unsure of the nutritional stats, but feel free to calculate it!
Reader Comments and Reviews
The best no bake bars i have ever tasted my son made them and they taste better than the ones at the store i am definitely saving this recipe
Hi there,
I made this last night (double the recipe) I used natural peanut butter not almond butter and avocado oil instead of coconut oil and almond flour. However, the mixture was very loose and was not able stick together. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong. Thank you.
Hi Haydee, the culprit is likely the avocado oil. You’ll want a fat like coconut oil or butter that is solid at room temperature to help the bars stay together and keep their shape. We hope this helps for your next batch!
Can you use something else beside oat flour or almond flour. ?
I do not have that on hand.
Hi Camille, those are the two that would work best.
Could other dates be used instead of the Medjool dates?
Hi Wavey, you can, although the size of dates can vary so just make sure you are using about 100-110g of dates.
These are amazing! I chopped up the dates, left out the sliced almonds and used pumpkin seed butter (nut allergy) used maple syrup and oat flour. So good! Love love love!
Is there a nut free version of this recipe? ๐ Thanks!
Hi Trish, you might enjoy these no-bake chocolate fudge oat bars instead. You can use a nut-free spread like sun butter or cookie butter and use non-nut add-ins. Enjoy!
These Granola Bars are amazing! I switch up the almonds for pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, or raisins. Have also made with peanut butter instead of almond butter. Always so good! They are so easy and quick to make. A double batch will give us a week’s worth of healthy snacks. I keep them in the fridge as they tend to be a bit squishy sometimes at room temp. especially with the added seeds.
Thanks for all the great recipes! For this one, Sweet and Salty suggested to me a sprinkling of flake salt on top. Hard to imagine that the 1/8 tsp. salt called for would do any more than fulfill the usual roll of enhancing the flavors in a sweet food without being noticeable.
Hi! Can you use regular all-purpose flour for this recipe?
Hi Kadence, oat flour is the best substitute here.
I don’t have any almond flour and hate to buy some for the small amount needed, can I substitute something else?
Hi Linda, you can oat flour instead.
Hi! Do you have any tips on how to not get the chocolate chips to melt? Thanks!
Hi Stefanie, a little melting is normal since the mixture is coming hot off the stove. If you want, you could reserve some of the chocolate chips and then sprinkle them on top of the bars after they’ve been pressed into the pan.