Homemade Gluten Free Granola Bars Recipe

gluten free granola bars in paper

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With Father’s Day around the corner, it seemed as good a time as any to share this awesome chewy gluten free granola bars recipe with you. But you needn’t wait — did you know that January 21 is National Granola Bar Day? And weren’t you just saying you were hungry?

There are so many great occasions to make your own homemade gluten free granola bars. Like today, for example.

gluten free granola bars in paper outside

I don’t know what it is about Father’s Day, but all the stores promote buying Dad some soon-to-be forgotten gadget, gaudy tie or otherwise not-needed accessory. In my family, we try always to make something homemade as at least part of Dad’s gift — a card, a craft, a special food — it doesn’t have to be fancy, but it shows that at least he’s worth the time it takes to plan and make something special for him!

These snacks are really great for folks of any age: they’re portable and easy to eat on the run; they’re full of nutrition and yummy energy; they’re super tasty; and perhaps most importantly, they’re gluten-free!

Come to think of it though, there’s one more great thing about these bars: they’ll ship! So if your dad doesn’t live close, these would make a great gift!

gluten free granola bars on tray gfJules

So make these for your dad or special someone … or for yourself! Since you’re in charge, add the ingredients you like or have on hand, and choose only the ones that meet your family’s dietary requirements.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, easily nut-free, but oh so full of flavor!

gluten free granola bars prep (1)

 

Feel good about all that healthy fiber and nutrition you’ll be getting from purity protocol certified gluten-free oats, nuts, flaxseed meal, veggies and fruit — the ones YOU like best — all packed into portable yumminess!

You can even cut the bars to whatever portion size YOU prefer. How handy, right?

gluten free granola bar

Be sure to only use purity protocol certified gluten free oats — the fact that most granola bar makers do NOT use these safe, more expensive oats in their bars, is one reason I advocate for and often make our own homemade gluten free granola bars.

I can be confident in how they were grown, packaged and tested, and never have to worry about getting glutened. Sounds like a small thing to someone who doesn’t have to live gluten free, but it’s everything to us — am I right?

gluten free granola bars white (1)

Here’s more information on how to find the right oats for you.

Enjoy!

Homemade Gluten Free Granola Bars recipes - made your way with your favorite flavors! Ready in under 1 hour! gfJules

gluten free granola bars with book

Homemade Gluten Free Granola Bars Recipe

Yield: approximately 28 chewy granola bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Homemade gluten free granola bars are delicious, yes, but also make eating healthy and safe on the go easy!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
  • ½ cup gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
  • 3 cups purity protocol certified gluten-free rolled oats, rice flakes, or quinoa flakes
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • ¾ cup baking raisins (or boil raisins in water, drain, then add to the recipe) or sultanas
  • ½ cup dried apples, chopped
  • ½ cup dried bananas, chopped
  • ½ cup figs, chopped (approximately 5 figs)
  • ½ cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
  • ¼ cup dates, chopped
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries or other dried berry of choice
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped (if making nut-free, substitute with sunflower seeds)
  • ½ cup agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup Blackstrap or baking molasses
  • ½ cup sunflower nut butter (if making nut-free) or “natural” peanut, almond, or cashew butter (like Earth Balance® Natural Peanut Butter with Flaxseed)
  • ½ cup unsweetened apple juice or cider

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Line a jelly roll baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flaxseed meal, gluten-free flour, oats, cinnamon, fruits and nuts of your choice (in similar proportions to those listed above). When fully combined, stir in the agave nectar, applesauce, molasses, nut butter, and juice, mixing with a large wooden spoon until totally incorporated. The mixture should be wet enough to press together for baking.

If you like your granola bars with lots of crunchy texture, use this wooden spoon or stand mixer (with flat paddle) mixing method. If you prefer a smoother texture, where the individual ingredients are more integrated, use a large food processor to combine all the ingredients — if your processor bowl is 14 cups or smaller, this may have to be done by dividing the ingredients in half and mixing in two batches.

Scoop the combined mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and press down with the back of a rubber spatula or your wet hands.

Bake for 30 minutes or just until the edges begin to brown slightly.

Remove from the oven and cut into bars using a pizza cutter before fully cooled. To remove bars when cooled, simply lift the foil edges out of the jelly roll pan and store the cut bars in a zip top bag at room temperature or freeze.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!

Pin for later!

Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, easily nut free, but oh-so-full of flavor, these homemade gluten free granola bars are healthy and safe for celiacs, too!

Homemade Gluten Free Granola Bars vegan, easy, portable and nutritious. Ready in under 1 hour! gfJules

gluten free granola bars - kid-friendly, vegan, portable and delicious nutrition! Ready in under 1 hour! gfJules

(Note: this recipe was previously shared by NFCA during their webinar, “The Gluten-Free Athlete: Improving Performance Through Diet” and this recipe, as well as over 149 more, is also available in my newest cookbook, Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy!)

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  1. Jules, I have a teen in a sport. I’d like to MAKE some of his GF pre-work-out bars and bagels. We need HIGH CARB ideas that are more like whole grain (longer lasting)>> He has a TERRIBLE time gaining weight and he needs more carbs than the normal athlete. Any guidance would be appreciated! Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Hi Jules,

    I am just wondering if you have a fig newton recipe? I see there is a nut fruity bar recipe in your cooking book…could you use that dough recipe and then put the fruit paste as the filling, fold, then bake?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. these bars are great! this week I tried a higher protein version: I cooked 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water. Then I spread the quinoa on a parchment covered jelly roll pan and dried/toasted it in a 375 degree oven until it was a nice golden color and crisp. I ended up with 2 cups crucnchy quinoa. I then used 1 cup oats and the 2 cups quinoa in the bars. Quinoa flakes are expensive. These turned out great. Thanks for the recipe Jules.

    Reply
  4. I notice in the recipe it says that it makes 28 bars. However, in the nutritionals, it says 40 servings. Does that mean each bar would have 195 calories?

    Reply
  5. Can you make this recipe without flaxseed meal or substitute with some other ingredient? I cannot tolerate flax.

    Reply
    • Jean- you absolutely can make a substitution in this recipe for flax. That’s one of the neat things about this recipe is its versatility (and forgiving nature!). You could leave it out altogether, or add extra chopped nuts or coconut … whatever suits you!

      Reply
  6. I’m also wondering about gluten-free dried fruit. We have a local store that sells “homemade” dried fruit. What should I be asking to find out if it would be gluten-free?

    Reply
    • Tracy- you’ll want to be sure they are not dusting the fruit with any flour to keep it from sticking together. They could use corn starch instead, but you need to ask to be sure.

      Reply
  7. These look absolutely awesome! Can you post the nutritional facts on these as I am counting carbs, fat, protein and fiber while losing weight and these look so good I want to make them so bad but can’t until I know the facts…please do share! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Lana – I will try to get the nutritionals for this recipe for you. I would love to get nutritionals for all my recipes … we’ll see if I can pull that off someday! : )

      Reply
  8. This sounds great! Do you have any idea where I can find nut-free dried fruits, though. The cranberries and the raisins shouldn’t be a problem, but in the past I have had a hard time with things like dried bananas and apples.

    Reply
    • Michelle – I’ll look around for you and see what I can find. Luckily, apples and bananas are super easy to dehydrate yourself! Also, you can sub out those ingredients in this recipe for other dried berries, figs, etc. and still make the recipe deliciously, but safe for you.

      Reply
  9. Going to try this on the wknd Jules! Thanks so much- I can tolerate those Glutino bars, but they’re so expensive and your recipe sound way healthier! (I might have to pop in a few Ecuadorian chocolate chips though)
    Thanks!!

    Reply
  10. Would it be possible to make it without the coconut? I would think that would help “glue” it together – but my family isn’t a big fan of it…..

    Reply
    • Pam – absolutely you can make without the coconut. This recipe only uses 1/2 cup anyway; just try to keep the proportions roughly the same between flour, oats, fruit. That’s one reason I love this recipe, because you can really pick and choose ingredients!

      Reply
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