Almond Coconut Granola Bars
These homemade granola bars are a healthy and delicious snack! Made simply with almonds, coconut, oats, almond or peanut butter, and honey or maple syrup.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
255Comments
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You guys. I didn’t work at all from Friday through Monday, and it was glorious. I brought my work with me to Memphis, but I opted for sleeping in, reading and watching the Olympics instead. I also brought these granola bars with me, tucked into my bag next to my neglected laptop, and I’m so glad I did.
No time for breakfast? Granola bars to the rescue. Hungry on the plane? Granola bars sure beat pretzels. Long stretch between lunch and dinner? Again, granola bars. They kept my blood sugar levels stable, and kept me from turning into a cranky, hypoglycemic mess.
I can attest that these no-bake bars, which are made with oats, nuts, and coconut, and naturally sweetened with honey (or maple syrup) are some effective, energy-rich treats. I’m never traveling without them again. They would also be great snacks for lunch bags and hungry kids who have just arrived home from school. They’re much more tasty and offer more sticking power than any of the store-bought options I encountered as a kid. Granola bars are the answer!
Almond Coconut Granola Bars
These homemade granola bars are a healthy and delicious snack! Made simply with almonds, coconut, oats, almond or peanut butter, and honey or maple syrup. These bars require about 15 minutes of prep time, then an hour-long rest in the refrigerator to set. Recipe yields 16 granola bars.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1 ¾ cups quick-cooking oats (or old-fashioned oats, pulsed briefly in a food processor or blender to break them up)
- 1 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes (shredded coconut should work, too)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup creamy almond butter or peanut butter
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to fit neatly against the base and up the sides. The parchment paper will make it easy for you to slice the bars later.
- Toast the almonds for maximum flavor (you can skip this step, but your bars won’t be quite as awesome): In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn lightly golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a medium mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add the oats, coconut flakes, cinnamon and salt. Stir until blended.
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out 1 cup almond butter. Top with ½ cup honey, followed by the vanilla extract. Whisk until well blended. (If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop.)
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. The drier the mixture, the more firm the bars will be, so stir in extra oats if the mixture seems wet. Conversely, if you used a super thick almond butter (cough, Justin’s), you might need to drizzle in another tablespoon of honey to help it all stick together.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass) to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible. (If the mixture keeps sticking to the glass, cover the base of the glass with a small square of parchment paper.)
- Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. This gives the oats time to absorb moisture so the granola bars can set.
- When you’re ready to slice, lift the bars out of the baker by grabbing both pieces of parchment paper on opposite corners. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the mixture into 4 even rows and 4 even columns (these “bars” stick together better in a square shape).
- For portability, you can wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Bars keep well for a couple of days at room temperature, but I recommend storing individually wrapped bars in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor. They’ll keep for several months in the freezer.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my almond chocolate chip granola bars.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: I think you could use sunbutter instead of almond butter, and replace the almonds with pepitas. The end result will taste different, of course, but I think it will still be delicious.
Change it up: Virtually any combination of chopped nuts, seeds, coconut and/or dried fruit (chopped if larger than a raisin) would work in this recipe. You’ll just need about 2 cups total, to replace the 1 cup almonds and 1 cup coconut used here.
If you love this recipe: Check out more granola recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
What do u mean by chopped almonds? Delivered? Sliced? Whole chopped by hand? Processed? They don’t sell chopped anywhere I have seen.
You can chop them by hand! I hope this helps.
The most outstanding recipe! I love all of your recipes I’ve made so far, but this one is so tasty and keeps me satisfied for a while!!
Super easy too!!!
Made these for the first time today. I hand chopped the almonds. The texture seemed fine without adjustments. After 4 hrs in the fridge the kids insisted we try them. They cut easily into squares and held together nicely. They are very tasty! Very happy with this non-bake high protein snack.
Thank you for your comment and review, Christine.
These are excellent! A new favorite. Just out of curiosity, have you considered a recipe for a savory version?
Wow, you must have some sweet tooth. These are super sweet.
I’m sorry you think these are too sweet, Daria.
Make sure to use unsweetened almond or peanut butter and it won’t be so sweet next time!
I made these bars with all the same listed ingredients but organic/grade A versions and they came out AMAZING! A huge and healthy hit for my family of 5!
I made these bars with all the same listed ingredients but organic/raw versions and they came out AMAZING! A huge and healthy hit for my family of 5! (I might add I used honey instead of maple syrup.)
Great to hear these were a hit, Cassandra! I appreciate your review.
Can i bake these? If yes, for how long and what temperature?
Hi Tanya, I don’t think you need to bake these. I designed the recipe without needing to bake, so it would be a new recipe to bake. If that makes sense? Sorry to not be of more help!
These are awesome! A huge hit in our house!
I just made these but totally played around with the recipe due to what I happen to have in the cupboard! I used mixed seeds (mostly pumpkin) instead of almonds, a mix of tahini and peanut butter instead of almond butter, and chucked in some chopped milk chocolate. I also packed then into cupcake cases instead of making bars, as I think they’ll be easier to store and more portable. They came out great and the texture remind me of cookie dough which is definitely not a bad thing! I will definitely be using the basic recipe and messing around again!
My friend made these and shared with me… ohhhhh my so heavenly!!! Absolutely delicious and you’re right the nuts have to Be toasted… soooo much yumminess
these are absolutely delicious …. so good for someone trying to kick refined sugar.
I used mixed nuts but kept everything else the same. About to make another batch using date syrup instead of honey.
10/10
These are our new favorites. Great recipe! This is our go to snack during the stay at home order. I have made it every week for five weeks. On occasion we leave out the shredded coconut and add more oats. We have Craisens in the cupboard so I add about a cup to the mix. I like to use sliced almonds in granola bar recipes over chopped nuts, and with this being a no bake recipe, I find the toasted sliced almonds add extra crunch.
The perfect solution to a nutty honey craving without the blood sugar drop afterwards! Toasting the almonds made a wonderful difference. Will be making these regularly! Thank you Kate (:
Amazing!!!!! Love these!!
Thank you, Barb! Thank you for your review.
My son (26) LOVED these! Said they were the most delicious granola bar he has ever had. I need to make another batch since he ate them all. Thank you Kate….love your recipes!
Hi anyone know how many calories per bar?
Hi Dani! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe. Let me know if you still have questions!
These bars are delicious,my whole family likes them and they’re great for lunch boxes too. Thanks for the recipe!
I didn’t know one could eat uncooked oats! I will try it anyway… thanks!
I only have sweetened shredded coconut, should I decrease the honey?
Hi! Decreasing the sweetener will not guarantee the results.
Hi
Can I use almond meal instead of almond butter as I dont have almond butter…but it still would require some butter?
Hi! Unfortunately, you won’t get the same result. Sorry! You need a nut butter for it.
Delicious! I used slivered almonds toasted, cut back to just over 3/4 cup for both the almonds and coconut, and added 1/4 cup sultanas and glacé cherries instead, and the coated the bottom with 70% dark choc. So addictive!
I made these for long bike rides and shared them with my riding crew. Everyone loved them! I used mixed nut butter, mixed raw nuts, and topped it off with stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. The texture holds together well enough that I can eat while I’m riding. Thank you!
That sounds fun! Thank you for your review and sharing this recipe with others.
I have made these bars three times. They are absolutely the easiest, best tasting granola bars I have ever made. My family devours them.
Wonderful, Lu! Thank you for your review.
Where does the maple syrup come in? And why is honey in the steps but not in the ingredients list? Is maple syrup supposed to be honey?
Hi Liza, you can use either honey or maple syrup here. I offer both as an option. I speak to honey first in the ingredients list, as to why I offer that in the instructions. You can replace honey with maple syrup, if you like. I hope you try it!
Such a fantastic recipe that is easily modifiable. I use almond butter and maple syrup and cheat by toasting slivered almonds so I don’t have to chop the nuts up. Instead of coconut I use a combination of diced apricots, hemp seeds, pepitas & sunflower seeds and it’s absolutely delicious!
This was a great simple and tasty recipe! I love that I know exactly what goes into them. We added dried cranberries to ours and that addition was no problem with the overall bars.
I love your recipes Kate! For these bars, could I toast the oats first? For a more “toasted granola” feel and flavor?
Hi Kate,
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. I find that after a day in the fridge, when I cut out the bars it was falling apart very quickly. Not sure where I went wrong as I was look forward to the former granola. When I heat up the almond butter, was it supposed to be very liquidy?
Hi KD, I’m sorry to hear you had issues. Did you follow step 5? You may have needed more oats if there was more liquid.
I made these for my son and he loved them! Much better and healthier than the store bought version. :)
Hooray! I’m glad these were a hit, Michelle. Thanks for your review.
As preschool doesn’t allow nuts I substituted the almonds with cacao nibs and hemp seeds. It taste great! And who doesn’t like chocolate and coconut?
I’m glad that worked, Toni! Thank you for sharing.
Hi there!
I am planning to make these this weekend. Can I reduce the almond butter to 1/2 cup? I am looking to reduce the fat content, but I want to keep all of the yummy mix ins.
Thanks in advance!
This works best as written, sorry!
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your prompt response. I may still try to reduce the AB and adapt the recipe elsewhere. I will report back!
Thank you!
Love these bars. My husband and son take one each morning on way to work! I love as a clean healthy snack! This is a keeper!
Wonderful, Chrissy!
These are delicious! I used a combination of coconut butter, almond butter and peanut butter! Definitely will continue to make these.
That’s great to hear, Shana! Thank you for your review.
I made these and did not like them. The flavor combinations were way off, peanut butter-cinnamon-maple-coconut-almond-vanilla… The recipe definitely needs major editing and revamping. These taste more like the cheap knock-off brand breakfast bars you find at grocery discount bins.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I have used this recipe many times in the past few years. I LOVE these!!! Easy to make, easy to freeze and easiest to eat : )
Just made these– they are dense, but delicious. Just need to keep in mind I can’t have tons of them in one go!
How do you recommend defrosting them? I have wrapped them in parchment paper as you suggested. Thank you.
Also, I make your muffins and pancakes all the time. Delicious and healthy.
You can let them thaw in the fridge or try on your counter.
I know this recipe was posted years ago but my 8 year old boy devours these every time I make them! He also smiles, dances, and tells me they are the best. :)
I use peanut butter but definitely want to try using almond butter instead as the peanut butter flavor comes through strong for me.
Thank you much for an easy, delicious, healthy granola bar recipe that both my kiddos enjoy!
That’s great to hear, Ann! Thank you for sharing.
Hi! Do you have any suggestions for what might work in place of oats (my son has an oat allergy)? Maybe quinoa flakes? Thank you!
I haven’t tried these without oats, sorry!
Hi Kate,
I love this recipe and have made the bars many times! However this weekend they didn’t set in the refrigerator overnight! Can you advise on what might have caused this issue? Ans any thoughts I should do differently next time as I followed the recipe as usual?
Thank you!
Oh no! Did you use a different type of nut butter?
Love this recipe! Have been making these bars for four years – they are my go to ride fuel for long bike rides. Super good and packed with energy. I sometimes add raisins, chopped dates, small chocolate chips or or flax seed. Namaste.
Late to the party, but hoping you might still see this. THANK YOU for so many great recipes. My family is embarking on an elimination diet due to auto-immune issues, and at least to start, I think we’ll have to go grain-free as well as gluten-free. Do you think almond flour would work in some of the granola recipes in place of oats? or just replace the oats with more nuts & seeds?
Unfortunately, almond flour isn’t a 1:1 replacement and would require a new recipe. I do have some almond flour recipes on the blog. Almond Flour Pancakes
Best granola bar ever. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!