No Bake Grape Nut Granola Bars
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Kick start your morning with No Bake Grape Nut Granola Bars! Chock full of whole grains, these homemade granola bars are a tasty, quick, lower sugar breakfast. Post Cereals Grape Nuts Original mix with Post Cereals Great Grains Cranberry Almond Crunch, rolled oats, pecans and dried cranberries to make the texture-filled base, which is sweetened with honey and brown sugar. Who wouldn’t love a No Bake Grape Nut Granola Bar for breakfast?
It might come as a surprise, but breakfast was not always my favorite meal. In fact, I used to skip it all the time in high school and college.
What can I say? I really liked to sleep in. Still do, though it never these days.
My stance on breakfast changed when I became a mother. I could no longer be a functional human being without a nutritious breakfast.
Even though I’ve found a few breakfasts that I adore, I love to switch them up and discover new ones because variety is the spice of life.
This year, I want to kick-start my days with breakfast. And one way to do that is to make these delightful No Bake Grape Nuts Granola Bars!
I specifically made this recipe to feature cereals chock full of whole grains and lower sugar than a lot of store-bought granola bars. Not only are these bars full of whole grains, but they’re packed with nutrients, protein, fiber, B vitamins and antioxidants. Which means they’re the perfect way to start the morning.
Breakfast is such an important meal. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to find a healthy, tasty breakfast from Post Cereals.
And today, I’m using two of their cereals as a part of these granola bars.
So I headed down to Walmart to pick up Post Cereals Grape Nuts Original. Did y’all know that this cereal has been around for 100 years? I didn’t! Another fun fact: Grape Nuts are an excellent source of fiber and contain more than 50 grams of whole grain per serving.
While scouring the cereal aisle, I added a box of Post Cereals Great Grains Cranberry Almond Crunch to my basket because they sounded delicious. Hello, whole grains, cranberries, almonds and crunchiness! This cereal boasts 36 grams of whole grain per serving. While formulating this recipe in my head as I shopped, I decided to use these in my granola bars because YUM.
Finally, I grabbed some Post Cereals Honey Bunches of Oats, the Honey Roasted variety. While I didn’t use them in my recipe, I’m a huge fan and know this cereal will be well-loved in our household. Honey Bunches of Oats is heart healthy cereal and boasts FOUR different types of grains.
So when I got home, it was time to make the granola bars. (I used this recipe from my pal, Feast + West, as my guide since I’d never made chewy granola bars before!)
Quite honestly, I was surprised by how easy these granola bars were to make. They don’t require turning on the oven – a wonderful thing for those of us who plan to eat these in the summertime, as well as now.
You just mix up the dry ingredients in a bowl, then combine the coconut oil, sweeteners, vanilla and salt over heat. When the ingredients have melted, you toss them into the dry ingredients and press into a prepared pan, where they’ll chill.
Once they’ve chilled, you slice them into bars (1.5” x 4.5” is a good size, if you’re asking me), and enjoy. Store the extras in the fridge for future breakfasts and afternoon pick-me-ups.
Sound easy enough? Awesome!
Let’s make some cereal bars for ourselves and families today. These are a delicious, nutritious way to start any day:
No Bake Grape Nut Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups Post Cereals Grape Nuts Original
- 1 cup Post Cereals Great Grains Cranberry Almost Crunch
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries the lower sugar variety is perfect here
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Instructions
- Line a 9”x13” jelly roll pan with plastic wrap. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the coconut oil, honey and brown sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the coconut oil melts and the brown sugar melds into the liquid.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add the vanilla extract and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the Grape Nuts, Great Grains, rolled oats, pecans and dried cranberries. Stir until the ingredients are well-mixed.
- Pour the warm liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, then stir until everything is coated.
- Pour the granola into the prepared pan, and spread out evenly using a plastic spatula. Press down onto the bars with the spatula so the mixture is firmly packed. If it is not, the bars will be crumbly.
- Transfer the pan to the refrigerator, then chill for 1-2 hours.
- When chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Cut into 1½” x 4½” bars, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
How do you like to start your mornings?
Would you enjoy these granola bars for breakfast?
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
What!? This is such a great idea!! I love grape nuts but never thought to use them for cereal bars.
I loooooooooove how easy these are! And an excuse to buy an extra box of cereal, so I’m sold 😉
Oh my goodness, I LOVE Grape Nuts. I used to eat them all the time and just seeing this post makes me want to go get a box and make these. They look so good!
I adore Grape Nuts, so I know I will like these handy bars.
These do look awesome, and I love how simple they are to put together. I’ve always been a fan of Grapenuts (grew up eating them, drizzled with honey) – I need to make a batch!
I skipped breakfast too… Gonna have to try these!
I have to admit that I’m totally guilty of skipping breakfast. When I’m good, I grab something to go and eat at my desk. I just can’t be sacrificing any sleep for breakfast I can have later, so I’m down with these no-bake granola bars!
I love anything no bake and these nut granola bars look delish. What a great recipe!
I have always been a die-hard Grape Nut fan so I am loving this creative recipe.
I used to skip breakfast all the time! My kids would love these
Could these be frozen for a longer time?
Hi Cecily! To be honest with you, I’ve never tried freezing these and think that they could work. I worry a little bit about the texture changing after they’ve been in the freezer, though, since the granola bars are slightly soft and sticky.
I think it’s definitely worth a shot, but I’m not sure they’ll have the same texture after you freeze and defrost them.
If you give it a try, will you let me know how they are?