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Save money by making copycat Nature Valley granola bars at home (and save time by not having to run to the store to buy them)! This homemade version is super simple to make and tastes just like the real thing. Using my food scientist background, I worked backward to duplicate the flavor and texture of this classic snack at home.
save this recipe!Granola bars are a great way to get nutrients on the go. Living in the mountains, I’ve eaten my my fair share, none more well-known than Nature Valley granola bars.
But if you’ve even stepped foot in a grocery store in the last year, you’re well aware that the cost of goods has drastically increased. So, in an effort to save some money, I have perfected how to make these tasty and crunchy oats ‘n honey granola bars at home.
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- Easy to make with just pantry staple ingredients (like oats and honey!)
- Quick to whip up. Most of the time to make these granola bars is spent waiting for them to bake.
- Customize them by adding mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, or a chocolate drizzle.
Here’s what you’ll need
You probably already have these ingredients in your pantry!
- Rolled Oats: Otherwise known as “old-fashioned oats”. Avoid using Instant or steel cut oats here, which don’t have the same texture.
- Sweeteners: To achieve the perfect sweetness, these bars use both honey and brown sugar.
- Oil: Vegetable oil helps to bind everything together. You could also use coconut oil here (or even olive oil if you don’t mind the hint of olive flavor but want the health benefits).
- Vanilla Extract: Just a splash adds major flavor.
- Baking Soda: This is important for developing crunch in the bars.
- Salt: Salt helps to elevate the flavor of the bars, taking them from good to great.
DIY Oat Flour
Blending some of the oats creates oat flour, which acts as the binder for these bars. It’s a cheap and effective way to create texture yet still have a gluten-free bar that holds together. If you love learning how to make granola bars and plan to make more, you can also buy oat flour.
How to make Nature Valley Granola Bars
Very similar to other homemade granola bars, these involve just a few simple steps and minimal active work.
- Blend some of the oats into oat flour.
- Stir together the oat flour with the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and press the mixture into a lined baking dish.
- Bake until golden brown and firm.
More on-the-go snacks
If you’re taking these copycat granola bars on the road, here are a few more grab-and-go options.
- Quinoa Granola: Packed with nuts and dried fruit, this granola can be enjoyed with a handful of it. It’s so tasty!
- Homemade Larabars: This copycat recipe is easy to make and includes 4 different variations, so there’s a flavor for everyone.
Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats, divided, 200 g
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or any neutral oil, 60 mL
- ¼ cup honey, 60 mL
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup brown sugar, 50 g
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Blitz: Add ½ cup of the oats to a blender or food processor and blitz into a flour.
- Wets: Stir oat flour together with ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Dries: Stir in remaining rolled oats, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt.
- Press: Line a baking dish (7×9 inch or similar) with parchment paper, then transfer oat mixture into it. Press the mixture firmly down into the pan (use the bottom of a glass to flatten it).
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Immediately after taking it out of the oven, use the bottom of a glass to press the bars, flattening the top firmly. Let cool fully before cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Any way to reduce the sugar content in these to make them healthy. I prefer to just use honey (as little as possible as still a sugar) rather than sugar. In Europe we tend to eat less sugar than the USA I have noticed from recipes. And if the sugar is not needed I would rather have as little as possible.
Totally get that—and yes, you can reduce the sugar! You can try using just honey and cut the amount down to about ¼ to ⅓ cup, depending on how sticky you want the bars (they may be a bit more crumbly with less). You can also add a tablespoon of nut butter to help bind without extra sugar.
I made these and had SEVERAL modifications, lol. After reading a lot of the comments, I decided that I’d try using a bit of “rice flour” (I pulverized some puffed rice because rice flour is $$$$) along with oat flour, heating up the sugar, honey, oil, molasses, and +maple syrup to allow for some of the sugar to dissolve a bit, added puffed rice and chopped pecans, increased salt to 1 tsp, slightly reduced the rolled oat amount by half a cup, placed it in an 8″ × 11″ cookie sheet, and baked at 260°F for 25 min in my air fryer/toaster oven on super convection fan, leaving it in the oven after the timer ended and oven shut off. The results were bars that were about as hard as peanut brittle, LOL. Still, very very tasty. Thanks for this recipe!
What amounts did you use?
I’ve made these twice in the last week. 2nd time I added 1 Tbsp of PB powder and maybe 1 Tbsp Almond milk. Gave it just a hint of PB flavor. I’m going to try .5 tsp cinnamon next time. Will make again!
Thanks for the kind words and feedback, happy eating!
Hi Sarah,
Do you think this would work if I added trail mix? It would obvi be more chewy than crunchy.
I think it could work, I’m just not sure about the ratios of ingredients needed to keep them held together. You may need to add a bit more honey!
My fiance said these had to be a family staple now. Said we should make them for holidays, presents, etc. I’ve made two batches in the last two days!
So thrilled to hear it, Katie!! Happy eating!
Can I use agave syrup instead of honey 🍯? Thanks 🙏
While I haven’t tested agave here, I do think it would work. I would love to hear how it goes if you try it out, Shannon!
These turned out great. I’ll definitely leave out the sugar next time and just use honey. I added peanut butter and choc chips to mine. Yum!
So glad it hit the spot Ritah, thanks for sharing!
First batch was fantastic! 2nd batch I added 1/4 cup each of almonds and pecans blitzed in the food processor. I added 1 tablespoon each of honey and oil to account for additional dry ingredients… fantastic yet again. I goofed on my 3rd batch, forgot the brown sugar and you know, it was actually still very good with just the honey. I am on batch number 4. This is over a 2 day period. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the feedback Don, great to hear how the different batches are working out!
Hi Sarah,
I would like to use this recipe to make just granola, not bars. I put granola on my yogurt each morning. When the mixture comes out of the oven and cools is it a crumbly type texture. If not, what ingredients would I cut back on or leave out? Thank you for making an affordable alternative to the Nature Valleys bars we used to know and love.
If you break it into pieces before it cools, that should work! Happy eating!
I used to love these bars!!! Is there a way to make them oil-free?
I haven’t tested a version of this recipe without oil so I can’t say for sure, but I would love to hear how it goes if you try it out!