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    Home » Food

    Homemade (Gluten Free) Granola Bars with Pistachio, Cocoa, and Cherries

    Published on February 15, 2017 ᛫ Updated on February 9, 2022 by Chef Markus Mueller

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    Homemade granola bars and even plain old granola are one of those "on the go" snack foods that are perfect for pretty much any situation. A quick and healthy breakfast, a mid-day energy boost at work, an after-school snack for your kids, or while camping with the family. These gluten free granola bars are loaded with chocolate, dried cherries, and pistachios. Best of all they are easy to make!

    Jump to Recipe
    Pistachio, Cocoa, and Cherry stuffed homemade Granola Bars on a wooden board

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.

    Are All Granola Bars Gluten Free?

    The simple answer is no. While it is true that rolled oats them selves do not contain any gluten, many store bought varieties can not guarantee their facility is gluten free or the product contains gluten in another ingredient. Thee best solution is to make your own homemade gluten free granola bars with ingredients you can trust are gluten free!

    Related:  Freezer Friendly Gluten Free Swedish Meatballs

    Are Granola Bars Even That Healthy?

    You might be surprised to learn that not all store-bought granola and granola bars are as healthy as you are lead to believe. Store bought granola bars are often dipped in rich chocolate or a variety of other coatings, which makes them generally very high in sugar and loaded with various preservatives to maintain texture and freshness.

    The first "healthy" leading brand of granola bar I looked at on the shelf consisted of over 25% sugar. That's mind blowing if you stop and think about it. A quarter of that granola bar you're about to devour is made of sugar, (probably not healthy sugars at that). This makes run of the mill granola bars very tasty and appealing.

    I have nothing against having sugar in my homemade granola bars, it helps bind the granola, and makes taste delicious! The key is to eat sweets like this in moderation! - Chef Markus Mueller

    This gluten free granola bar recipe is very straight forward and is filled with lots of tasty treats to give you a quick energy boost. You can use roasted or raw pistachios depending on what's available to you, or swap out the pistachios for other nuts!

    You'll Need:

    • 3 cup oats
    • 1 cup chopped raw pistachios
    • ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    • ¾ cup dried cherries
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • ½ cup whole or ground flax seeds
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¾ brown sugar
    • 2 egg whites
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    A simple mix of ingredients in a bowl for making homemade granola bars.

    Mix the oats, chopped pistachios, unsweetened shredded coconut, salt, and flax seeds together in a bowl.

    In a saucepan melt the coconut oil, brown sugar and honey until just liquid. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until well coated. Beat 2 egg whites with the vanilla extract until frothy and mix into the other ingredients.

    A series of images showing how to Mix all the ingredients for pistachio granola bars

    Spread the granola bar mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread out the mix until it evenly covers the surface of the pan. With wet hands, lightly pack it down. Bake on 300F for 20 to 30 minutes. The mixture will still look kind of wet and soft, don't worry it will harden and crisp up as it cools. Let the pan cool for about 5 minutes and then cut the sheet of granola into bar sized portions. Be careful not to burn yourself as the mix may still be slightly hot. Let cool until completely set and then separate your homemade granola bars.

    Homemade granola bar mixture spread on a sheet pan before baking at 300F for 30 minutes.

    These tasty pistachio, cocoa, and cherry granola bars are easily packed up and able to be enjoyed wherever ever you are. The ingredients can be fairly easily swapped out as well for other nuts, dried fruits, and seeds. Change things up by adding some chia or even spices like cinnamon to the mix! If you want to make no-bake granola bars follow the recipe above and simply omit the egg whites and instead add some peanut or other nut butter until you can form firm balls with your hands. After mixing thoroughly, pack the mixture into a cookie sheet and cover with saran wrap and let chill over night until solid. Cut and store the bars in the fridge.

    Homemade gluten free Granola Bars on a wooden board surrounded by various ingredients

    Made the recipe? Comment & Rate it below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest

    Healthy and delicious, these homemade granola bars are the perfect on the go snack food or back to school treat!

    Homemade (Gluten Free) Granola Bars with Pistachio, Cocoa, and Cherry

    Markus Mueller
    These healthy gluten free Granola Bars are easy to make at home and cut out many of the unhealthy sugars and preservatives found in commercial brands. Full of chocolate, dried cherries, and pistachios, adults and kids alike will love them!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Snack Food
    Cuisine Canadian
    Servings 40 x 25g granola bars
    Calories 4655.4 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Dry Ingredients

    • 3 cup oats
    • 1 cup chopped raw pistachios
    • ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    • ¾ cup dried cherries
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • ½ cup whole or ground flax seeds
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Wet Ingredients

    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¾ brown sugar
    • 2 egg whites
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the oats, chopped pistachios,cocoa, cherries, unsweetened shredded coconut, salt, and flax seeds together in a bowl.
    • In a saucepan melt the coconut oil, brown sugar and honey until just liquid. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until well coated. Beat 2 egg whites with the vanilla extract until frothy and mix into the other ingredients.
    • Spread the granola bar mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread out the mix until it evenly covers the surface of the pan. With wet hands lightly pack it down. Bake on 300F for 20 to 30 minutes.The mixture will still look kind of wet and soft, don't worry it will harden and crisp up as it cools.
    • Let the pan cool for about 5 minutes and then cut the sheet of granola into bar sized portions.Let cool until completely set and then separate your homemade granola bars.

    Notes

    The pistachios and dried cherries can be switched out for your own combination of fruit and nuts

    Nutrition

    Calories: 4655.4kcal

    Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

    Keyword camping,, gluten free, granola bars, snack
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lcannon

      April 11, 2018 at 2:59 pm

      5 stars
      Recipe doesn’t say when to add cherries and cocoa. I’m assuming with dried ingredients???

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        April 12, 2018 at 6:55 pm

        My apologies! I've updated the recipe to include when these should be added.

        Reply
    2. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices

      February 25, 2017 at 10:46 am

      I liked your granola bars as soon as I saw them, and I am definitely going to try them, maybe switching the dried fruit to what I have in the pantry. I like having a snack in the afternoon or mid-morning, and these are just perfect!

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 25, 2017 at 6:02 pm

        They are perfect for a quick snack! Switching out the fruit and nuts shouldn't be an issue as long as the same amounts are used.

        Reply
    3. Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)

      February 24, 2017 at 5:54 pm

      Pistachios and cherries is the perfect combination here! Homemade is definitely always best, if time allows!

      Reply
    4. Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs

      February 24, 2017 at 5:40 pm

      I think the trouble with the high sugar content in store-bought granola bars is that even though they're a dessert, people see them as a healthy snack! Homemade is so easy and a million times healthier! Pistachio and cherries are perfect together- these look delicious, Markus.

      Reply
    5. Elaine

      February 24, 2017 at 12:55 pm

      We can never have too many granola bar recipes! Your version sounds wonderful. I see the ingredients list in the blog post, but it doesn't seem to be in the recipe at the bottom. If you hit the print button, the ingredients list is not there. Am I missing something??

      Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 24, 2017 at 12:57 pm

        Thanks for pointing that out Elaine. I'll have it fixed shortly.

        Reply
    6. [email protected]

      February 24, 2017 at 11:23 am

      These look amazing - all my favourite things in one bar! I know what you mean about the sugar content - I always look for the lowest amount of sugar when I buy granola bars for the kids, but they are all still so high in sugar! I will definitely be making there! I didn't see it mentioned, but will they keep longer if you freeze them?

      Reply
      • [email protected]

        February 24, 2017 at 11:23 am

        making these, I meant!

        Reply
      • Markus Mueller

        February 24, 2017 at 12:08 pm

        They will keep longer frozen yes, though I simply cut them into bars and keep them in rubbermaid bins in the fridge.

        Reply

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