With these keto granola bars, grabbing a quick snack to fuel up has never been easier.
Even better? This is a keto granola bar that is sugar free, gluten free, and there is no baking required! If you LOVE peanut butter and are looking for a chewy sugar-free granola bar then this recipe is for you!
You might also want to take a look at the best high-protein breakfast ideas (that will keep you full). They are delicious and perfect for breakfast meal prep.
Are granola bars keto?
Typically, no. Most granola bars are loaded with ingredients that negatively impact your blood sugar levels like oatmeal, sugar, preservatives, and sweetened fruit.
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However, if you love granola bars, you’re in luck! These low carb granola bars are developed specifically to be keto-friendly!
This granola bars recipe is made with peanut butter that has no sugar added. To add that sweet flavor, we’ll skip the sugar and instead sweeten these bars with your favorite keto-friendly sweetener.
Plus, these sugar free granola bars are made with a variety of heart-healthy nuts and seeds. There are absolutely no oats or grains in this granola bar recipe, making them paleo-friendly as well.
This keto granola bar is best compared to chewy nut bars you can buy at many stores but without preservatives and added sugars.
Do you prefer protein balls? We just added these quick no-bake protein balls too. The crushed macadamia nuts and pumpkin seeds add the perfect level of crunch.
🥘 Ingredients
You can use any variety of nuts and seeds to make these granola bars, but keep in mind that each nut and seed will have varying levels of carbohydrates and fiber. So keep this in mind when selecting which type of nuts and seed to use.
You can mix and match what you use to make keto granola bars, but in the end you’ll need 2 cups total of nuts and seeds.
I chose to use pecans, almonds, and pumpkin seeds to make my keto granola bars.
I also added unsweetened coconut in these keto granola bars. It’s used to add fiber and fat, and also helps keep the bars together when mixed with nut butter and coconut oil.
Some other ingredients could include:
- sugar free chocolate chips
- flakes of dark chocolate
- sea salt
- almond butter
🔪 Instructions
Now let’s talk about how to make keto granola bars! In a large mixing bowl mix together the granola bar recipe. You’ll need nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, and sweetener.
Next, melt the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds then mix it into your nuts and seeds.
Pour your low carb keto granola bars mix into a square 9×9 inch pan that has been lined with baking parchment paper. Spread the granola recipe evenly in the pan with a flat spatula and firmly press the mixture down.
Place your granola in the freezer to harden before cutting it into 18 pieces.
⏲️ Chill time
You will need to let your homemade granola bars cool completely and harden in the freezer for at least an hour before cutting them into bars.
The longer they chill in the freezer the better the nuts and seeds will stick together to create a solid and firm chewy nut bar. I tend to let my granola bars harden overnight, I find that they are easier to cut when fully frozen.
🍽 Toppings
After you have cut your granola bars you can decorate your homemade granola bars with a drizzle of peanut butter or melted sugar-free dark chocolate if you desire.
The best way I have found to add a nut butter drizzle without adding more calories or carbs is to reserve a spoonful of peanut butter and sweetener in a separate small bowl before mixing up my granola bars.
You can also swap this out for another nut butter such as almond butter.
Once you are ready to add the drizzle mix up the reserved peanut butter and sweetener, melt it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, and then drizzle it over the healthy granola bars. The drizzle will harden as it touches the frozen bars.
Chewy vs crunchy
Since these keto granola bars are no-bake they are chewy. Some of the peanut butter settles at the bottom while hardening to make the bottom coated with nut butter. Yum!
If you prefer a harder, crunchier keto granola bar recipe, you will need to bake the granola in the oven. Bake your bars at 180C/350F for 15-20 minutes. This should make your nut bars crunchier.
Personally, I’m a fan of chewy granola bars!
How to cut the carbs
The best way to reduce the carbs even further for these bars is to cut them into 36 pieces instead of 18.
Your granola will be more like bites than bars, but they still make a tasty sweet treat if you need to satisfy a sweet tooth and need a little fuel.
You can also opt to use the lowest carb nuts and seeds rather than higher carb varieties such as cashews to keep these gluten free keto bars in line with your way of eating.
📋 Substitutions
There are a few substitutions you can make in the recipe. Any nuts and seed combination can be used to make the granola.
If you are allergic to nuts feel free to use a variety of seeds instead of nuts. Any nut or seed butter can be used in place of peanut butter.
The shredded coconut can be substituted for smaller seeds like chia, flax, or sesame. You can also use finely chopped nuts in place of the coconut, it just needs to be small enough to fill in the gaps between the larger nuts. This helps your sugar free granola bars to stick together without large gaps.
Coconut oil can be replaced with another type of oil that hardens or butter. Whatever you use needs to solidify when chilled. You cannot use liquid oils such as coconut oil or olive oil.
🌡️ Storage
How you store your keto granola bars will depend on the weather and climate where you live. In the colder months, you can store your granola bars on the countertop in an air-tight container. During the warmer months, you will want to store your granola bars in the refrigerator or freezer.
Your bars will stay fresh on the counter for up to a week or 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I usually store my granola bars in the freezer because they will stay fresh for 2-3 months when frozen. Enjoy!
Keto Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe
Equipment
- 9×9 baking pan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ½ cup peanut butter melted, reserve 1 tbsp for drizzle
- ⅓ cup granulated sweetener of choice reserve 1 tsp for drizzle
- 1 cup pecans coarsly chopped
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup desiccated/shredded coconut unsweetened
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper. Melt the peanut butter and coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds. Reserve 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tsp sweetener in a seperate bowl to make a peanut topping later.
- In a large bowl combine the nuts, seeds, desiccated/shredded coconut, and sweetener together. Once mixed pour the melted peanut butter and coconut oil over your granola. Toss until all the nuts, seeds, and coconut are fully coated.
- Pour the granola into the square pan. Use a spatula to spread the granola evenly across the pan and firmly press the granola down. Place your pan of granola in the freezer for at least 1 hour to harden.
- Once your granola has hardened lift it from the pan and cut into 18 bars using a knife. Some of the peanut butter will have settled at the bottom coating the bottom of the granola.
- Mix the reserved peanut butter and sweetener together, melt it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and then drizzle it over your frozen cut granola bars. The peanut butter drizzle will harden as it touches the frozen granola. Store your granola bars in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer during the warm months and on the counter during the colder months.
Video
Notes
- If you use different nut butter, please calculate the nutrition values with the brand you used.
- Press firmly into the lined dish, otherwise, you may get crumbling granola bars.
- To really make these shine, drizzle with sugar-free or dark chocolate.
Nutrition
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Oh my word! These look INSANELY DELICIOUS! As I get ready for schools to go back next week (yay) I’ll be making these for some easy lunchbox fillers for my 2 children. Thank you.
These are delicious, but when left on the counter they become soft and just fall apart and have to be eaten with a spoon. Did I do something wrong?
How you store your keto granola bars will depend on the weather and climate where you live. In the colder months, you can store your granola bars on the countertop in an air-tight container. During the warmer months, you will want to store your granola bars in the refrigerator or freezer.
Hi Libby! Love this idea so that I can stop falling for the “keto bars” on the market that are full of extra junk. If I wanted to make variations like vanilla, chocolate, or lemon, would I still need the nut butter to hold it together or does the coconut oil basically do that? I have coconut butter, cacao butter, and xantham gum in my pantry if any of those would work. Thank you!
Hi Gina, yes you still need the nut butter because that’s the main component of these bars for structure and flavour. However, you may like to make my chocolate seed bars, traditional keto granola bars, lemon bars (which are more like cake), or sugar-free keto Bounty bars (coconut bars). I hope you like one of these. The Bounty bars have to be my favourite.
Thank you for your response! I actually made the bounty bars the other night and they turned out amazing!! Everyone loved them.
When do you add the shredded coconut?
Hi Barbara, you add it in step 2: In a large bowl combine the nuts, seeds, desiccated/shredded coconut, and sweetener together.
I don’t have a microwave, could I just melt in a pan? Also I only have a tiny icebox, which is always full, would just putting them at the bottom of the fridge for longer work, or do they need to freeze?
Hi Ally, yes you can melt this in a pan (the microwave is just handy and fast). It’s best if they can go in the freezer, however, they can be placed in the fridge overnight and they will still set brilliantly.
If I’m baking to make them crunchier, at what stage do I do this? Before or after cutting into slices? Do I still have to freeze it?
I would bake it first then cut into granola bars shapes then give it a quick second bake to make sure the granola bars are crunchy and solid.
So delicious! Thanks for all your creative recipes! Wonderful to make!
Thank you, Anne. Happy baking!
I don’t have a 9×9 pan. Can I use an 8×8 instead?
Yes, you can use a smaller pan, the bars will be deeper and so might require a longer cooking time. These baking pan conversion charts might be helpful.
Cooking time?
These are no-bake bars.
You don’t have to bake, but if you do (for a crunchy granola bar) you’ll bake them for 15-20 minutes at 350F.
My family love these but unless they are kept in the freezer full time they literally melt and fall apart!! You have to eat them straight from the freezer so no taking them to work or parties!!!
Oh no! Sorry to hear that Caroline. Are you adding an icepack to the lunch container when taking them to go? If it isn’t cold enough outside, they need to stay in the refrigerator or chilled with an icepack to keep their form. This will depend on where you are located or how warm the home is. During the summer I always store them in the refrigerator, but during the winter I can usually store them on the counter with no issue.
I absolutely love these, they are delicious and so easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe. My whole family loves them.
So happy your family loved them Heather! Thank you for sharing!