Hearty, filling, and only 105 calories each!
Throughout my teenage years, Mom tossed packages of granola bars into her shopping cart every time she entered the grocery store. My brother and I basically inhaled them—the boxes practically disappeared overnight—and we sampled most of Safeway’s entire selection: Nature Valley, Fiber One, Clif Bars, Special K… We normally gravitated towards the softer varieties, which meant Mom maintained a constant stash of Nutri-Grain and Quaker Chewy Bars in the pantry.
In the mornings, my high school scheduled a 10-minute snack break at the start of 3rd period, so I’d slip a Chewy Bar out of my backpack (normally Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate Chunk) and slowly savor it while comparing geeky calculus stories with my friends about how we solved the integrals from the previous night’s homework. By the time I swallowed the last bite, Mr. D had already warmed up the overhead projector to start presenting that day’s notes.
Then after school, I’d plop down onto the sofa, a Nutri-Grain Bar in hand, and flip open the family laptop. Instead of logging on to check email or chat online with friends, I clicked over to a jigsaw puzzle website and challenged myself to put one together in under 2 minutes. (They only offered the “Easy” 16-piece ones for free, and since they only cataloged about 30 images, I always clocked in at under 1:45 by the end of the semester!)
In between rounds of puzzles, I nibbled on my fruit-filled granola bar. Although a fairly standard size—not a monster like a Clif bar!—I still managed to take about 15-20 bites to finish it. Yes, a mouse would gnaw off bigger pieces than me!
Over the weekend, while reminiscing about the good ol’ days before full-time jobs, checkbooks, and social media, a brilliant idea popped into my head. What if I combined my two childhood granola bar favorites into an even healthier snack?
So that’s exactly what I did!
My simple Strawberry Banana Granola Bars contain the wholesome oats of Quaker Chewy Bars, the sweet fruit taste of Nutri-Grain Bars, but none of the preservatives or artificial ingredients. Bright banana flavor fills each soft snack, coupled with bursts of fresh strawberries—not sugary jam, like the commercial varieties. With only 6 healthy ingredients, these granola bars are a cinch to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to bake!
The base begins with old-fashioned oats. Although perfect for cookies, instant (quick-cook) oats absorb liquid a little too quickly for these granola bars. Old-fashioned oats soak up just enough moisture to soften while still maintaining their hearty texture. If following a gluten-free diet, you can easily substitute gluten-free oats instead.
The wet ingredients include milk, mashed banana, honey, and coconut oil. The milk and mashed banana provide the moisture and “glue” that hold the granola bars together. The mashed banana also contributes most of the natural sweetness, so pick out the spottiest one you can find! I only mixed in an additional 1 tablespoon of honey for all 10 granola bars, but you could omit it if your banana’s peel looks solid brown.
Note: For a vegan version, swap in your favorite non-dairy milk and agave. They won’t affect the flavor or texture.
Granola bars made purely from milk and fruit would turn out gummy, but the tiny bit of fat from the coconut oil prevents that unappetizing consistency. Just like in these oatmeal cookies, you cannot taste it at all—I promise! But if you don’t own any, canola or vegetable oil would work too.
I opted for frozen unsweetened strawberries for these skinny granola bars, which means you can make them all year round! Let the berries thaw for a few minutes: just enough so can easily slice through them with a knife, but not so long that they turn slimy as the ice crystals melt. You want to dice the strawberries fairly small; larger chunks would rip apart the oats as you cut through them to form the bars.
These low fat granola bars only bake for 15-19 minutes, so keep a close eye on them! I recommend the lower end of the time frame to ensure they stay soft and chewy. After cooling the bars to room temperature, place the pan in the fridge to help them firm up. Chilling also really makes the fruit flavors pop!
Hearty and wholesome, these chewy Strawberry Banana Granola Bars are bursting with fresh fruity flavor. Sweet banana saturates every oaty bite, punctuated by juicy red strawberries. With only 105 calories and under 5 grams of sugar, these snacks are a filling clean-eating treat that you can feel good about enjoying!
These fruit-filled bars are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a light sweet treat! Store them in the refrigerator to maintain a firm texture and prevent them from browning.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil, mashed banana, milk, and honey. Stir in the oats until thoroughly coated. Gently fold in the diced strawberries. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 300°F for 15-19 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into bars. Cover the bars with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: For a vegan version, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and agave.
These look so good! This is a silly question but could I use tried fruit like raisins instead of the frozen strawberries? Thanks! 🙂
Definitely! Raisins would be a great substitution. That’s the beauty of this granola bar recipe — you can easily use whatever mix-ins you prefer! 🙂 I hope you enjoy them Katie!
Can these also be eaten raw or do you have to cook them?
After mixing up the mixture, it’s much too wet and soggy, so the bars wouldn’t hold together unless they were baked. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the granola bars if you try them Sonja!
As soon as I read your recipe I knew I wanted to double it! I used a 11 × 13 pan for 35 minutes at 300° and let them cool to room temp before I put them in the fridge. Took then out this morning and sliced them up. The bottoms were a little moist, but the tops were perfect! Oooooh my goodness what a filling and wonderful way to start the morning!!! I followed the recipe to the “T” and had no difficulties at all! I added 1/2 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips just for fun (and I absolutely love chocolate and anytime I can sneak it into a recipe I do!). Thank you for this fun, easy, filling, and oh so yummy recipe! When I get back home I think I will flip them over onto a cooling rack and keep in the fridge to firm up the bottom side before wrapping them individually.
TIP!: I do recipes like this periodically (baked oatmeal squares and such) and when using the fridge to help the firming process, I always make sure that my baking soda fridge keepers are up to date! You can find them in the baking isle where they have a side you can tear off and place in your fridge! They’re awesome! It really helps keep the moisture in the fridge low and recipes like this firm up nicely!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the granola bars Shelby, and thanks for sharing your tips! I really appreciate it. 🙂 I love your mini chocolate chip addition — I’m a HUGE chocoholic too! (It’s why I wrote my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook! 😉 )
I made these but used unsweetened almond milk used fresh strwberries added a TSP of cinnamon then topped them off with sweet nibs. Great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the granola bars Lori! I love the cinnamon idea — I’m a cinnamon-aholic! 😉
Can I use frozen banana instead of fresh? I have about 10 bananas diced and frozen right now.
I’d be slightly worried that the frozen and thawed bananas wouldn’t have quite the same texture as fresh ones, but if you’ve been able to do that in other recipes that call for mashed banana, then it should probably work in this one too. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the granola bars Sam!
Hello! Can’t wait to make these, they look delicious! Question – how long can I leave them out at room temp?
Thanks!
Thanks Casey! I can only guarantee that they’ll last two days at room temperature. Because of the fruit, I’m afraid that they’ll start to turn moldy if left too much longer than that at room temperature. I’m excited to hear what you think of them! 🙂
Great recipe! I usually make your granola bars with apple and raspberry but tried those for a change now and loved them? Took them to work as well, they all love your recipes:) I first made granola bars from your page in July and haven’t had any store bought ones ever since, the home made ones are so much better?
Katja x
I’m so glad you loved both granola bar recipes Katja! That means so much to me that you haven’t bought any from the store since trying my recipes. I’m truly touched — thank you for sharing that with me! ♥
Hey there! I loved the recipe! I added a 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes and I threw in some freeze dried strawberries along with the frozen ones and it was delicious! Thank you for the very tasty and unique recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these granola bars Andrew! I love the sound of your modifications too! 🙂
Hiya Amy
When you say frozen strawberries, do you mean fresh strawberries – from the shop/store – that are frozen at home or pre-packed dried strawberries?
Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Matthew! Here in the US, grocery stores sell frozen strawberries in the frozen foods section (typically right next to the ice cream!). Those are fresh strawberries that have been flash-frozen, not “freeze dried” or regular dried strawberries. Fresh strawberries will also work, if you prefer! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these granola bars if you try them!
Hi just wandering if I can substitute out the banana with something? My kids are addicted to the uncle tobys strawberry with yoghurt on the top and I’m worried if they taste the banana they may not give them a good enough go. The prepackaged ones I hate are filled with sugar. Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Sam! You can try substituting the banana with plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or regular non-Greek yogurt). Then increase the honey to a total of 3-4 tablespoons to compensate for the missing sweetness in the banana, and reduce the milk to 2-3 tablespoons (depending on how much honey you use!) to compensate for the added liquid honey. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your kids think of these granola bars!