In high school, the principal lengthened our third period class by ten minutes to designate time for a daily bulletin, filmed and produced by the video class, informing us about various assemblies, sports games, and other extracurricular activities. With nearly two hours to go until lunch, many teachers allowed their students to pull out a small snack during that time as well.
My senior year, I ended up with AP Calculus as my third period class, so after power walking clear across campus from AP Economics, I plopped down in my desk chair and reached into my shoulder bag. I brought lunch from home every single day, which meant I always had a snack ready to go too.
Three of my good guy friends sat in desks surrounding me, and I usually laughed at the size of their snacks. Two of them swam competitively and had both early morning and afternoon practices nearly every day, so they could eat almost an entire meal as a snack and still feel ravenous by the time the lunch bell rang! A big sandwich, a couple of oranges, even burritos they somehow managed to keep warm in their backpacks…
But me? As a short and tiny 5’2” girl, I needed far less food as a snack. I often opted for a simple soft and chewy granola bar since my mom always stocked a couple of different kinds in our pantry.
Even though I was a huge chocoholic back then and loved the chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chunk, and s’mores flavors, I still enjoyed the cinnamon raisin ones just as much. They reminded me of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies!
But as an adult, I started looking at the labels of those store-bought granola bars and realized their ingredients weren’t always the healthiest… So I recreated a much more wholesome version of them with these Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bar Bites!
These are just as soft and chewy as the ones I ate in high school, and they also have just as much rich cinnamon and sweet plump raisins. Yet unlike the store-bought kind, these contain no artificial ingredients, butter, oil, refined flour or sugar and just 32 calories!
And yes… These healthy granola bar bites still taste like oatmeal raisin cookies!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy oatmeal raisin granola bar bites!
To make things as simple as possible, you actually just need one bowl! And in that one bowl, you’ll start by whisking together egg whites. No, that’s not always an ingredient in granola bars… But it’s a key ingredient in this recipe!
The egg whites hold together the other ingredients without any butter or oil (which helps keep these healthy oatmeal raisin granola bar bites low calorie and low fat!). They also add a protein boost!
And no, you do not end up with chunks of cooked egg in your granola bars. When you add eggs as an ingredient in your favorite cookie dough, you don’t end up with bits of cooked egg in your finished cookies, right? The same thing applies here!
Next, you’ll whisk in cinnamon and salt. This is my favorite kind of cinnamon! It tastes stronger, richer, and sweeter than the plain varieties, and it’s still really affordable. (I buy mine online here!)
After that comes Greek yogurt! If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you already know how much I love baking with it. Greek yogurt keeps your healthy oatmeal raisin granola bars really soft and chewy, and it gives them a protein boost, too!
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your healthy oatmeal raisin granola bars with pure maple syrup instead. You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees! The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Time to add the cereals! Yes, that’s plural. You’re adding two! Old fashioned oats and crisp brown rice cereal. The oats add that classic hearty texture, while the brown rice cereal helps your healthy oatmeal raisin granola bars hold together better.
Hint: Many store-bought granola bars contain rice cereal as well! It’s not quite as weird of an ingredient as it sounds. I promise!
And of course… You’ll also need raisins! But before you stir those into your bowl, I have two tricks for you.
The first is to dice your raisins into smaller bits. I cut my raisins into quarters, if not sixths. This smaller size means your healthy oatmeal raisin granola bars hold together better! If you added whole raisins, the granola bars would fall apart. I promise it’s worth taking the extra time to dice your raisins!
The second is to hydrate your raisins. This is super simple to do! Just add your raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, add in enough water to completely cover them, put a lid or plastic wrap on top, and pop that in the microwave for a minute. If you let the bowl sit while you measure and mix together the rest of your ingredients, then your raisins will be exceptionally plump and juicy!
And just a few minutes later…
You’ll have a pan of healthy snacks (or breakfasts!) ready and waiting for you! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your healthy oatmeal raisin granola bar bites!
Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bar Bites | | Print |
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups (45g) crisp brown rice cereal
- 1 cup (100g) old-fashioned rolled oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ cup (40g) raisins, hydrated and diced (see Notes!)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites. Whisk in the cinnamon and salt. Stir in the Greek yogurt and maple syrup, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in the rice cereal and oats. Gently fold in the raisins.
- Gently press the mixture into the prepared pan using a spatula. Bake at 300°F for 11-14 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into squares.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Regular crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies) may be substituted for the brown rice cereal. In a pinch, lightly crushed rice pocket cereal may also be substituted.
Instant oats may be substituted for the old-fashioned oats. Do not substitute steel-cut oats.
Remember to measure the brown rice cereal and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out the batter, and the ingredients won’t fully incorporate. If this happens to you, then add 1-2 tablespoons of milk (any type will work!) until all of the ingredients can be fully incorporated.
Before adding the raisins, dice them into quarters or sixths. I do not recommend using whole raisins. Their bigger size causes the granola bar bites to fall apart. To hydrate, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and completely cover them with water. Add a lid on top or tightly cover the top with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the raisins rest for at least 5 minutes (or while measuring and mixing together the other ingredients!) Drain thoroughly before adding to the mixing bowl. This makes them especially plump and juicy!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Scones
♡ Healthy Double Chocolate Granola Bar Bites
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Quick Bread
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Granola Bar Bites
♡ Healthy Practically Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy snack recipes!
Dawn says...
Hi Amy, Love your recipes as I aspire to cook more healthily daily. Question: do I hydrate my raisins before I chop them or after? Thanks!
Amy says...
I truly appreciate your sweet words and interest in my recipes Dawn! Cut the raisins first, then hydrate them after. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these granola bar bites!
Dawn says...
OK! Thanks for that tip. They looked perfect as I placed them in the oven. Now while I have time to do something else, I noticed you had salt mentioned twice with two different measurements. I added 1/4 teaspoon and that’s all. Thoughts? Thanks!
Amy says...
It’s my pleasure Dawn! Thanks for catching that about the salt — all fixed! If you added ¼ teaspoon, that was perfect. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear how your granola bar bites turned out!
beth says...
HI AMY What could I use instead of the brown rice cereal for this recipe
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Beth! I’ve actually covered this already in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these granola bar bites if you try them!
Lisa says...
Hi Amy,
Is there a way to hydrate the raisins if there is no microwave available? Thanks!
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lisa! The best option is to add the raisins to a small pot, cover them with water, and then bring that to a boil on the stove. As soon as the water boils, remove the pot from the heat, and put on a lid. Let that sit until you’re ready to drain and add them to the granola bar mixture! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these!
Suzanne says...
I made these and they are tiny! You need 2/3 just to feel like you have had something which makes them low fat but quite high in calories and carbs ????
Amy says...
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Suzanne! They’re called granola bar “bites” because they’re bite-sized. 😉 If you’d rather cut them into larger bar shapes, that’s perfectly fine!
Lianne says...
I have been trying to find a low calorie, gluten free oat snacks for awhile, theses sound perfect can’t wait to try them.
Amy says...
I’m excited to hear what you think of these granola bar bites Lianne! 🙂
Jessica says...
Can you add protein powder?