A Grab 'N Go Breakfast With ZERO Added Sugar (and you will love it) 
45 | Posted on April 18, 2011 ‹ newer older ›
Anybody else sick of packaged cereal bars? But, they are just SO easy and fast.
The concept, a delicious bar packed with nutrients to start your day isn't a bad one. The problem is that most cereal or granola bars on the market have a ton of added sugar and they taste kinda fake.
Snack Girl to the rescue!!!
So, I have looked a perhaps 100 different granola bar/energy bar recipes and the ones that I like the best feature ingredients that I already have in the house. But, many homemade recipes also have added sugar. In fact, the recipe I used to use (Energy Bar Recipe), has 3/4 cup brown sugar in it.
What if all the ingredients were unprocessed and there was no added sugar, honey, or maple syrup? Would you get something that tasted yummy?
The problem is that we are so inundated with sugar, that at first a child (or adult) might dislike these because they aren't sweet enough. My 6 year old LOVED these "Cereal Bars" and eagerly ate one for breakfast.
I like them because (basically) this is just fruits and nuts stuck together by nut butter and mashed bananas. These are easy to make and store well in the fridge or freezer.
And did I mention that they are gluten free and vegan? Whoa!
If you like grabbing a bar for breakfast, give these a try.
Also, these could make a great snack, but I wouldn't make them as large. I would divide up the batter into 24 muffin cups and cook them a shorter length of time. This way you get a snack closer to a hundred calories - which is a more reasonable amount.
If you are gluten-free, please be sure to use gluten-free certified oats. Many oats are processed in the same plants as wheat.
Have you tried to make your own cereal bars?
printCereal Bar Recipe
(makes 12 or 24)
1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup whole nuts (choose your favorite)
1 ½ cup total of dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, coconut, etc.)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
Pinch cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a food processor, coarsely chop nuts and dried fruits. Mix nut butter and bananas until a paste forms. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes. Can be stored in refrigerator for 5 days.
For one granola bite (12 in recipe) = 190 calories, 8.4 g fat, 26.7 g carbohydrates, 5.4 g protein, 3.1 g fiber, 52 mg sodium, 5 PointsPlus
Other posts you might like:
 | Hate Bananas? Try These Pumpkin Bites Back in April, Snack Girl posted what she thought was an awesome cereal bar recipe. People complained! read more |
 | Avoid The Cereal Aisle Forever Using This Simple Recipe Snack Girl writes a lot about cereal because it is one of those packaged foods that makes all sorts of health claims.... read more |
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45 Comments:
These sound awesome!
patty on April 18, 2011
SO making some of these!
Alta on April 18, 2011
giving this one a shot next week
Jessica on April 18, 2011
What is nut butter??? These sound really good.
Wayside Wanderer on April 18, 2011
These look great! Will definitely be making some!
Cristina @ An Organic Wife on April 18, 2011
These look fantastic! Must try.
Jen @ Strides and Glides on April 18, 2011
Will sun butter work? I have tried making my own bars before, but they were too dry AND too sweet. I'll be trying these this week-I'm always eating breakfast on the run-these look perfect!
Rachel Pargeter on April 18, 2011
I was hoping that by writing "nut butter" I was including all those nutty spreads that people love such as peanut butter, sun butter, almond butter, etc. Any other ideas?
Snack Girl on April 18, 2011
This is such an awesome recipe! I'm totally going to have to try this one soon.
Matt @ FaveDiets on April 18, 2011
Thanks, Snack Girl. Sounds great as I am always looking for new breakfast ideas! Will definitely try, with addition of protein powder. Unfortunately, it's hard to find dried fruits that don't have added sugar, sometimes a LOT of added sugar. We all must remember to READ LABELS!!
Val on April 18, 2011
These look fabbity fab.
Heidi on April 18, 2011
what about a sub for bananas?
bev on April 18, 2011
I would love to make these. Just one question, can you use a blender? I don't have a food processor. Thanks, Jen
Jen B. on April 18, 2011
A blender will definately not work. There is not enought moisture to keep the nuts and dried fruit from bogging down the blade. You'd be better off putting the nuts in a zip lock baggie and crushing them with a rolling pin and chopping the dried friut with a knife, mashing the banana with a fork and mixing all together. Just a suggestion.
Deane Peck MS RD LDN on April 18, 2011
I'll have to try these!! I love recipes without added sugar (granulated, brown, ect.), but a bonus when it doesn't contain honey or maple syrup! *Bookmark*
Kathy on April 19, 2011
Hey Snack Girl, have you ever tried Vegan Overnight Oats?
It's 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 to 1.25 cups almonds milk (or milk oc choice), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 to 1 mashed banana, and 1 tbsp chia seeds (flax seeds and meal work fine too). You stir it a bit then place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add desired toppings and eat. Pretty quick too.
Katy on April 19, 2011
hi ms katy....... is the oats instant? can i use an ordinary low fat milk? what is chia seeds? any alternatives that can easily found in supermarket? thanks.
dorie on April 19, 2011
I'm wondering about the banana substitute as well.
Krystle on April 19, 2011
@Dorie: I use rolled oats, but I'm sure old fashioned or maybe quick oats work fine too. I don't think steel cut would work though. You could use regular cow milk, it just won't be vegan. I use cow milk whenever I don't have almond or soy milk at my house. Chia seeds are pretty hard to find, I think, but are great for hydration and other goodness. The chia seeds are for thickening up the oats too. An alternative is flax seeds or flax meal. Or just add more banana to thicken it all up!
Katy on April 21, 2011
thanks a lot katy... im so excited to try this. send me some more...
dorie on April 21, 2011
@dorie: Your welcome ^^
Go to ohsheglows.com for more recipes...
Katy on April 21, 2011
I love that you just write "nut butter"! Too many people rely on peanut butter and exclude other nut butters. Walnut butter is HIGHLY underrated; as is macadamia, cashew, pecan, almond, a blend etc... great recipe! So many of my clients don't even think of other nut butters! I don't think they even realize that peanuts aren't a nut! And walnuts are so full of selenium and vitamin E. I love the addition of pumpkin seeds (more selenium)! This is turning out to be a serious 'prostate cancer fighting', healthy snack!
Have a great weekend!
Barbara
Barbara on April 22, 2011
Yeah I have *tried* making home made granola or cereal bars and they always turn out terrible. I get granola but never bars; they just crumble up into bits. I don't know what I do wrong as I follow the recipes pretty exactly
Twyla on April 30, 2011
Hi Snack Girl, any subs for banana yet?
Thanks
Bev on May 1, 2011
yummy! smelled like 24 mini-banana muffins when they were baking. i used TJ's almond butter with flaxseed, whole almonds, craisins, dates (think LARABARS), unsweetened coconut (less sugar than using 1.5cups of fruit.....but probably changes calories/PPvalue?). great snack before/after a workout when u need a little something. cheaper than LARA/CLIFF/KASHI bars. am storing in the freezer.
was thinking canned pumpkin could be a sub for bananas....similar consistency but wont be as sweet.
stacy on May 3, 2011
Awesome! I am working at reducing our sugar intake. Thanks for the recipe!
Melissa @ Be Not Simply Good on May 10, 2011
I know I'm a little late to the game on these bars, but I made them last night and loved them!! I thought they were actually better the next day chilled. I'm going to try the banana bits next!
Renae on May 12, 2011
I love almond and cashew butter. I didn't know they made walnut butter. I need to find this. It sounds so good,
maggie on June 3, 2011
Just made these for breakfast and they are delicious!
Alison on June 9, 2011
If make these in a pan like bars, what size and how long bake?
Thanks,
Benje
benje freedman on July 27, 2011
I made these but didn't like the results. I thought they were way to mooshy. I should have realized the main ingredient being banana would result in too much moosh!
@femmmefatal on August 22, 2011
This looks really yummy. A girlfriend of mine bakes little "cupcake" omelettes this way too, kind of like mini-frittatas...there's a lot of creativity to be had in a healthy kitchen with a cupcake pan. thanks for this!
Liz DiAlto on August 23, 2011
I love the recipe you shared at the end. I just made granola bars last night, but like you mentioned, my recipe had a little sugar and honey in there, so I really love your idea. I'll definitely give this a go. Also, baking them in muffin tins is a fab idea. Thanks Lisa.
Melanie Thomassian on August 30, 2011
I found this recipe here on Snack Girl back in April, and I've been making these ever since and putting them in the freezer a dozen at a time. My whole family loves them! My husband carries one to work to eat for breakfast. By the time he's ready to eat it, it is still cool, but not frozen. They are also GREAT straight from the freezer, which is how I prefer them. Thanks, Snack Girl, for an amazingly delicious and healthy breakfast on the go! They are also great with a cup of tea as an afternoon pick-me-up around 3 pm.
Becky Brocato on September 15, 2011
thank you,breakfast is a hard meal yo find variety for me ,on the run. These sound great
dawnsray on October 17, 2011
I recently read an "Are you addicted to sugar?" book and well, um, let's just say I answered yes to every single flippin question in the questionnaire. I skip breakfast too often and pound a nice mint mocha instead (I told you I love them). I have been looking for some breakfast alternatives. I am so excited to have found this recipe. I can't even express it well in words. {Hooray!} Thank you.
Zina :: Let's Lasso the Moon on November 11, 2011
If somebody is avoiding gluten then they can't eat oats. Just a fyi... but you can buy gluten free oats :)
libby on November 13, 2011
I love this. Awesome. Will try it soon.
Mariko on November 17, 2011
Made these last weekend, and they were a huge hit with my husband and I. (I like them best frozen.)
This weekend's batch is in the oven now. :)
Jacki on November 20, 2011
Made these today and they are really tasty. I am doing a no sugar challenge and these are perfect. Would love to see more no sugar recipes.
Karen on January 4, 2012
These are delicious and super easy! (I've added in some dried orange peel with cranberries and bananas and the result gets rave reviews from friends and family.) Thanks, Snack Girl.
Jill on January 30, 2012
I just made these! SO GOOD. I'll be freezing them and sharing them with my 2-year old for the next few weeks. Thanks Snack Girl! We love your site.
Dot on February 11, 2012
This is exactly what I was looking for!! Thank you so much! They are so good - Im making my second batch right now! One note for people trying to watch their added sugar intake - almost all dried fruit has added sugar so check the labels! Dried apricots and prunes both have a low glycemic index so those are good choices.
Jessica on February 15, 2012
Ok, I just made these, they taste DELIOUS but I have several questions..
-I didn't put these in a muffin pan, I literally wanted them to be "bars". Does that change cook time? They seem to be EXTREMLY soft, even after being in the freezer all day! I'm afraid if I "grab and go" with them (my main intention in making these), they will literally melt! I put the mix in a plain baking sheet, and put them in oven for atleast 20 mins, but they still are rather soft. Any suggestions??**Also note, to everyone, I have no blender/processor of any kind & I was able to mash bananas & crumble nuts by hand and it was fine! Also, I think it is beneficial to use organic peanut butter, as it has a much more liquid-y consistency and made it easier to turn into a paste. I was originally reluctant to make these because I didn't have a blender!
**alao, I added flax seed and used no honey. Still delicious!
Kamaryn on May 5, 2012
Have you tried these with Better N' Butter (you can get at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's)? I would be interested in the Points Plus Value for that.
Charisse on May 11, 2012
