These Nut Free Granola Bars are a really great healthy muesli slice bar made with gluten free oats, coconut, honey and dark chocolate. In Australia they are usually called Muesli Bars, but essentially Granola Bars and Muesli Bars are the same thing.
These homemade muesli bars are perfect for school lunchboxes or as an after school snack. Most homemade muesli bar recipes include nuts, which isn’t great for school lunchboxes, so I came up with a healthy muesli slice thats nut free, filling and delicious.
Nut Free Granola Bars (Muesli Bars)
These homemade muesli bars are full of essential nutrients coming from the oats and sunflower seeds, helping to fuel our kids bodies to get through their school day. The other great thing about this healthy muesli bar slice is you know exactly what is going in to it, not too much sugar, salt or preservatives and you can mix and match a bit, depending on what your kids like. You could swap the dark chocolate for white or even leave it out and replace with the same amount of sultanas. The butter can be replaced with coconut oil.
Easy lunchbox recipes like these make the mornings so much simpler. Keep a batch in the freezer ready to fill your kids lunchboxes.
Nut Free Granola Bar / Muesli Bar Ingredients
- Honey – you could also use maple syrup.
- Butter – this is used to make a caramel / toffee like consistency to bind the muesli slice together. you could possibly replace with coconut oil, but I havent tried replacing.
- Coconut Sugar – this can be replaced with brown sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – is added for flavour, so can be left out.
- Salt – also added for flavour.
- Oats – not quick oats, just traditional oats. I used gluten free oats.
- Desiccated Coconut – finely shredded coconut works best as it disperses through the bars.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – you could use milk or white chocolate or replace with sultanas.
- Sunflower Seeds – these are great as mild in flavour but adds in nutrients. You could replace with chopped up pepitas.
- Cornflakes or Rice Bran Flakes – adds to crunchy fillings. You could replace this with puffed quinoa.
HOW TO MAKE MUESLI BARS
- Prepare – line a square cake tin with baking paper. Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced.
- Toast – in a 160C oven, toast your oats for 5 minutes, then add the coconut and bake til golden. Keep an eye on it, as it will only take 2 minutes and can burn quickly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients – in a large bowl combine the oats, coconut, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and flakes.
- Mix and Heat Wet Ingredients – in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to froth and caramelise slightly.
- Pour over & Mix Quickly – you then need to be really quick, pour the caramel over the dry ingredients, mix quickly with a wooden spoon then pour into tin and spread evenly.
- Bake – bake in the oven for 25 minutes, remove and place on wire rack to cool. It will harden as it cools. Cut into 12 bars once cooled.
- Store – in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Nut free Granola Bars
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 muesli bars 1x
Description
This Nut free Chocolate Muesli Bar Recipe is a really great healthy muesli bar recipe made with gluten free oats, coconut, honey and dark chocolate. These homemade muesli bars are perfect for school lunchboxes or as an after school snack.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups / 135g gluten free rolled oats
- ¾ cup / 60g desiccated coconut
- ½ cup / 95g dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup / 70g sunflower seeds, roughly chopped
- ½ cup / 20g cornflakes or rice bran flakes
- ½ cup / 175g honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 40g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
Spread the oats on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, then add the coconut and bake until golden, about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the coconut. Reduce oven temperature to 150°C (130°C fan-forced)
In a large bowl combine the oats, coconut, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and rice bran flakes.
In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the honey, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to froth, remove from heat and pour over oat mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly then spoon into a lined square cake tin and spread evenly.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, remove and set aside on a wire rack to cool. It will harden as it cools. Cut into 12 bars once cooled.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for 3 days or you can freeze for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: LUNCHBOX
MORE LUNCHBOX SLICE RECIPES…
WHITE CHOCOLATE SLICE RECIPE WITH PUFFED QUINOA
This is a much healthier and simplified version of White Christmas made with a base of puffed quinoa. A simple slice recipe perfect for breakfast on the run or an afternoon snack before sport.
This irresistible Chocolate Caramel Anzac Slice is made with a classic Anzac biscuit base, topped with gooey caramel and topped a layer of dark chocolate.
Muesli Bar Slice recipe perfect for school lunchboxes. Made with the goodness of oats, coconut, sunflower seeds and flaxseed meal, a sweet treat that will keep them full all morning.
Rice Bubble Slice. A yummy, snappy, crackly, poppy rice bubble slice that is so easy the kid’s could make it for themselves! You can literally put whatever you have on hand in….. dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips……. This one is nut free so perfect for their lunchbox .
Have you tried this recipe? I love receiving feedback, leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @kidseatbyshanai.
Looking for more Healthy Family Dinners?
You can also find more of my easy recipes on Pinterest.
