Chocolate Chip Chia Seed Granola Bars
These yummy, vegan chocolate chip chia seed bars are easy to make with just a handful of basic ingredients.
Features
- Dietary features: vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, can be nut-free
- quick and easy: 1 bowl, no-bake, no blending, just 6 ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- oats – I suggest quick oats because they help the bars hold together better, if you only have rolled oats that’s ok…or you can give them a quick pulse in a food processor to slightly break them down closer to a quick oat consistency
- peanut butter – use natural peanut butter, sub with almond butter if needed or for nut-free bars, use sunflower seed butter
- chocolate chips – I like Enjoy Life and Camino brands, you can use Lily’s for a sugar-free option or chopped dark chocolate for a lower-sugar option
- coconut oil – this is essential to the recipe and can’t be substituted, if you’re looking for an oil-free bar, browse all energy bars here (most don’t use oil)
- maple syrup – can be subbed with agave but I like the consistency and flavour of maple syrup here best
- chia seeds – for crunch, binding, texture and nutrition!
Step by Step Method
Step 1. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and use a spoon to mix until it’s uniformly combined into a crumbly dough.
Step 2. Line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so the edges of the paper stick out over the sides of the pan.
Firmly press the dough into the pan, taking a few minutes to really work it into the corners and get it nice and flat. This will ensure they hold together well
Place the entire pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes then use the parchment paper to lift out the pan. Slice and enjoy!
Notes and Tips
- Storing: These need to be kept cold to hold together properly. They’re okay at room temperature for a while but as the coconut oil starts to melt they won’t hold together very well, it will stay in bar form but be a little crumbly as you eat it. They’re absolutely awesome straight from the fridge, so stick to that for best results!
Related Recipes
- Chocolate Coconut Chia Bars
- No-Bake Apricot Granola Bars
- No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- No-Bake Oatmeal Bars
- Paleo Energy Bars with Cashew and Coconut
Did you try this recipe?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.
Chocolate Chip Chia Seed Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These simple, homemade granola bars feature just a handful of healthy ingredients. No baking required, vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well until thoroughly combined into a crumbly dough.
- Line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so the edges stick out over the sides of the pan and then firmly press the mixture into the pan. Spend a few minutes really pressing it in there, this will help them hold together properly once they’re done.
- Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm.
- Cut into 10 bars.
Notes
Please note these need to be kept cold to hold together properly. They’re okay at room temperature for a while but as the coconut oil starts to melt they won’t hold together as well. They’re absolutely awesome straight from the fridge, so stick to that for best results! They will keep in a well-sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 281
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 57 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
Keywords: chia seed bars, chocolate chip granola bars
These bars are fabulous! I have made them many times and they’re one of my family’s favorite snacks.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks, Lisa!
These are great and soooooo easy! I add craisins to them and use part rolled oats as well. I replace honey for the maple syrup and then keep them frozen for eating! So yummy!
★★★★★
This was a staple of mine through college. There was always a batch in my freezer for at least 2 years….
I like to add dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes and just increase the amount of peanut butter and coconut oil. (sometimes I’ll chop up dried fruit like apricots and add that as well)
★★★★★
Delicious! I formed these into balls rather than bars, only because I thought they might be easier to put in my freezer this way. They are pretty tasty and kid-approved, as well. Thank you!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed them!
I’d like to make a recipe using Chia seeds but would like them to remain soft because my children have sensory issues with texture. How can I include them in their soft state?
Thanks!
That won’t work I’m this recipe unfortunately. All I recommend is making chia seed pudding. I have a number of chia pudding recipes, you can find them by searching chia seeds from the home page. Good luck!
Do you melt the coconut oil before you mix?
For ease, yes I’d recommend melting it before mixing. 🙂
Is there anything to substitute for peanut butter? Would love to try these, but just don’t like the taste of peanut butter.
Almond butter, tahini, sunflower seed butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter…as long as it’s fairly drippy it will work fine. 🙂
These are a fan favorite with my husband, 2 year old and 5 year old! I double the recipe to make enough for the week for all of us. I feel good knowing all the ingredients in my kids granola bars and I’m obsessed with chia seeds because they are so good for you!
★★★★★
That’s amazing! So glad you guys all like them 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
What could be used in place of coconut oil?
You can’t really sub the coconut oil in this recipe since it’s needed to hold the bars together. Sorry about that!
What could i use instead of peanut butter? Don’t eat nuts in any form. Thanks
Tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Yes I have alot of shelled hemp seeds and need to use them up
Sounds delicious! Do you think that I could use steel cut oats instead of the quick oats in the recipe? Thanks!
I don’t think steel cut oats would work very well in this one.
I made these recently and they were delicious! I did substitute the maple syrup with honey and I thought they turned out great 🙂 excellent recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
This are fab! Thanks so much for posting!!
This looks great and i love making Granola so this recipe is getting put to use one day
★★★★★
These turned out great! My daughter is allergic to peanuts and we successfully subbed in almond butter. I bet any peanut butter substitute will work just fine. This is a great addition to our snack portfolio for our clean eating food allergic family! 🙂