Cranberry Granola Bars are a delicious and easy way to make homemade granola bars that everyone will love! Chewy granola bars made with simple ingredients that taste so much better than store bought!
One bite of these Cranberry Granola Bars and you may never buy grocery store bars again. This recipe comes together fast and is the perfect on-the-go snack or breakfast treat.
Love granola? Give my No Nuts Granola recipe or Coconut Pecan Granola a try. If you have extra dried cranberries, use them to make these Cranberry Almond Biscotti. Use leftover quick oats to make my Chocolate Coconut Energy Balls.
Cranberry Granola Bars with Almonds
Cranberry Granola Bars with almonds are the perfect healthy snack to have hand and are so easy to make. Chewy cranberries and crunchy almonds give this bar recipe so much flavor and texture.
This is a great meal prep recipe to make for the week. You can freeze the bars to keep them fresher longer and grab and go as needed. You may never buy store-bought bars again.
The combination of chewy sweet cranberries and crunchy almonds make this granola bar extra special. It’s the perfect after school snack and great for school lunches too.
This is a great base recipe for granola bars and is perfect for adding in your favorite mix ins. See below for all of recipe variations.
So, if you love homemade granola bars, be sure to give this recipe a try. You’re going to love it.
Ingredients
- Oats: use old-fashioned rolled oats. Avoid quick cooking rolled oats.
- Cranberries: dried cranberries liike Craisins work great.
- Almonds: use whole almonds that have been roughly chopped.
- Ground Flax: you can use ground flaxseed or wheat germ for this recipe.
- Oil: use a neutral oil like canola oil or vegetable oil. You could also use coconut oil if you’d like.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: honey sweetens this up and helps hold the ingredients together. Maple syrup works as well.
- Egg Whites: you’ll need two large egg whites.
- Brown Sugar: a bit of light brown sugar will sweeten up the bars.
- Cinnamon: ground cinnamon adds flavor.
- Salt: use kosher salt.
- Water: use a little of water to dampen your hands to help press the granola bars into the baking pna.
Granola Bar Variations
Change up the flavors of the these cranberry granola bars with these simple additions:
- Use dried cherries or raisins in place of the cranberries.
- Instead of almonds use walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, or even pumpkin seeds.
- Sweeten up the bars with the addition of mini chocolate chips.
- Add a few tablespoons of chia seeds.
How to Make Cranberry Granola Bars
Cranberry Granola Bars are the best granola bars to make ahead and have for the week. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or wrap them individually and keep them in the freezer.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Start by preheating your oven and greasing a lining a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
Step 1: combine dry ingredients
Place the oats in a large glass bowl and and add in the cranberries, almonds, and ground flaxseed; set aside.
Step 2: mix in remaining ingredients
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, egg whites, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the oats and add mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
Step 3: bake and cut into bars
Transfer the granola mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. It will be a sticky mixture – damp hands work great for this or you can use a rubber spatula coated with nonstick spray.
Bake granola bars for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden and fragrant. Cool the bars completely on a wire cooling rack. Remove the bars to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 16 pieces.
Recipe Tips
- Measure the oil first and then use that same measuring cup for the honey. The oil residue will help the honey slide right out of the cup.
- Make sure the bars have cooled to room temperature before cutting so that they don’t fall apart.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also wrap individual bars and freeze in a freezer bag to keep fresh longer.
More On-The-Go Breakfast Ideas
Cranberry Granola Bars with Almonds
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup almonds, whole or chopped
- ¾ cup ground flaxseed (or wheat germ)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position baking rack in the center of the oven. Spray nonstick cooking spray on a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper and then spray the parchment with nonstick spray as well; set aside.
- Place the oats in a large glass bowl and add in the cranberries, almonds, and ground flaxseed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, egg whites, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Pour the mixture into the oats and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer (damp hands work great for this or you can use a rubber spatula coated with nonstick spray).
- Bake the bars for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden and fragrant. Cool the bars completely on a wire cooling rack. Remove the bars to a cutting board and cut into 16 pieces.
Notes
- Measure the oil first and then use that same measuring cup for the maple syrup or honey – this will help the liquid slide out of the cup.
- Make sure the bars have cooled to room temperature before cutting so that they don’t fall apart.
- These are great for a quick breakfast or snack. Wrap the individual bars and refrigerate for up to a week. You can also freeze for up to a month.
Great recipe will be making again! Thanks a lot!!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂