Sweet, salty, chewy, and crisp, these no-bake trail mix granola bars are sure to satisfy any craving! Gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan, they’re a healthy snack that anyone can enjoy!
This post is for my fellow snack addicts. For those who can’t comprehend how (or why) someone could get by on three square meals a day. For those who constantly find themselves rifling through their kitchen cupboards in search of the the perfect thing to munch on.
My fellow snackers, your search is over. These no-bake trail mix granola bars are guaranteed to satisfy and kick cravings in the teeth, thereby taking away the [sometimes agonizing] process of having to stand in the kitchen and ask yourself “what do I feel like eating?“
These. You feel like eating these.
Want something sweet? These have it.
Something salty? These have it.
Chewy? Yep.
Crispy? Uh huh.
Chocolatey? Obvioiusly.
Healthy? You betcha!
Allergy-friendly? Yes, yes, YES!
No matter what you want, these bars can provide.
Unless, of course, you’re craving something like your grandmother’s famous triple cheese lasagna, left sitting in the fridge for 2 days so the flavours and textures can develop just so. If that’s the case, I’m afraid these won’t do you much good. But I do have to admit to being slightly jealous that your cravings are that specific since I can’t figure out what it is that I want 99.9% of the time. That’s why you’ll often find me doing laps around my kitchen, grabbing little handfuls of ‘this & that’ with the hope that I’ll accidentally manage to hit the nail on the head.
Actually, thats probably why I threw a little of ‘this & that’ into these bars…
Oats. Crispy rice cereal. Pretzels. Raisins. Cranberries. Pumpkin seeds. Chocolate chips. And, of course, the liquid gold that holds it all together– brown rice syrup and sunflower seed butter…
What you won’t find in these bars? Trans fats, refined sugars, and any of the chemicals and preservatives that are often found in store-bought bars. Because whether you’re a serial snacker or the three-square-a-day occasional snacker, it’s important to fuel your body with foods that will leave you feeling good in the long run.
I made these gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan so that everyone can enjoy them, but feel free to customize them based on your personal preferences and needs. Don’t have brown rice syrup on hand? Honey works just fine. Don’t like the taste of sunflower seed butter? Sub in your favourite nut or seed butter. I like to keep these nut-free to make them safe to take to school, but again… it all depends on what you need. Hope you love ’em as much as I do!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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No Bake Sweet and Salty Trail Mix Granola Bars
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (160 g) brown rice syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 2 Tbsp (32 g) sunflower seed butter*
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) coconut oil
- 3/4 cup (60 g) old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup (15 g) crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 cup (17 g) pretzels, crushed**
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (80 g) dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)
- 1/2 cup (70 g) pumpkin seeds***
- 1/3 cup (60 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Generously spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add brown rice syrup, sunflower seed butter, and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and nuke on high until ingredients are fully melted and combined, about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and allow to cool and thicken.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring until evenly distributed. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan and use a spatula or your hands to spread it evenly, making sure to press down firmly. Cover pan with a sheet of foil and place into the fridge to set, at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. When bars have set, remove from pan using the foil overhang, and use a sharp knife to cut into individual bars. Store bars in the fridge or freezer for best results.
Notes
* You can easily sub this with your favourite nut butter if you don’t need these to be nut-free. ** Make sure to use certified gluten-free pretzels if you need these to be gluten-free. *** Feel free to sub these with another type of seed or nut if you don’t need them to be nut-free.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. All opinions and text are my own. Lots of love for showing some love to the brands that help sponsor Spoons! If you want to learn more about gluten-free or allergy-friendly living, you can visit Udi’s community page or check them out on Facebook!
I’ve been craving and eating a lot of “Kind” bars lately. This recipe looks awesome. It’s time to venture out and make my own! Thanks for sharing
Do you know the nutritional information for these?
Sorry Alex, I don’t calculate the nutritional info for my recipes, but you can use an online calculator like this one to figure them out — http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I think these look amazing, and they are full of all delicious things I love. You have outdone yourself. I want these bad.
I don’t usually say that snack bars make me drool, but these are doin’ it for me right now. Even with the chocolate in there 😉
I am definitely a snacker! I used to be much more so, but after my first year of college— when classes are so rigid— I became a little more of a three big meal person. But still lots of snacks!
I’m definitely more of a snacker – especially in the summer. I will be trying these – Pinned!
Ooh these look so good! Pretzels in granola bars is such a beautiful thing 😉
These are gorgeous!! Way better looking than ANY store bought bar.
I wonder if they travel well. With me. I do get pretty bored on planes 😆
Mmmm…these look SO good! I’m a snacky person too and I could easily see myself munching on one of these before a workout. All of those textures and flavors + the sunflower brown rice syrup…WANT!
I say I’m a three-squares kind of girl, but know I do snack on things at work all day long. There are just always munchies or something to try around. I also like something sweet to end the night on. It puts me to sleep 🙂
Always best to end the day on a sweet note 😉
I love snacks. Why eat three times a day when you can eat way more often? 😉 And I love that these bars have a little bit of everything since I rarely know exactly what I’m craving, either!
you are such a texture genie. Chapter 6. 😉
Chapter 8 😉
Those look great! And you always take such great pictures!!
Thanks so much, Annette!
From a fellow snack addict – I saw that first picture and started drooling so I ate a banana and came back and tried to make it through your post but had to eat another banana – now I am out of snack and still drooling – quick, only one solution, back these up and send them to ME! 🙂
Trade you for a green cupcake 😀
Awwww, these remind me of the trail mix we got to mix at Blend! I LOVE the combo of pretzels and chocolate – and HONEY? Yes.
I totally need a snack in between – not so much in the morning, but between lunch and dinner there is no way I can go without food. Can you send a package of these over please? Sneak in your pretty self too, thanks.
#wishfulthinking <3
Well I’m a big snacker so I came to the right place today. Pepitas are one of my favorite snacks too. Can you get gluten free pretzels? I’ve never checked, just assumed they contain wheat.
Most do, but there are companies that make GF ones too. Glutino is one of them.
Yes, I think I do feel like eating these! They looks so perfect and between 8 adults and 11 kids on vacation this week is involving a ton of snacking!
Ufff you had me at “sweet & salty”—> these look divine! Love the addition of pretzels. They’re not something I would typically add to homemade baked goods but if you ask me, it was a pretty tenuous genius move on your part!
Brilliant and detrimental — after that, I couldn’t stop snacking on pretzels dipped in sunbutter 😆
I used to be a 3 meal a day person but then I changed to eating every few hours. These bars are so colorful!
Salty sweet so good! I’m not a snacker, but still eat “snack” foods as parts to my meals!
Oh, these are going to be game-changing in my sons’ lunch box when he starts Grade 3 next month. He is allergic to nuts and gluten. I find that the convenient snack bars on the market leave a lot to be desired! These look awesome, I can’t wait to try!
They definitely do! I have a peanut allergy myself, and finding store-bought bars that don’t contain nuts or “traces of nuts” can be a really big hassle. The hoe made ones taste better anyways 🙂
Ah I wish I had one of these bars right now… they look so great! Plus my fave combo is anything sweet + salty…
I actually eat three square meals when I’m at home and tend to snack all day at work. I like the sweet and salty pairing, it sounds really good.
Oh man do these look good! I am for sure a snacker – I think with a kid you kind of have to be because you never know the next time they’ll let you eat! I love the addition of pretzels!
I am definitely a snacker. I would rather snack all day than eat big meals. I much prefer snack foods to “real” food!
Yes Yes and Yes to all of those cravings! I love eating ‘everything bars’, so many textures and flavors. This has got to be on of your most innovative recipes yet, they look fantastic. I bet getting that drizzle shot was hard, but I think it was so worth it!
This one aaas super tough, actually! I didn’t have my tripod on hand so I had to hold and shoot the camera with one hand while blindly pouring with the other. I thought I was going to drop it 😆
Ooh wow, these look incredible! I’m a total snacker! I think the best trail mix has a combo of sweet and salty, there’s just nothing as satisfying as that! With a cup of tea! I’m itching to try the Harney and Sons cinnamon spice tea you’ve mentioned! It sounds like the perfect fall brew!
Oh, girl! You definitely have to give it a go — I’ve been drinking it daily for years! I’m actually running low, so I’ll be ordering my 7 bags soon 😛
Yumm!!! I love that you used pretzels in the recipe. can’t wait to try.
Yes, Amanda! I’m a total snacker and am always looking for something in between meals. These bars sound delicious, with so many flavors in one. Thanks for sharing! Have a fabulous and snacky day, lady! 🙂
Yum! Magic happens when sweet and salt come together. I could never make these though. I’d just keep eating the mix!
Mmmm hmm. I definitely snuck in more than a few spoonfuls…
Did I ever mention I’m really not a fan of bars? Well, these might convert me because they really offer a bit of everything and that sticky texture is a bonus.
I’m with you in not knowing what I crave in about 80 % of the cases. Like right now …
You can always shape them into balls 😛
Ah well, you might already guess my atypicial-HLB reply: I’m not really into bites, balls or whichever other shape, either. It’s about the usual ingredients of those: dried fruit, nuts/nut butter, possibly protein powder. I grew up on organic snack bars made from those ingredients and they just don’t do anything for me. Yours here are more up my alley because of the salty (!) pretzels, chocolate and ‘chunkier’ texture.
Holy moly these look amazing! These will be perfect for in-between class snacking.
well.. confession. I actually like grandma’s cold lasgana. HAHA! But I know, that’s not your point. These on the other hand have a MAJOR point —> HOLY YUMNESS!
Cold lasagna is the bee’s knees. And the same goes for cold pizza <3
These look awesome! I’ve gone through snacking phases in the past, but I’ve actually scaled back a lot. I’m the kind of snacker that, once I start, I’ll just keep snacking allll day. Luckily, I have no allergies, so I can put just about anything I want in trail mix!
I’m that kind of snacker too… and it’s especially bad since I work from home, literally 5 feet from my kitchen 😆