These Nut-free Granola Bars are vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free! These are loaded with delicious spices, have chewy and soft and crispy edges. They are healthy, made with sunflower seeds and allergy-friendly for kids as well and require just 8 ingredients!
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NUT-FREE GRANOLA BARS
I’m so incredibly excited about finally sharing this recipe with you all. I have been working on a nut-free granola bar recipe on and off for years. I’ve tried using tahini and sunbutter and both were just too overpowering and a gross aftertaste. I just want them to taste normal! Bottom line, they didn’t pass the kid-approved test with my daughter. Her school doesn’t allow nuts, and for her snack time, I really wanted her eating something homemade and nutritious. This has been SO important to me to finally get this recipe right. I finally came up with the perfect blend and ratio of ingredients and these are amazing and delicious.
Feels so good to finally have a vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free granola bar that tastes delicious! I personally love, love granola bars made with nuts, like these Almond Pulp Chocolate Chip Bars that are one of my all-time most popular recipes. However, it’s nice to have some delicious nut-free chocolate chip granola bars now. Are you a granola fanatic like I am? Then, be sure to check out these 12 Vegan Oil-free Granola Recipes!
WHY THESE NUT-FREE BARS ARE THE BEST
- Full of delicious spices and flavor that my daughter loves
- They contain flaxseed, an excellent source of Omega–3 essential fatty acids, the “good” fats
- Don’t fall apart
- Soft and chewy
- Nut-free, but not lacking in any delicious flavor
- Kid-approved
- Safe for her school
- Oil-free
- They have chocolate chips, duh. By the way, have you tried my Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies yet?
- Healthy vegan gluten-free granola bars
- Only 8 ingredients
HOW TO MAKE NUT-FREE GRANOLA BARS
To make these nut-free and oil-free granola bars, first, to a small bowl, mix the flaxseed and 6 tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk well and set aside.
To a food processor, add the sunflower kernels and process about 30-45 seconds until a fine flour forms. Be careful not to over process or it will start to turn into a paste.
To a large bowl, add all of the sunflower flour to it, along with the oats, oat flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt and chocolate chips.
To the bowl of reserved flaxseed mixture (it should be thick), whisk in the syrup well and then pour that over the dry ingredients. Stir everything together until it all comes together in a moist, sticky batter.
To the lined pan, add the batter and spread out evenly with the back of the spoon as best you can. Place a piece of parchment paper on top to smooth out the bars evenly and flat along the edges.
I wrap these nut-free granola bars up for my daughter’s snacks each day now. She loves them so much.
Other Vegan Bars to try:
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies
- Vegan Butterfinger Candy Bars
- Chocolate Pecan Granola Bars
- Vanilla Pecan Dream Bars (to die for!)
- Cinnamon Roll Granola Bars
- No-Bake Cinnamon Roll Spice Bars
- Vegan Nutella Chocolate Pie Bars
- No-Bake Mint Chocolate Bars
- Vegan Lemon Bars with Tahini Caramel
Nut-free Granola Bars (Vegan and Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (18g) ground flaxseed (I used golden) mixed with 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup (68g) raw, unsalted sunflower seed kernels, ground (without the shells)
- 1 cup (100g) QUICK/INSTANT cooking oats (NOT regualr, see NOTE)
- 1/2 cup (64g) superfine oat flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger (see NOTE)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (75g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
NOTE
- Please don't sub the quick oats with regular, it will NOT work. Quick oats are much smaller and bake up completely different. Using whole oats will make them fall apart. You can find quick oats anywhere. Also, the ginger in these do NOT make them spicy whatsoever. My daughter absolutely LOVES these bars and has no clue there is ginger in them. You can taste the ginger a bit, but it's delicious. If you want it milder in ginger flavor, just reduce to 1 teaspoon, but I wouldn't omit it completely.
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following my gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to hit zero before adding each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a square baking dish with parchment paper cut to fit and lay both directions. My baking dish is is a little smaller than 8x8, more like 7 1/2, so if yours is a true 8x8, the bars just will be a bit thinner on the edges.
- In a small bowl, mix the flaxseed and 6 tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk well and set aside.
- To a food processor, add the sunflower kernels and process about 30-45 seconds until a fine flour forms (as in the photo). Be careful not to over process or it will start to turn into a paste.
- To a large bowl, add all of the sunflower flour to it, along with the oats, oat flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir really well. Add the chocolate chips.
- To the bowl of reserved flaxseed mixture, it should be thick, whisk in the syrup well. Make sure it is no longer warm before adding to the dry ingredients (so it doesn't melt the chocolate chips). Stir everything together for a good minute or so until it all comes together in a moist, sticky batter. The more you stir, the stickier it will get. This is good, as that flaxseed helps to bind the bars.
- To the lined pan, add the batter and spread out evenly with the back of the spoon as best you can. Now, take a square piece of parchment paper the size of the pan and place it on top. Press the mixture down flat and smooth out the top. Smooth your fingers along the edges and corners, making sure it's even. Really BE PATIENT with this step ensuring you are properly spreading it out to the corners and along the edges. Do not sloppily or quickly press it down or the bars will not form properly when baking.
- Once it's smooth, flat and even, top with extra chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 30-32 minutes until the edges are looking golden brown and the middle is firm to the touch. Refer to photo.
- Cool 1 hour. This is where they will firm up. Do NOT cut them before this unless you want crumbles! After an hour, lift them up with the parchment paper and cut desired shapes with a really sharp knife slowly. The crunchy edges may crack a bit but the bars should be firm and hold beautifully. They stay firm and moist for several days too. Keep stored in a sealed container or ziplock bag.
I am looking forward to making these.
Also you can make your own quick oats by taking regular oats and chopping them in a food processor.
Actually, quick oats have been partially cooked, lending more moisture and binding. As well as the issue with people trying to blend up their own is that is for people either processing too long or not enough and it affecting the outcome. Getting the quick oats is just easier to ensure the texture is right. Which was super important to finally nail these!
Can flaxseed and water be heated on the stove?
Sure, but you just want to warm it, not boil it. The warmth helps to make it thicken and bind the bars. Just warm the water and then remove and add to a bowl and whisk in the flaxseed. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
This was perfect timing, Brandi! A last-minute decision to switch a sisters brunch from a restaurant to my house had me panicking about what to serve. Luckily I remembered seeing your new bars on Instagram and threw them together in no time. We chatted while they cooled and then enjoyed them with some fruit and coffee. The flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and quick oats gave these bars a unique light but crunchy texture. And you’re absolutely right about the ginger! I’m not a big fan of the spice, but while you could tell these had a slight bite I would have never guessed it was from ginger! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so very much for making these so quickly! I loved your photo on Instagram and they looked absolutely perfect! So glad that you and your sister enjoyed these over brunch! Yes, I love that the ginger doesn’t jump at you at all, just gives more depth of flavor. Thank you for the lovely feedback as always, Colleen!
Where can you buy those sunflower kernels? Are they different than what’s inside sunflower seeds? Lol I’m confused. Thanks!
Hi Kristina! They are just sunflower kernels/seeds without the shells. Rarely are they sold in stores with the shells. So, what you are looking for is the gray raw sunflower kernels or seeds, I’ve seen them labeled both seeds or kernels. Like these: https://nuts.com/snacks/sunflowerseeds/organic.html
Thanks so much. I found them at Whole Foods tonight!
Oh good! Let me know what you think after you make them!
what is superfine oat flour? I usually just grind mine in the food processor. Is that fine enough?
If you can get it as fine as commercial flour and not a rough texture, then yes.
I made this! Yummmmmy! THANKYOU!
Yay, so glad to hear it Carol!! Thank you for making them!
I am just all sorts of excited about this for so many reasons. First of all SNACKS. Second, LOTS of chocolate chips. But truly I’ve been wanting so bad to try sunflower seeds turned flour for a while now, and here’s the perfect place to start! I love sunbutter and can eat it by the ginormous spoonful, but it is a pretty strong flavor so I can see why it might be too much especially for kids. And tahini can definitely be too strong, even for me. But I bet the oat flour softens the sunflower taste perfectly, and I love that there isn’t tons of sweetener required either. And compared to all the nutty bars out there, these are actually so cheap to make too! Fingers crossed I have time to make a batch this week, totally wanna try these soon?
Thank you my friend! Girl, you don’t know how many fails I’ve had with trying to perfect a nut-free bar that didn’t have an odd aftertaste for Olivia, LOL. She could always detect the sunbutter or tahini, especially tahini. I love tahini personally, but it’s pretty hard to not taste it in baked goods, especially if you don’t like it. I know I use sunflower seeds and sunbutter is obviously from sunflower seeds, but using them in this way, as opposed to the butter and only using 1/2 cup really was the magic here, as it gives them the moisture needed but there is zero aftertaste! The yummy spices help too. I feel like I struck gold with Olivia, haha! Oh yay, thanks girl!
Could you substitute the maple syrup for honey?
Yes, I think that would work. The flavor will be a bit different and sweeter and the batter slightly stickier since honey is much thicker and sweeter, but I think it could work in these bars! Let me know after you try it!
I made them today with the maple syrup and they are delicious! Thank you! I want to try them with the honey also as it is a little cheaper.
Yay, so glad to hear it Diane! Thank you so much for making them!!
Brandi! Thank you! These came out perfect! Delicious! Your instructions are so easy to follow!!! I love trying your recipes! ! Mary from Texas
Aww, thank you so much Mary, I’m so happy you loved these! I’m from Texas too! 🙂
Now I know these are nut free but I’m going to be the first one to ask about a substitution-adding back nuts! lol. Could I use almond flour instead of the sunflower seed flour?
Hi Stephanie! Haha, yes, totally, almond flour should work great! Just use the same amount 🙂
Hi Brandi! Can you sub dried cranberries for the chocolate chips? Chocolate melts in the desert pretty quickly and I like to take granola bars as afternoon snacks. Thanks!
Yes, absolutely! I do dried cherries in them, too! Any dried fruit you can do 🙂
These were absolutely delicious! I switched out the chocolate chips for medjool dates. Yum! Thank you ?
SO happy to hear that, thank you Michelle!
These were so tasty!! They just don’t make enough for a large family like mine! My family finished them so quickly lol. Do you think it would work if I doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan? Thanks for the great recipe!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Yes, I think that should work fine!
Have you tried freezing the bars? Wanting to make snack bars in bulk and would love to be able to freeze these.
These made up quickly. I buy my oats in bulk to avoid packaging and pulsed them a bit once the sunseeds were ground into flour. It worked fine. I also ran out of maple syrup and used half raw honey and half maple syrup. The recipe doubled well and I baked them in a stone jellyroll pan lightly greased with coconut oil. They popped out perfectly once cool.
I’m freezing them, once cut and individually wrapped. They will travel frozen from Atlanta to Idaho for a family trip. Padded well inside a freezer bag, my last bars arrived well and even if they crumble, we will devour crumbles on the hiking trails. You can also use ground chia seed as you would the flaxseed if thats whats in the freezer. Lots of flexibility here. I might do a cinnamon raisin spice bar as well for the trip. next time, I’ll be sure to have enough maple syrup.
Sounds wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them!
What could I sub the oats/ oat flour with? We don’t have gluten free oats here in Australia. Normal gluten free flour?
Hi Debbie! The recipe is basely hugely on using oats and oat flour, so trying to change all of that would yield a completely different result. I think you’d have better luck finding a recipe online that doesn’t use oats, I imagine there are lots online!
Hello Brandi, Happy Day!! Thank you in advance for the help… I’m excited to make your Granola Bar Recipe for the kids this coming weekend. My Bonus Son has an allergy to seeds, would you have an option for an alternate to the Sunflower Kernels? I would just omit typically, but they seem to be a large component of the recipe so didn’t want to omit and then it change the consistency. Appreciate the help and insights! Cheers 🙂
I’ve made these for my mom twice this week and just replace the sunflower seeds with more oat flour; they still come out great. She loves them but has suggested I double the amount of chocolate chips ?
Yum. I used quinoa flakes instead of instant oats and they were delicious. Are these freezable? I’d like to keep them to put in my toddlers lunchbox ! Thanks!
So awesome to hear that! I’ve never tried freezing them, so I’m not sure, but possibly!
Hello
These look healthy and yum 🙂 A quick question – can I substitute maple syrup with partly a paste of dates with water and part honey?
You can always experiment! I just can’t give advice on what will work (other than agave and maple syrup) since I’ve never tried the recipe with those ingredients.