I hope the title of this recipe and post is not misleading. I love honey and use it as much as possible, in cooking as well as for other things like curing coughs and colds and skin ailments. I even love to slather honey on my face. In short, I love to use ethically sourced natural honey as much as possible.
The only thing I don't do with honey is to introduce it to any form of heat while cooking. According to Ayurveda, the age old science of medicine and health, when honey is heated and when this form of honey is consumed, it introduces ama or toxins in our bodies.
Since, most granola bar recipes have honey in it, devising a granola bar recipe suitable to my principles of cooking was on my mind for a very long time.
Somehow or the other, granola bars never made an appearance in my kitchen. Despite the fact that the husband loved them and once came to me with a wrapper (with the contents inside happily inside his tummy) asking me to replicate the same. Since, this was years ago it somehow got erased out of my memory.
And then Sandhya, a reader, well versed with the principles of Ayurveda left a comment asking me for a granola bar recipe without honey in it. And this spurred me into action and the result was stupendous!
I experimented with my favourite sweetener jaggery to make these granola bars. Jaggery is the most unrefined and unprocessed form of sugar. It is nutrient rich and has medicinal properties as well. Jaggery binds the ingredients here and gives these granola bars an earthy and natural taste.
I simply loved these granola bars! I put in all my favourite ingredients, almonds, dates and jaggery as well. You could experiment with your favourite nuts and dried fruits in this recipe.
Most store bought granola bars (even those claiming to be natural and organic) are filled with many unhealthy ingredients. These bars are filled with all natural ingredients and they are great for growing children. Besides, these bars are very easy to make and I see them as going into Hari's snackbox as often as possible.
Whether you are a believer of Ayurveda or not, it doesn't matter, I hope you give these bars a try! The nutty, earthy and natural flavours of these nutrient dense bars may win your heart, like they have mine!
Homemade Granola Bars Recipe
You can use your choice of nuts and fruits in this recipe.
Ingredients:
200 gm (2 cups) oats (instant oats)
80 gm (½ cup) almonds, chopped
3 tbsp butter or ghee
220 gm (¾ cup) jaggery* (use 1 cup jaggery, if not using the brown sugar)
55 gm (¼ cup) brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
100 gm (½ cups) chopped and pitted dates
90 gm (½ cup) raisins or cashews
2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Method:
Grease an 8" by 12" baking dish with butter, ghee or neutral flavoured oil and line it with parchment paper.
In a heavy bottomed pan, roast the oats and almonds and cashews if using, until they change colour and give out a toasted aroma. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, roast the oats and nuts in a 150 C/300F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Pre heat the oven at 150 C/300F*
In a saucepan, put in the ghee, jaggery and brown sugar and once the jaggery melts, turn off the heat.
Mix in the vanilla extract, oats and all the dry fruits and stir well.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and level the uneven surface with a flat cup. (I use a roti press)
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool a little and cut into rectangles or squares while still warm. After the bars completely cool down, you can lift a piece carefully and then remove the others as well.
* You have to use jaggery in block form and not powdered jaggery to get the right texture.
* You can omit the brown sugar if you prefer your granola less sweeter, but your granola maybe crumbly.
* Cook the jaggery for a 2 to 3 minutes, if you dont want to finish the dish in the oven.
Recipe updated on 05.06.2015
Makes 12 rectangular bars
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Hi Anushruti,
Thanks for the lovely recipe.
If we do not have oven, how can we make these Granola bars.
Sunitha
Hi Anu, So glad to see this recipe ! I've been searching for a honey free granola recipe and was thrilled to bits to read your latest post. Thanks for this recipe. I'm gonna be trying this asap ! 🙂
Anushruti,
You just made me grin like a Cheshire cat! 🙂 Thank you for this recipe.
Warm Regards,
Swapna
Hey Anushruti,
This is divine…as always!
Please do post a recipe for macaroons!
I know frying is a bit of a problem…i suffer from a similar one…:) but anytime you decide to…do post a recipe for donuts.
i am being sooo demanding but your recipes make us drool!
Bhavana
Thank you so much Anushruti for these granola bars. I have dithered from making granola bars or even granola ever since I got to know that acc to Ayurveda, honey should not be heated. I have look everywhere for alternatives but haven't found anything worthy till I saw this post of yours. Will definitely make these.. Thank you so much!!
Sunitha: I think this os one of the very few recipes you could do without an oven. I put my dish into the oven only for the bars to become more crisp and firm. What you can do is after you stir in the oats into the melted jaggery, you could cook for just a minute or two and then transfer into the prepared tin. And then proceed with the recipe.
Radhika: Glad that you found this recipe. Look forward to hearing your feedback!
Swapna: Super! Enjoy these granola bars! 🙂
Bhavna: Sure! Will keep your recipe suggestions in mind. Thanks for writing.
Sarvani: Great to know that. Now you can enjoy granola bars without honey. Let me know how you liked them.
That was super quick Anu! And more than i could ask for. This post has made my day. Thank you very much. What a wonderful recipe…Ghee and jaggery – simply perfect. The combination also suits a havyaka family like mine. Planning to make this right away, just a quick check in my pantry if i have the stock of dry fruits and nuts and i am good to go! Thanks again for inspiring many to cook a veriety of tasty yet natural and healthy food.Great work!
Hi,
thanks for this recipe. My son unfortunately has an allergy to honey, so i am always on lookout for such recipes.
Hi Anushruti,
A silly question have u used instant or rolled oats for this recipe
Thanks
Sandhya: Great to know that this post made your day. 🙂
Shweta: Oh dear! Hope your son likes this recipe.
Purvi: Not silly at all. Have used instant oats here.
Hi Anushruti-
My husband and I hog on granola bars like anything in spite of knowing that they have unnecessary unhealthy ingredients added to it, but we LOVE granola bars. I am looking forward to making these since I have all the ingredients in my pantry except jaggery. So is there any substitue for jaggery? Thanks.
Looks great, I will try to do this, in weekend. I have tried most of the recipes in the blog.They always turned out to be good. Hope I get this done as well. 🙂
Hi,
Thanks a lot for answering my query.
This is on my to-do list.
Hi Anu, Tried this last weekend and these delicious bars have been my go to snack for mid mornings and keep me energized in office as well. It became a bit chewy after sometime (probably i didnt bake it enough), wasnt sure how long it stays – so i have kept them refregerated and take out only what is required. I will continue to make them as the stock gets over, the recipe surely is a keeper. Thanks again.
Hi Anu,
These granola bars look awesome and terrific! Love the clicks.
Shobha
Hi, a silly question pl, what's parchment paper pl? Can I use a regular butter paper instead? …
Lovely! I've been looking for healthy options to for my girls to snack on. With the vacations upon us, I have to ensure a never ending supply of snacks! These fit the bill perfectly. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I was wondering if you could please post recipes for popsicles with fruit/yogurt?
P.S. Last week I received my Coppre salad spoon and fork set that I won as part of your giveaway. Thanks to you and Coppre! Pictures soon.
P.P.S Thanks a bunch for adding metric measurements!
Pia: Jaggery does a great job of binding the ingredients as well. At this point in time, I cant think of any other replacement.
Michael: I'm very happy to hear that! Thanks! 🙂
Sunitha: You are most welcome.
Sandhya: You need to bake it well, but if you refrigerate them and keep them outside, they are bound to go a little soft due to the change in temperature.
Shoba: Thanks!
Taruna: Not a silly question at all. Ofcourse, you can use butter paper. 🙂 Will update this in the recipe as well.
Noodlehead: 🙂 How nice to hear from you! Happy to hear that you received your prize. Will sure try and post a popsicle recipe soon.
Hi Anudi,
Do we need to add water to melt jaggery?
Chitra- No, it is not required to add water.
Such a lovely recipe anushruthi.all recipes that I have come across use maple syrup or corn syrup which is difficult to find in my place.i made these bars but it was crumbly.dont know where i went wrong.could u pls help me?i must say they tasted soooo good even when had with spoon.
n.mohamed- The success of this recipe largely depends on using the right texture of jaggery. You need to use soft jaggery and not jaggery powder, allow it to melt and as it cools it will bind all the ingredients.
Hi anu,
Wanted to try this recipe ever since I read it……. N now when i m expecting I thought it wud be great snack for my hungry tummy……
Tried it last night with jaggery only taste is good but cudn't get the bars that I desired…. I think jaggery caramelised Iill more ….. Don no…. But the final product is a crumbled version which I might have to eat with spoon :-(……
Can u tell what went wrong…. I melted jaggery till its consistency was like semi liquid….
Also with the process mentioned in your recipe are oats cooked completely …
pakhee: You need to melt the jaggery just until it melts and not cook further. Did you use only 3/4 cup jaggery? I think this recipe needs 1 cup jaggery or 3/4th cup jaggery and 1/4 cup soft brown sugar to get the right texture. When oats are roasted properly, they are fully cooked, don't worry!
Got it right the second time…after making the initial mistake of jaggery powder. Thanks Anu for making a family favourite snack healthier!
What is the shelf life of this? It can be stored in airtight containers outside?
Hi Anushruti,
I strictly follow ayurvedic principles in my everyday cooking and I feel very happy to see your Granola bars recipe(without honey). Hats-off to you! 🙂
You are right! All store-bought granola bars, even cereals have honey in it which are ofcourse cooked and becomes unhealthy. Unless people learn the basics of Ayurveda, they will keep enjoying the incompatible foods which are popular in the market. The saddest part is, many ppl try to replicate the store-bought recipes with the same ingredients to achieve the taste and feel home-made is healthy. Incompatible food combinations, even homemade, is unhealthy. This is also the reason why diseases are growing and its hard to find a person without any health concerns. I really pray god to help people learn the basics of Ayurveda.
Thanks,
shuba: Yes it can be stored outside in an airtight container. Lasts for a couple of weeks easily.
Ayurveda Follower- Glad that you are aware of all these principles. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi
I have seen your video making these lovely and healthy bars
Can I make these without baking??
Just refrigerate them as everything is already cooked.
Thanks
MAhek- Cook the oats mixture for a few minutes more if you dont want to bake it.
Hi,
I made these a couple of days back and they are absolutely tasty,addictive in fact….I however had a doubt you could help me out with. When i put the ghee,jaggery and brown sugar in the pan,despite the jaggery melting completely i felt the sugar hadnt dissolved.I did not cook it further and went ahead with the rest of the recipe.In the end product there is a crunch because of the undissolved sugar granules.I like this texture but is this how it is supposed to be?
Ashwini- Glad you liked these granola bars. Yes, that's how it is supposed to be. 🙂
Thanks, Anushruti, for the easy and great recipe. The bars tuned out wonderful.I loved the "no honey". Next time, I am going to try without baking. Looking forward to more yum and healthy food ideas.
Payal- Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Anushruti,
Thank you again for a great recipe.
I love oats but unfortunately oats doesn't go well with my husband.
I was wondering if there are any other options as healthy as oats.
Ruchita.
Ruchita- You can try popped amaranth and also puffed rice instead of oats.
Hi Anushruti.. Have been trying recipes from ur site..they taste heavenly..I acknowledge the fact that u keep in mind the principles of cooking that are healthy n safe.. I made granola bars ! Actually no bars but granola crumlbles!! And to my surprise even the crumbs vanished in no time..now my brother n brother in law demand the same crumbly version..just wanted to ask u why didn't it bind ? I used 3/4 cup jaggery..n 1/4 cup brown sugar..do we use jaggery in pieces form? Coz I scraped it like strips wid a knife..thank you..
Pooja- You need to use jaggery in block form for the binding. You can even skip the brown sugar and use only the jaggery.
Thank you for all the feedback..
Hey Anushruti,
I was searching for recipe without honey and i found this.. i have a question that if i want to make dark chocolate nd cranberry garnola bars then what would be the change in this recipe..
Regards,
Maitri
Maitri- You can mix in 1/2 cup or more grated chocolate or chocolate chips and substitute the raisins with the cranberry.
Hi, can we make these granola bars without jaggery?
What is its substitute?
Can we use only brown sugar or can we use honey and if yes then how much?
Plzz tell….
I want to try this recipe.
But jaggery isn't available right now.
Waiting for your reply
Smriti: I dont recommend cooking or baking with honey as it is against Ayurvedic principles. You can substitute it with sugar but you will have to work fast or else the sugar will turn bitter. This recipe is best made with jaggery!
Hi,
The block form of jaggery I have is pretty hard and got blackened when I tried to melt with ghee. Should I use a more softer kind of jaggery for this. Thanks I'm advance!
Yes, softer jaggery would help. I use bloc form too. Make sure you pound it into small pieces or into a powder.
You mean 220 grams of jaggery blocks ? Just curious why the results would differ for powdered jaggery ( as I tend to store powdered jaggery often ) . Thanks
Because jaggery powder is powdery and the block is sticky which binds the ingredients together.
Hi Anu..
I tried this recipe today, they turned out crumbly. I wish I had watched your video before making, I am going give it another try.. but they tasted divine.. kids loved them.
Thanks
Make sure you use jaggery blocks and not jaggery powder to get the right texture.