These homemade chewy coconut granola bars are quick and easy to make and are perfect to have on hand for tucking into the kids lunch boxes!
I am always on the lookout for new snack recipes for the kid’s lunches. Or for after school. Or for after sports in the evenings when they’re starving. And so on and so on.
Kids are always hungry. Has anyone else noticed that? Or is it just my kids? Must be all the growing or something because they just never seem to be done eating. We go through snack food around here at a ridiculous rate. I no sooner finish making a batch of granola bars then they’re telling me we’re all out.
Insane, that’s what it is. I don’t even want to think about how much they’ll be eating when they hit the teenage years. It’s a little frightening.
So….more granola bars today. These ones are coconut granola bars, because we love coconut in all the things.
These easy, no bake granola bars have shredded coconut and coconut oil in them for a nice coconut-y flavour, and lots of rolled oats to make them hearty and filling. They’re nice and chewy, but also pack well in a lunch box without falling apart. We like them with melted chocolate drizzled on top, or sometimes with mini chocolate chips mixed in, but you could completely omit the chocolate if you wanted to make them a bit healthier and they would still be delicious.
These coconut granola bars are such an easy snack to make – and will definitely be getting added to the homemade granola bar rotation around here that already includes these apple cinnamon energy bars, these chocolate peanut butter granola bars and these oatmeal raisin no bake granola bars.
Homemade snacks that are easy to make are my favourite recipes for a reason. I need fast and easy when the kids eat them all within minutes!
How to make Coconut Granola Bars:
- If you don’t have any quick cooking oats, you can use old fashioned rolled oats, just give them a quick spin in a food processor to break them down a bit or your bars may be crumbly.
- I’ve found that how chewy these granola bars are depends a bit on how long I cook the honey mixture, start timing your minute as soon as it starts to boil so you don’t overcook it. They’ll still be tasty granola bars if you cook it longer, they’ll just be crisper rather then chewy.
- You don’t need to toast the oats and coconut, but it does give the bars more flavour if you include this step.
Here’s some more great snack recipes for you:
- Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars
- Oatmeal Raisin Energy Balls
- Oatmeal Raisin No Bake Granola Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
Coconut Granola Bars
These homemade chewy coconut granola bars are quick and easy to make and are perfect to have on hand for tucking into the kids lunch boxes!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Quick Oats
- 1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1/4 cup Coconut Oil
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 ounces Dark Chocolate chopped, 60 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread the oats and the coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes. Let cool and transfer to a large bowl.
- Prepare an 8×8-inch baking pan by spraying it lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut oil, honey and brown sugar. Heat, stirring until melted.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly and boil for one minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the sugar mixture into the oats and coconut and stir until evenly combined.
- Press the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down very firmly. I like to lay a sheet of wax paper over the bars and press down with a metal flipper to get it as compact as possible so they don’t fall apart.
- Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and microwave on 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until just about melted. Let it melt the last little bit just by stirring, don’t overheat the chocolate or it will seize.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops of the bars.
- Allow to cool for at least 2 hours at room temperature before cutting into bars.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Notes
These bars need quick cooking oats, if you only have rolled oats then give them a quick pulse in the food processor to break them down a bit, or the bars will likely fall apart.
Source: Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1 barAmount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.
I’ve also shared this Coconut Granola Bars Recipe over on Food Fanatic.
Cass
Wednesday 3rd of April 2024
Could I just leave the sugar out? Or would I have to replace it with something else if I did?
Stacey
Thursday 4th of April 2024
I haven't tried this recipe without the sugar, but if you wanted to try, I would replace it with more honey.
JimmyB
Monday 3rd of May 2021
Do I drizzle the chocolate of the granola before or after baking? Thanks!
Stacey
Monday 3rd of May 2021
These are no bake granola bars. The oven is just used to toast the oats and coconut before using them in the bars. The flavour is better when they're toasted first. After pressing the bars into the pan, you can let them cool and then drizzle the chocolate on top, either before or after cutting them into bars. If you drizzle it on while they're still warm the chocolate will melt a bit, so it just depends how you want it to look.
Cynthia
Friday 29th of November 2019
Is there some way I could incorporate dates in this recipe,? I'm very low on brown sugar. Theres probably 1 tablespoon in the bag at most... maybe I could use the small brown sugar I have along with a 1/4 cup of date paste?
Stacey
Friday 29th of November 2019
I haven’t tried it, but I think that would work well. It would change the flavor, but should work as a substitution in this recipe. Let me know how they turn out if you try it!
Kunal Pahuja- Homemade Chocolates
Saturday 9th of June 2018
Great Recipe. I’ve tried it at home. Everyone liked it so much. Thank You!!