These easy keto granola bars are sweet, salty, and delicious. Chockfull of healthy nuts and seeds, they’re one of my favorite keto snacks!
If you’re a snacker like me, you’re going to love these keto granola bars. They’re easy to make and they look and taste just like the real deal. A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a whole lot delicious.
These homemade grain-free granola bars are worthy of a little obsession. I knew they would be good but I was amazed at how much they resemble real granola bars.
And all without any grains or sugars!
Grain free granola bars
Back in the day, I used to think that granola bars were good for me, and they were one of my go-to snacks. My husband and I would pack them for hiking and camping, and we always kept some in the car for hunger emergencies.
Creating keto friendly granola bars has long been a goal of mine, but of course it presents any number of challenges. How do you make granola bars without granola?
If you follow me, you know that I have been making keto granola for a very long time with a combination of coarsely ground coconut and nuts. Turns out that this trick works well for granola bars too. You just have to grind them a little more finely so that the bars don’t crumble.
But making them without sugar or honey is trickier, since that’s what holds conventional granola bars together. I’ve made bars in the past that used egg whites as a binder and while they were tasty, they were too soft. They weren’t the crunchy keto granola bars of my dreams.
This time, I created a syrup out of butter and keto sweeteners, added some collagen, and pressed them really firmly into the bottom of the pan. Success!
How to make keto granola bars
These are quite simple to make and you won’t believe they are sugar free and grain free. Here are my best tips for getting them right:
- Choose your nuts and seeds. It hardly matters what combination of nuts and seeds you use, as long as you grind them up enough. I like the texture of flaked coconut but you can use sliced almonds instead.
- Use a food processor. You really need to chop the nuts and seeds finely and doing it by hand simply won’t cut it. They should resemble coarse crumbs, but a few larger pieces are okay.
- Add some collagen. Collagen swells and gets a bit sticky when mixed with liquid so it helps bind the bars together and make them less fragile.
- Create a keto syrup. The syrup is crucial to holding the bars together. It also REALLY matters which sweeteners you use. I made several versions and when I used any BochaSweet or allulose, they were so soft, they crumbled when I tried to pick them up. ONLY erythritol based sweeteners such as Swerve or Lakanto will work.
- Press them down firmly. Really, really firmly! This is key to making cohesive keto granola bars that stay together.
- Let them cool properly. The bars are very soft right out of the oven so let them cool completely before lifting out of the pan.
- Cut straight down. Use a large, sharp knife to cut them into squares or bars, and cut straight down rather than sawing back and forth.
- Save those crumbles! Use any crumbles bits or bars that fall apart as granola. They are delicious in yogurt or over ice cream, or simply used as breakfast cereal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read the section on how to make keto granola bars, as I am very specific about what works and what doesn’t. If you choose to make these with anything other than an erythritol based sweetener, they will be very soft and crumbly.
Try using sliced almonds instead. They have the same texture as flaked coconut when ground up.
Sure! I think ghee or coconut oil will work well in place of the butter.
Nothing. Collagen has unique properties that really help hold these keto granola bars together. You can skip it but they will be more fragile.
Storage information
Because they don’t contain anything that will spoil, keto granola bars are fine on the counter for up to two weeks. I recommend keeping them in an airtight container.
I have never tried to freeze them but I am sure they would be fine there as well and would keep for several months.
More delicious keto snack ideas
- Keto Cheese Crackers
- Everything Bagel Cucumber Bites
- Easy Keto Granola Clusters
- Keto Apple Cider Donut Bites
- Keto Pretzel Bites
- Crispy Broccoli Cheese Rounds
Keto Granola Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw pecan halves
- ½ cup shelled pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoon grassfed collagen
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon Swerve Brown
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, sugar-free (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F and line an 8×8 inch metal pan with parchment paper (with a little of the parchment overhanging the sides for easy removal).
- In a food processor, combine the coconut, almonds, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. Process on high until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs in texture.
- Add the collagen and salt, and pulse a few times to combine, then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the sweeteners, whisking until they dissolve. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir the butter mixture into the nut mixture until thoroughly combined, then stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Transfer to the prepared baking pan.
- Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to really press it down and compact it as much as possible.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are turning golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan and then lift them out by the parchment. Use a very sharp knife and cut them into bars (cutting straight down works much better than sawing away at them).
Tina says
If I want to leave out the coconut flakes, will this still work? If not, what are some alternatives for the coconut flakes?
Carolyn says
YOu can try sliced almonds but you need the bulk.
Tammie says
These are hard & crunchy according to your description early in the blog, is there a chewy alternative? I love Munk Pack but they are SO expensive! I figure I could find a drizzle/coating in another of your recipes, but chewy is my preference. This brand does use allulose, so is that how they got chewy which you weren’t going for?
Carol says
Wow! These are so good and simple to make.
Ashley says
Hello! Do you think I can use coconut oil instead of butter?
Carolyn says
That should be fine. Use a bit less, though, as it’s greasier.
Gayle says
DANG Carolyn, these turned out SO GOOD. My non-low-carb eating hubby loved them also! I skipped the chocolate chips but added some no-sugar dehydrated cranberries that I made. SOOOO good. Thanks so much! 🙂
Barbara says
We love this recipe. It makes a real granola. We have made it several times and sometimes used sliced almonds and large flaked coconut and did not process.. however it did crumble a little more than original try. Both times we have found it a little too buttery so we reduced by 1/4. May reduce even more since a lot of greasiness on bottom of pan. Will reducing butter affect texture? We may even add some cinnamon next time. But this is spot on for texture and taste. I have been looking for a copy of keto clusters from the store. I think this is it!
Susan says
I never write reviews. These are the best and easy to make! You will not miss your old granola bars….ever! Lol The only thing I ever change on the recipe is the type of chocolate chips I add. I have made these with Choc Zero milk and dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and white chocolate strawberry chips. Awesome!
Gail G. says
A household favorite! I’ve made these several times, and recently have begun doubling the recipe just to be sure we have plenty on hand. My partner has to take oral chemo meds with food each morning, and these are perfect for filling that need. They are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, crunch, healthy, and filling. Thank you for creating this and ALL of your wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
So glad you enjoy them and that they work for your partner’s meds.
Caroline Nielson says
I just made these and they tasted fantastic…..didn’t last too long 🙁
The only thing I didn’t like is that they were so crumbly and would
Fall apart when we ate them. I used all the correct ingredients so I’m
Not sure if it was because I waited for several hours to slice them?
Kim says
My sister makes these all the time and she put them in the frig after they cool a bit. Once they’re cold, cut them in desired squares and store them in an airtight container in frig. This is how she kept them from crumbling.
Diane says
I made these today but used half butter and half peanut butter and added 1/2 cup Lupin flakes. I did not put the chocolate chips in but instead I used 3 ounces lily’s chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons butter (like in your peanut butter bars) and poured on top to give them a chocolate topping. I also added a tablespoon of sugar free maple syrup because, well, why not?
Karen M. says
I made some substitues: walnuts instead of pecans, and chia & hemp seeds instead of pumpkin seeds, coconut oil in place of butter. I also used conventional sugars. While the the taste is amazing, they are more like granola than a bar, fall apart just picking them up. Wondering if the the substitutes caused this texture.
Carolyn says
Coconut oil would definitely make them softer. Any changes you make to a recipe, you take the risk that they won’t work out…