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).
Kay says
I want to be able to eat these so badly. However, I’ve read that if one has cancer, supplemental collagen should not be consumed. Seems there is no substitute, based on the comments.
Lisa says
These are amazing! I did coat the tops in chocolate, then zigzagged white chocolate drizzle. Omg, I must make more!
Martha R says
Can You Use Xtathum Gum
Carolyn says
In place of the collagen? I am doubtful it will hold together as well but you’re certainly welcome to try.
Cheryl says
Hi Carolyn, another absolute winner of a recipe. I used sunflower seeds, cashews and flaked almonds & added a wee bit more salt as I love sweet & salty flavours.
The caramelised butter flavour is just amazing. I have shared the bars with a few friends & every one had a “OMG” reaction at the first bite. This one goes into my Favourites folder. Thank you for all your tasty recipes x
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Wendy says
I just left my review and forgot to ask the question…would a silicone baking tool with bar-shaped compartments work very well for this? I’m pretty inexperienced with silicone cooking.
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Probably? I haven’t tried it out myself…
Wendy says
Super delicious and will become a weekly prep item! Maybe twice weekly if I’m not able to stick to one bar? I had plain protein powder to use up and swapped that for collagen. The bars are a little crumbly, so I’ll do collagen next time based on Caroline’s comments in the blog on collagen being the sticking agent. I’ve developed a special taste for maple, so I went half ‘n half on extract – vanilla and maple. What a great recipe – thank you, Caroline!!!!!
Wendy says
Carolyn…jeepers…my apologies for misspelling your name! I was beside myself with how much I loved your granola bar recipe. I went ahead and made the collagen version later this afternoon. Granola bars have been one thing I’ve REALLY missed!
Valerie says
Keepers! I’ve been looking for something to satisfy my cravings and this hits the mark perfectly! I can’t eat pecans or walnuts (allergy) so substituted cashews and it works. Thanks for this!
Valerie says
Upon further research, I think I want to drop the cashews. Wondering how best to incorporate flax seed and chia as replacements. I really want to make this recipe work for us.
Susan Yakus says
Can I use the Beef Grass Fed Collagen, or will it change the taste?
Carolyn says
Yes, should be fine.
Kathy Fortner says
I will be making this today or tomorrow….can I add some whey protein to make them more of a breakfast/meal bar?
thank you and I bless you this Christmas season and am praying for you and your family!
Kathy
Carolyn says
Sure! Sounds good to me.
Jan Lewis says
These are the best tasting granola bars I’ve ever eaten! Thank you so much!!!
All that was different was I did use 1/2 C of chopped walnuts because I didn’t have enough almonds and used a Ninja Chopper in place of the food processor.
ONE question – My bars did look “greasy” after removing from the oven after baking for 28 or so minutes. They looked done so I left them on in pan on a cooling rack. After they were cool I removed them via parchment sling. I let them sit a bit more then cut them. They crumbled a bit, but mostly remained whole. However the bottom was “greasy”. Is this normal? I moved them to a paper towel and then the put them separated by layers of paper towel in an air tight container. Just wondering if there is something I can do or is this just the way they are?
Lynn says
Can a different type of collagen, like marine colleagen, be used?
Carolyn says
I’ve never used it so I really can’t say.
karin levavi says
what can I use instead of grassfed collagen?
Carolyn says
Nothing. It’s critical to holding the bars together.
Julia says
Perfect snack on the go! Tasty, full of great stuff and so easy to make!
Lily says
I love to have some sort of small snack in my purse and these bars were perfect, they gave a healthy and delicious increase in energy and they are super easy to make, thanks for the awesome recipe!
Lisalia says
YUMMY! I loved these granola bars. And I even crumbled up a few bars and sprinkled them over our yougurt this afternoon for a snack. These are delicious and SO SO easy to make!
Andrea Ellis says
Once I stirred in the Lily chocolate chips the granola turned chocolate color . Should I have waited a bit until the mixture cooled, then stir them in and then pressed in pan?
Carolyn says
If they melted, then you over-heated the butter and sweeteners when you melted them together. It’s over super low heat and it’s only to get them to combine. It really shouldn’t be warm to the touch once you mix it with the nuts.
Margaret says
These are absolutely delicious! I couldn’t believe how much they tasted like the chocolate chip granola bars I used to eat. In fact, they may be a little too good, portion control went out the window! My husband took half to his office and I kept the other half. He was sure they would last him the week… By the end of the day, there were no traces of granola bar to be found! I used sliced almonds, pecans, and walnuts with the rest of the recipe the same. Turned out perfect. Great taste and texture. Thank you for another great recipe. You are my trusted source for keto recipes.
Carol Powell says
How do you store these?
LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes!
PS I used to live in St. Johns (Oregon)!
Carolyn says
Storage information is right in the blog post.
Myra Cook says
I remember when these were cranberry….
Carmel says
First of all I would like to thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
Made these today but had a problem. When I took out the bars it was all grease from the butter. I used a stick, 115 gram here in the Netherlands. I’m nearly sure I used the recipe correctly. Then I wanted to taste and they were brittle and crumbled. Must say the taste was quite good, bit buttery. I would love you advice.
Regards,
Carmel
Carolyn says
Did you use the collagen? I am wondering what brands you have there… and also what sweetener? It’s super hard for me to account for ingredient differences across countries but I know that it can be part of the issue.
Carmel says
Thank you for your reply.
I’ll just try again. I used collagen. But think I just need to use other sweetner and less butter.
Carolyn says
What sweetener did you use?
Jan Lewis says
I just made them and they looked “greasy” on top when I took them out of the oven. I’ve let them sit cooling now and it seems to have soaked in. Letting them cool completely in pan before removing them.
Tera says
Hi, I read above you said there’s no substitute for collagen, but I was wondering if whey protein isolate would provide a similar result? They look perfect for my daughter’s snack/lunch box.
Carolyn says
You’re welcome to give it a try but it doesn’t have the “stickiness” that collagen has. Collagen swells a bit when wet and creates a bit of a gel that helps the bars stick together better.
aisha SULEMAN says
Can chia seeds be added to create the stickiness with whey protein…
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I have no idea given that this is not how I tested them.