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
- 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
- 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp grassfed collagen
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp Swerve Brown
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 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).
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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!
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!
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?
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.
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.
How do you store these?
LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes!
PS I used to live in St. Johns (Oregon)!
Storage information is right in the blog post.
I remember when these were cranberry….
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
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.
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.
What sweetener did you use?
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.
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.
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.
Can chia seeds be added to create the stickiness with whey protein…
I am sorry, I have no idea given that this is not how I tested them.
OMG!! I have just made these and they are THE best granola bars I have come across!! Moist, chewy and just plain fantastic! I love the subtle kick of coconut and I added a drizzle of Keto caramel syrup over the top as it cooled down. I eat the crumbs with homemade Keto yoghurt and fresh fruit – heaven! I can’t get enough of this granola!
I made these this week, and they’re great! Even though the chocolate chips melted, the flavor is still there. I was never a fan of granola bars, (I never believed they were a good sub for a candy bar!) but I am now! Thank you, Carolyn, your recipes have helped us stay on the lc/keto track!
Made these bars yesterday, using the updated recipe. They are quite good! Crunchy and ganola-ey as advertised. They did turn out a little crumbly although I made the recipe exactly as written except for subbing peanuts for pecans. I did press the mixture firmly with a flat glass, and used collagen peptide. My collagen is old, but I don’t know if that matters.
What factors can affect crumbliness?
It’s not a big deal, they are still excellent. and this won’t stop me from making them again.
PS, as one of the commenters mentioned, if you add chocolate chips right away, they have a tendency to melt, which doesn’t matter a huge deal, but does make the bars a little less pretty. Next time I will let the syrup cool a bit before adding to the nuts. Upcoming test, serve a bar to the husband with a cup of coffee.
These were delicious and so easy to make. I made them with regular sweetener as I have no brown, and walnuts and toasted sliced almonds as the nuts.
I just thought you’d like to know that CJ’s Keto Kitchen put out a video today using your recipe as her own. Exactly the same recipe. By the way, I made these and they are amazing!!
Wow, okay thanks.
What would be a good substitute for the coconut? I have a couple who cannot eat coconut.
These are delicious!! I love a granola bar for when out running errands, or a I need a quick snack. These came out great and I also finally got to us a baking pan I have that is designed for making bars, lol. Thank you for a great recipe!
People are mentioning yacon syrup, but I don’t see that in the recipe. Was that just a sub or is the recipe missing something?
Updated recipe.