No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola Bars

by Danielle on Jun 13, 2016 (updated Jan 14, 2021) 25 comments »

4 from 1 rating

These Chocolate Cherry Almond No-Bake Granola Bars are easy to make and perfect for a healthier snack!

Even though my blog is mostly focused on baking, I still try to eat healthier during the week. Between all of the butter and sugar that goes through my kitchen each week, it’s important to me to try to fit in as many healthier meals and snack as I can.

One thing that I love to make at home is no-bake granola bars. Not only are they better for you and so easy to make, but you can control what goes into them and use ingredients that you love too!

Between the crunchy almonds, sweet dried cherries, and mini chocolate chips in every bite these no-bake chocolate chip granola bars really are delicious. The fact that they’re better for you is just an added bonus.

I also knew this recipe was a winner when I saw my husband eating these all week long. I just mixed up another batch for this week too!

Ingredients in This Recipe

These healthy homemade granola bars call for a handful of simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

Almond butter: I recommend using no-stir almond butter for this recipe. Creamy or crunchy will work!
Honey: Sweetens the bars and helps bind everything together.
Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Quick oats: I prefer using quick oats in this recipe because they give you the classic store-bought chewy granola bar texture.
Almonds: Be sure to finely chop them so you don’t chomp down on a whole almond.
Dried cherries: I like using sweetened dried cherries in this recipe, but unsweetened works too.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Use mini chocolate chips, if possible.
Salt: Balances out all the flavors.
Crispy rice cereal: Add this at the end so it doesn’t get crushed.

How to Make No-Bake Granola Bars

The base of this almond butter granola bar recipe starts with some almond butter, honey, and a little vanilla extract. I usually microwave all three together for about 20 to 30 seconds, just until it’s warm enough to mix together easily. You’ll want to set this aside to cool too, otherwise your chocolate chips will melt when you mix everything together.

Next, mix in the quick oats, dried cherries, mini chocolate chips, and chopped almonds.

Once everything is mixed together, you’ll gently mix in some crispy rice cereal. It’s best to add the cereal in at the end, that way you avoid crushing it into little pieces.

How Long Do Homemade Granola Bars Last?

These almond butter granola bars will last up to 1 week in the fridge.

Can I Use a Different Nut Butter?

You likely can, yes. If you have a nut allergy, you can probably use sun butter too (you may just need to up the amount of oats in the recipe if the mixture is too runny).

Baking Tips

I prefer making these bars with dried cherries, but any dried fruit will work. If you bought larger dried fruit pieces, chop them up before mixing into the no-bake granola bars.
I’ve only made this recipe as written, but I imagine you could use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats if that’s all you have on hand.
There is a lot of good stuff packed into this recipe, so it may not be completely smooth once you’ve mixed it up. The mixture should come together pretty well and may be just a bit crumbly, which is fine. Once you press everything firmly into the pan and freeze it, you’ll easily be able to slice it into granola bars.

More Easy Snack Recipes to Try!