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Gluten-free granola bars with peanut butter
Some time ago, I asked you what kind of recipes you would like to see more of on the blog. The answer “healthy snacks” came back quite often. That’s why made these gluten-free granola bars with peanut butter.
Here in the Netherlands, the offer of low FODMAP and gluten-free granola bars is really limited and the available ones are usually quite expensive (I love the snack bars from Fody Foods).
But luckily it is very easy to make gluten-free granola bars from scratch. These low FODMAP granola bars with peanut butter and chocolate chips are so delicious and filling. A handy snack that will keep you going for a few hours!
Just as with granola, you can easily vary the ingredients of these granola bars. Have you seen my recipes for pumpkin granola and chocolate granola already?
The ingredients of the gluten-free granola bars with peanut butter
Oats are the main ingredient of these snack bars. I love oats in my granola and I find it the perfect basis for a granola bar.
Make sure that you use certified gluten-free oats if you have to eat strictly gluten-free.
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but because of the production process, it can often not be guaranteed that the oats have not been in contact with gluten.
If you buy certified gluten-free oats, you do have the guarantee that they are gluten-free. For the low FODMAP diet, this is not necessary because this is not a gluten-free diet.
You can vary with the basis of this recipe. For example add some buckwheat flakes (low FODMAP up to 120 grams per serving), quinoa flakes (max. 50 grams per serving,) or gluten-free cornflakes.
Wet ingredients
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Smooth peanut butter
I use maple syrup as a sweetener in this recipe. Next to sweetness, it also adds stickiness to help keep the bars together.
You can also use rice syrup as a sweetener.
In similar recipes, you often see that agave syrup or honey is used as a sweetener, but note that those are not low FODMAP because they contain excess fructose.
If you have tested fructose and you react well to it, you can also use agave syrup or honey.
I would advise against this if you are still in the elimination phase or reintroduction phase of the FODMAP diet.
Next to maple syrup, I add a tablespoon of coconut oil (also for stickiness) and smooth peanut butter.
I usually am a huge fan of 100% natural peanut butter with chunks of peanuts. That is the peanut butter that I use on (almost) a daily basis and that I always have in my pantry.
For this recipe, I choose to use smooth peanut butter. This peanut butter stays a bit thicker when you melt it and I feel like it keeps the mixture together a bit better.
But I think that, when you experiment a little with the amounts in the recipe, you can also make delicious granola bars with 100% natural peanut butter.
I sometimes swap the peanut butter for almond butter. If you also add almonds to the granola mixture, you are stacking the FODMAP group galactans a little. So I would only advise doing that if you know you tolerate galactans well.
Nuts, seeds and more
The oats and the wet ingredients form the basis of the gluten-free granola bars.
Apart from the basis, you can add whatever you like to the bars. I choose to use almonds, peanuts, flax seeds, and chocolate chips.
But other nuts and seeds are also delicious to add. Low FODMAP options are for example:
- Brazil nuts (max. 40 grams per serving)
- Hazelnuts (max. 15 grams per serving)
- Pecan nuts (max. 200 grams per serving)
- Macadamia nuts, pecans (max. 75 grams per serving)
- Hemp seeds (max. 40 gram)
- Sunflower seeds
More gluten-free and low FODMAP snacks?
Looking for some more low FODMAP snacks? Then check out one of these recipes:
- Healthy low FODMAP blueberry muffins
- Low FODMAP banana oat cookies
- Healthy low FODMAP peanut butter cookies
- Low FODMAP pumpkin muffins
Or take a look at my blog with 20+ low FODMAP store-bought snacks or 80+ low FODMAP snack ideas.
Gluten-free granola bars with peanut butter
- Total Time: 4 hours + 20 min
- Servings: 14 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Delicious low FODMAP and gluten-free granola bars with peanut butter and chocolate chips. A handy snack! Lactose-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) maple syrup
- 125 smooth (1/2 cup) peanut butter
- 1 tbsp (15 gram) coconut oil
- 140 gram (1 cup) oatmeal
- 30 gram (1/4 cup) broken flaxseed
- 35 gram (1/4 cup) almonds, chopped
- 35 gram (1/4 cup) peanuts or pecans, chopped
- 50 gram (1/3 cup) chocolate chips
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
- A rectangular baking tin or baking sheet
Instructions
- Put the maple syrup, peanut butter and coconut oil together in a pan and melt it on low heat into a smooth mixture.
- Turn the heat off and leave the mixture to cool down for a few minutes, so it isn’t too warm.
- Put the oats, flaxseed, almonds, peanuts, cinnamon and the salt together in a bowl and stir together.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture on top and stir together. Finally stir the chocolate chips into the mixture.
- Put a sheet of baking parchment in a rectangular baking tin or baking sheet and spread the mixture out on it until you have a layer that is about 1 cm / 0.4 inches thick.
- Put the granola bars into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, so they can set. Cut the layer into 14 granola bars.
Notes
A serving of one granola bar is low FODMAP. You can keep the granola bars for about a week in an airtight box. I like storing them in the fridge. You can also freeze the granola bars to keep them longer.
The low FODMAP granola bars are not as robust as the ones you buy in the store. I usually put them into a box when I take them with me to work, so they will stay together. Fancy granola in your yogurt? Simply crumble a granola bar above your yogurt.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Waiting time: 4 hours
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 168
- Sugar: 2
- Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
30 Comments
These are so delicious! I made them tonight minus the peanuts and added coconut. Thank you for the recipe.
HI! Looks great! What do you mean by “broken flaxseeds”? Thanks!!
Oops, maybe I used the wrong name (this is the direct translation of how we call it in the Netherlands), it might be called “ground” flaxseed. Does that make more sense? 🙂
Yes lol
Could you swap the peanut butter for almond butter? Or a seed butter?
Yes, you can!
The flavor is delicious! However, I had trouble getting the bars to bind together, they were quite crumbly. Any suggestions?
You could add some extra maple syrup or melted coconut oil to make the mixture a little more sticky 🙂
Much better…thanks!
I can not stand coconut oil, do you think it would work with butter?
Yes, I think that should work!
if its the smell and taste of coconut oil you dont like (like me), try the deodorised version. its wonderful.
This sounds delicious! I am in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet, do you know about how much of the completed bars you can have to keep it within the range of the diet?
Thank you!
Stick to one granola bar per serving to stay within the low FODMAP serving of fructans and GOS 🙂
I am interested in making these. I see that you recommend different types of nuts like almonds. I thought almonds were high FODMap. Am I mistaken? I love almonds and would love to include them but I have stayed away from them because I thought they were high FODMap
Hi Dave, they are limited low FODMAP. A serving of 10 nuts (12 g) is low FODMAP. Because I use 35 gram for 14 servings, 1 serving contains on average 2,5 g almonds which is within the safe limit 🙂
Hi, when you say oatmeal do you mean cooked oats? Or regular raw rolled oats?? Thank you
I mean rolled oats
These were absolutely delicious! The flavor is amazing and I would love to make again. However, they were very crumbly so I couldn’t properly cut them. Any suggestions for them to be more moist and stick together better? Thanks.
I’ve tried many granola bar recipes and this is my favourite by far. I’ve made them 3x now, each time swapping ingredients for what I have on hand- shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, chia, Rice Krispies to name a few. I use “real” peanut butter and “real” maple syrup and they are the perfect amount of sweet. I will continue to make these and share with my friends! Thanks Karlijn 🙂
So happy to hear that Caitlin 🙂
Would it be ok to add Spirulina to the recipe..
Thank You, Lyn
Yes, i think that will work!
I’m a little confused. You don’t have to bake these? Isn’t granola baked?
Nope, these are no bake bars! But normal granola is usually baked, yes 😉
I would very much like to make these, but raw oats really irritate my system. Any suggestions for baking them?
Thanks so much for this recipe. Had a bit of difficulty choosing the quantity you suggested of the oats in this recipe as 1 metric cup of oats do not weigh 140 gms. So I decided to go with the 140 grams instead. I will also use brown rice syrup next time as 100 mls of maple was a tad too sweet and expensive in the UK. I made these bars with pumpkin seeds, cranberries and walnut (1/4 cup each). It’s in the fridge and I really find it difficult to wait 4 hours 😂, but I shall. Thank you for this granola recipe as it’s a keeper. Happy days!
You are right, this is incorrect. I will change this in the recipe. The gram measurements are correct for sure, so 140 grams is fine.
Great recipe! I made these last night and had some in yogurt today, and it was delicious. Mine did turn out a bit crumbly so next time I’ll add a bit more coconut oil, A keeper for sure.
These are certainly a sweet treat. Yes a bit crumbly, but very tasty.