No-Bake Toasted Coconut and Almond Granola Bars

These toasted coconut and almond granola bars are the perfect healthy and delicious snack to have handy for when you are hit by a hunger pang. 

Granola bars are a classic you can never go wrong with if you’re on the hunt for an easy and healthy snack recipe. They are made using ingredients that pack in a lot of nutrients, and taste amazing too!
Plus, you can make them in a big batch and store them for later- all you need is a few minutes in the kitchen and you can make them over the weekend. 

Ingredients For the Granola Bars

You’ll need just 6 ingredients to make these granola bars. 

• 2 cups whole natural almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3 pitted Medjool dates
• 1 cup almond butter
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup dark chocolate

How to Make the Toasted Coconut and Almond Granola Bars

Making these granola bars is super easy. Just follow this step-by-step process and you’re sorted. 

Place the almonds, coconut, and Medjool dates in a food processor until you get crumbs.

Melt the butter and combine with the honey. 

Add the crumbs in the butter and mix everything together. 

Pour the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper and place it in the fridge. Leave it for at least 30 minutes to set. 

Melt the chocolate and cover the mixture in the pan with it. 

You can decorate with coconut on the top and leave it in the fridge for at least another 15 minutes until the chocolate is set.

What Else Can I Add?

These granola bars are packed with coconut and almond as the key ingredients, but why stop yourself there? Consider these add-ons that don’t just taste great, but bump up the nutritive value of these bars. 

Nuts: There’s so much more apart from almonds that you can add to your granola bars- cashews, pistachios, pecans, toasted macadamia nuts, walnuts, and even peanuts are all excellent choices. 

Dried berries: Dried cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are all great additions to your granola bars. They are super versatile and lend the granola bars a bit of sweetness and tartness. 

Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, and toasted sesame seeds are all excellent additions to your granola bars. They are crunchy, delicious, and loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, and other macronutrients. 

Other additions: Depending on the flavor you’re trying to achieve, you can throw in some mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips- whatever your taste buds prefer. You can also add in raisins or chopped-up dried peaches for some extra flavor. And of course, there are rice Krispies and rolled oats that can make up the bulk of your granola bars. 

What Can I Use Instead of Medjool Dates?

Medjool dates are the base of these granola bars. They are what help the other ingredients stick together, and get these granola bars to have that perfect texture. Plus, they also act as an excellent natural sweetener. 

If you don’t have Medjool dates, you could use any other kind of pitted dates. If you don’t want to use dates at all, you might need to increase the amount of nut butter you’re adding in, and some coconut oil to soften the mixture and get it to the spreadable consistency. 

Why Almond Butter?

Almond butter has a nice, subtle flavor that works well along with the other ingredients in the recipe. It also helps act as a binding agent and keeps the almonds and the shredded coconut stick together. Plus, it is super healthy- packed full of protein and heart-healthy fats. 

If you don’t have almond butter, you could make do with any other nut or seed butter of your choice- cashew butter and peanut butter are two good choices. 

Which Other Sweetener Can I Use?

These toasted coconut and almond granola bars are sweetened with honey, but if you want to try out something different, you can use maple syrup or agave syrup instead.

And since these bars already have that toasty, coconut flavor, you could use coconut sugar too. 

How to Store the Leftover Toasted Coconut and Almond Granola Bars

Your leftover granola bars can stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Just remember to store them in an airtight container, and if you’re stacking them, separate each layer with a sheet of parchment paper to keep them from sticking to each other. 

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

These granola bars are super easy to make, but keeping these little tips and tricks in mind can really help you take the recipe up a notch. 

• When it comes to making homemade granola bars, don’t underestimate the power of just a pinch of salt. Adding a pinch of sea salt or regular salt to the mixture can enhance the existing flavors of the granola bars and balance out the sweetness.
• To bring in a pop of flavor, you can also add a bit of fresh lemon or orange zest into the mixture. If you’re not too sure about the citrusy flavor, a pinch of cinnamon powder can be great too. 
• If cutting the granola bars seems like a task, use a sharp knife, and warm it up a bit before you use it to cut the bars. 
• You can wrap each granola bar individually in parchment paper and then transfer them to an airtight container. This way, you will have a healthy snack ready for you to quickly grab and go. 

Loved making these toasted coconut and almond granola bars? Looking for some more fun recipes that you might want to try out? Here are a few quick and easy recipes to get started on. 

• No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cups
• Classic No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• No-Bake Vegan Energy Balls Recipe