Chewy Honey Lemon Chia Granola Bars
Honey Lemon Chia Granola Bars- made with rolled oats and crunchy almonds, these chewy granola bars are packed full of healthy fats and fiber!
It’s the return of the all mighty chia seed! Bursting with antioxidants, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein, it’s one little seed that’s hard to beat.
If you’re like me, you might have a few jars or maybe even a super huge bag burning a whole in your pantry. It can be hard to figure out what to do with them sometimes, right?
I don’t like to use whole chia seeds as an egg replacer for baking because, in my opinion, there’s a time and a place for that tiny crunchy texture and it’s not in my muffins. Granola bars, on the other hand, are something I’ll happily enjoy crunching my way through.
These were actually inspired by the Honey Almond Chia Granola recipe that I shared a while ago. A reader asked how she could make that recipe into granola bars so I wrote it down on the to-make list and finally got around to making them.
Most of the ingredients are similar except I decided to leave out the egg whites so that it would be a no-bake recipe and also replaced the coconut oil with almond butter to keep them oil-free. The only difference with the bars is the addition of lemon zest which gives them a fresh citrus flavor that pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the honey.
How to Make Honey Lemon Chia Granola Bars
As you can see in the photos above, there a just a few steps to making them!
- Combine the oats, chia seeds, coconut, chopped almonds, and lemon zest in a large bowl.
- Melt the honey and almond butter together in a saucepan. Stir to combine, then add the vanilla and salt.
- Pour the honey almond butter mixture over the ingredients in the large bowl then toss until everything is evenly coated.
- In a lined baking dish, add the mixture then (using a pastry roller) roll until the top is even and flat.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then cut into bars and enjoy!
Looking for more granola bar recipes? Check these out:
- Puffed Amaranth, Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Granola Bars
- 5-Ingredient No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- No-Bake Blueberry Lemon Snack Bars
Honey Lemon Chia Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats, or quick cooking oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup almond butter, see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, omit if almond butter is salted
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8” baking dish with parchment paper then set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the oats, coconut, almonds, chia seeds and lemon zest. Toss to combine.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the honey and almond butter together. Stir until combined then remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Pour the honey and almond butter mixture into the large bowl and stir everything until well-combined.
- Quickly transfer the mixture to the lined baking dish and then use your hands (with a piece of parchment paper underneath) or a spatula to firmly press out to the sides. If you have a small pastry roller, that will help to flatten the top for perfectly shaped bars but it’s not necessary.
- Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours (ideally up to 4 hours), until firm. Use parchment paper to lift it out of the baking dish then slice into 12 separate bars. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container with parchment paper in between the bars to keep from sticking. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
These look awesome! I’ve been neglecting my little bag of chia sees lately, so maybe it’s time to get them out of hibernation. I really need to be better about making homemade snacks for work!
Yum, I love the simple ‘n’ short ingredient list.
Is Brandon your only taste tester besides you? I mean, I’m available. And I put chia seeds in overnight oats, but that’s it. Nice to have another option for how to use them! Looks great, Sarah! :)
These look scrumptious!! I have been looking for something new and easy for breakfast that has some protein and healthy fats and this is perfect. And I love the addition of the lemon – a great way to kick off my morning :) Thank you!!
Your comments always bring the biggest smile to my face, Melissa! Thank you for brightening my day. :)
These look really yummy, I can’t wait to try them! Thanks
I am LOVING the sound of these!! Pinning for sure!
I was going through chia seeds like crazy for a while but now I’ve slowed down – I have a whole bag and haven’t put them to use! I think it’s time for some granola bars!
haha oh gosh – I’ve done that so many times – someone asks for a recipe and I write it down and then just never seem to get around to it!
I definitely will be making these granola bars.. they look like the perfect healthy snack for me to take to university.
The flavors and textures in these granola bars are insane!! Soo much yumminess! And I totally know how you feel… those “to-make” lists pile up FAST! :)
i bet they have a light and springy complexity about them which makes them super delicious bars. way to make a great looking batch!
Oh, dawg…I just the other day tried my hand at a no-bake granola bar recipe and the dang thing didn’t turn out! I’ll definitely be making these superiffic chia bars and that lemon/honey combo sounds scrumptious! I need!
Love the combo of chia and lemon! I used to hate lemon flavor as a kid but I am super obsessed with it now, it’s a healthy way to add flavor to anything – savory or sweet!
xx Jill
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First off, I think you should consider a career as a hand model ;-). Gorgeous bars – there is nothing in this ingredient list that I don’t love but the crowning glory has to be the lemon – so unique and fresh, great idea. I’m so curious about how strongly the citrus comes through so I think I might just have to give them a try. Ironically, I have all the ingredients save the chia (flax seed tends to be my overstocked item) but that can be easily remedied.
Aw, thanks Kelly! I guess I missed my calling, lol. :)
I have a big bag of hemp hearts in my pantry that I need to use up! But first, I may make these.
These sound like something my lemon-loving mom would enjoy – I’ll need to keep them in mind to make for her sometime!
So you use ground chia as an egg replacer huh? I usually do ground flax, but I’ll have to try using chia too!
I just bought my first little bag of chia seeds the other day and I’m so excited to use them! I know, I’m so late to the party, but better late than never, right?! I’ve been wanting to make granola bars for so long now and these are so inspiring! I love the honey and lemon in them :)
These look so good! I eat a granola bar EVERY DAY!! I really want to start making my own instead of buying them at the store. These look great!
I’m not usually big on lemon, but these actually sound really good! Love how simple they are too.
Haha I can relate about being a bad blogger. I’ve had recipe ideas in my head for years that I haven’t gotten around to making yet!
I love lemon this time of year! Chia seeds are just a great protein source, too :)
Chia+Lemon: a very original combination I’d love to try!
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Hi I am looking for something to eat during long runs. i need to injest 30-60 grams of carbs every 30 minutes any idea how to portion these out to acomplish that? thank you for any help
Hi Alehsa! I didn’t have a chance to calculate the calories for these but it is on my to-do list to go back and add them to every recipe. Until then, you can copy and paste the ingredients into caloriecount.com or myfitnesspal.com to figure them out. I hope that helps! :)
Hi there,
Thanks so much for the great recipe. I just adapted it so there are no grains (ie. Oatmeal)
Here’s my super yummy simple recipe if anyone’s interested:
I simply mixed by hand with no heating at all and formed into balls or bars.
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup almond or any nut butter
1/4 cup protein powder (any flavor)
1/4 cup cacao nibs (optional) or hemp hearts
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tbsn lemon juice
Add more protein powder if mix is too moist.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the comment, Linda!
Ps. Sorry, in case anyone tries the recipe sent earlier, please add 1 cup of coconut ☺️: )
Hi, do these come out crunchy? Is there anyway oats can be crisp in the bar. Would it be good to use granola instead of oats for a crispier bar?
No they are more chewy than crispy. I haven’t tried making them with granola so I’m not sure if that would make them crispy. Please let me know if you give it a try!
I was looking for a homemade granola bar that was more savory and not too sweet and found this recipe, and I LOVE them. I’ve made them 4-5 times now (I sub peanut butter for almond butter because it’s what I have on hand) and my husband and I eat them everyday on our way to work or sometimes as a snack in the afternoon. It’s great to have something easy and healthy on hand since we both start work very early and have to drive a lot – these are filling, delicious and make you feel great. I’ve shared them with a ton of friends and they loved them as well. These are my new go to – thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoy them and thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I’ll have to try them with peanut butter next time. :)
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This looks like a great recipie but is the lemon flavor strong? I love a strong lemon flavor and was wondering if I could add some lemon juice or extract to enhance it.
It’s definitely noticeable but I wouldn’t say overpoweringly strong. Lemon extract would prob be the best option if you wanted to add more since you wouldn’t need to use very much.
What a great flavour combo! I can’t wait to give these a go. I never thought about putting lemon in a granola but I can imagine it would be really tasty.
I made these today and did a double batch as they are for a friend that is Celiac. She loves the Lemon Lara Bars. Since the Lara Bars have a lemon glaze do you think that these bars could have the same? Any suggestions would be welcome. The recipe was a breeze to follow. I actually toasted the rolled oats for more depth of flavour. I cleaned the bowl. It is yummy! Will refrigerate overnight before cutting.
Your friend is lucky to have you! :)
About the glaze, I do have a recipe that includes glaze here: https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/no-bake-blueberry-lemon-snack-bars/. But the glaze doesn’t completely harden which makes it a bit tricky to work with. Not ideal for transporting the recipe.
If you wanted to do a clear lemon glaze using just honey and lemon you could but I developed the recipe to be sweet enough without it so I don’t really think it needs it. I hate for them to be overly sweet and sticky. I guess it just depends on what you feel like! :)
Hi Sarah, the bars are a huge hit. No glaze needed. Thank you for the tip. Great work and information.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know, Leslie!
Loved this recipe! I’m a huge lemon fan so in addition to the zest, I also added the lemon juice to the mix at the end. Thanks for sharing!
These bars are delicious! I have been making my own granola bars for a while now, but I had a craving for something lemony and these are perfect! The recipe is easy to follow, but there is one confusion:
Adding the lemon zest is in step 2 and step 3. (I added it in step 2.)
I used almond butter with no added oil, and the bars are chewy and stay together well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for pointing that out, Dawn! I’m glad you enjoyed them! :)