These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are an all-time favourite lunch box snack recipe for kids. Full of crunchy rice bubbles, honey, oats and sweet bursts of chocolate chips, these bars can be prepped and baked in just 30 minutes!
Having a list of easy, kid-friendly lunchbox snacks to choose from makes packing school lunches so much easier.
These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are one of my most popular lunch box recipes, along with classic ANZAC Biscuits, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Jam Drops, of course!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
The best thing about homemade granola bars is that you know exactly what's in them. No artificial additives, refined sugars or fats, just wholesome goodness!
- Versatile - you can change up the ingredients based on what you have available to make them into exactly the type of granola bar you like! (see Tips below)
- Egg-free - this recipe is completely egg-free making it the perfect recipe for those with egg allergies.
- Simple! - there is very little preparation required in this melt, mix and bake recipe.
- Budget friendly - made with basic ingredients, this recipe makes a batch of granola bars at a fraction of the price of store-bought ones.
- Kid approved - Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, also known as muesli bars, are a classic lunchbox snack and are popular with kids and adults alike!
- Freezer-friendly - these granola bars can also be frozen, and therefore fabulous to pack straight into lunchboxes - they'll be defrosted by snack time.
What You Need
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients, quantities and full detailed method.
- coconut oil - gives the granola bars a beautiful crunch when baked and cooked. I recommend choosing virgin coconut oil for the best flavour and health properties.
- brown sugar - this adds a deeper, more caramel flavour and chewiness to these bars.
- honey - if you have dietary restrictions to cater for, you can substitute the honey with rice malt syrup.
- vanilla extract - or vanilla essence or paste if you prefer.
- salt
- Quick Oats - you can use either quick oats or rolled oats in this recipe, but I recommend quick oats as they bind together more firmly and make the granola bars easier to cut (see Tips below)
- Rice bubbles - any brand will be perfectly fine to use in this recipe.
- Chocolate Chips - you can use white, milk or dark chocolate chips in this recipe (or for other variations, see Tips below).
Step By Step Instructions
These simple 'Melt-Mix-Bake' steps are all it takes to make a batch of Chocolate Chip Granola Bars!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients, quantities and full detailed method.
Step 1 - Melt
Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius and grease and line a rectangular baking tin.
Place the coconut oil, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt into a bowl.
Heat by microwaving on 50% power for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute.
Step 2 - Mix
Add the oats and rice bubbles to the melted mixture.
Mix the oats and rice bubbles in gently but well to thoroughly coat the dry ingredients.
Allow the mixture to cool before stirring half of the chocolate chips through.
Step 3 - Bake
Press the mixture firmly into a lined slice tin.
Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over and press down into mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing into bars.
Tip: place the baking tin into the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours (or overnight) before using a sharp serrated knife to cut into pieces (see Tips below).
Expert Tips & FAQ
You can make these granola bars dairy-free by using dairy-free chocolate chips or substituting with dried fruit, seeds or nuts if you don't need them to be nut-free.
Yes, you can! Simply pulse rolled oats in a food processor or Thermomix until they are smaller and finer.
You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit, such as sultanas, cranberries, or chopped apricots, or add in some nuts or seeds such as chia seeds, linseed, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, pepitas or sunflower seeds.
The granola bars will stay soft while warm. Once they've completely cooled and been chilled in the fridge, they'll go firm and crunchy.
It's difficult to stop them crumbling a little, as that's just the texture of granola bars, however the following tips will make it a bit easier to cut neat slices:
Use quick oats - quick oats bind together easier than rolled oats which means they create a firmer, dense muesli bar.
Make sure the mixture is well combined - the coconut oil and honey need to have coated all of the oat and rice bubble mixture before baking. If there's any mixture that isn't coated in the liquid, it will be drier and more likely to crumble when baked.
Press the mixture firmly into the baking tin - use the back of a round spoon to flatten, press and smooth the mixture well.
Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting - if time allows, place the tray into the fridge overnight and then cut the following day.
Use a sharp knife - I like to use a small, sharp serrated knife for cutting granola bars.
I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. This helps to keep the bars crunchy.
Yes they are. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Note: they will lose their 'crunch' and be a softer texture once defrosted.
More Lunch Box Recipes
For more kid-approved snacks for lunchboxes, try these recipes!
- Easy Oat and Milo Slice - this slice takes just 5 minutes to prepare and is a regular lunchbox snack in my house.
- Healthy Oat and Date Slice - a healthy slice filled with oats, chia seeds and dates - the perfect clean eating treat!
- Ham and Cheese Pinwheels - with just 3 ingredients, these tasty little snacks take 10 minutes to prepare and will be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
- Apricot Coconut Slice - an all-time favourite in lunch boxes. Completely no-bake and takes just a few minutes to prepare!
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Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 50 g (¼ cup) coconut oil
- 50 g (¼ cup) brown sugar
- 85 g (¼ cup) honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 230 g (2 cups) quick oats see notes
- 50 g (1½ cups) rice bubbles or any puffed rice cereal
- 175 g (1 cup) chocolate chips milk, white or dark
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular slice tin and set aside until needed.
- Place the coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract and salt into a microwave-safe bowl and heat on 50% power for 3 minutes or until melted and slightly thickened (stirring after each minute). Alternatively, you can heat this mixture on the stove-top.
- Add the quick oats and rice bubbles and stir through to coat dry ingredients well.
- Allow the mixture to cool then stir through 90g (½ cup) of the chocolate chips.
- Press the mixture down firmly into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top and press down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The granola bars will go crunchy once cooled.Tip: Place the slice into the fridge for 2-3 hours (or overnight) before cutting with a small, sharp serrated knife.
- Cut into slices and store in an airtight container in the fridge (see notes)
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular slice tin and set aside until needed.
- Place the coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract and salt into the TM bowl and mix on for 4 minutes, 90 degrees, Speed 3.
- Add the quick oats and rice bubbles and mix on REVERSE, Speed 2, using the spatula through the MC hole to assist, until combined.
- Allow the mixture to cool then stir through 90g (½ cup) of the chocolate chips.
- Press the mixture down firmly into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top and press down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The granola bars will go crunchy once cooled.Tip: Place the slice into the fridge for 2-3 hours (or overnight) before cutting with a small, sharp serrated knife.
- Cut into slices and store in an airtight container in the fridge (see notes)
Hayley
Hi there,
Can I use steel cut oats in this instead of rolled oats? And do I have to toast them first if so?
TIA
Lucy
Hmm good question!! They should be fine to use without toasting (although I havent tried that!).
Teresa Howick
Hi! I really want to make these and don’t want to go to store for one ingredient. Can I skip rice bubbles or puffed rice entirely?
Lucy
Hi Teresa, the rice bubbles are quite a big component of the this as you need 1 and 1/2 cups of them! I wouldn't omit them as the bars will have an entirely different taste and texture. x