Healthy Chewy Granola Bars with Dates and Pumpkin Seeds

This no-bake granola bar is deliciously chewy and soft and utterly yummy.

I love granola all year, sprinkled on everything from yogurt to pears, or as a healthy snack to carry around wherever possible.

But when the air grows decidedly chilly and the days begin to shorten, foods with dried fruit and whole grains and maple flavors become even more interesting and desirable.

These homemade and healthy Chewy Granola Bars contain those crave-worthy ingredients. Plus… they’re super easy to make too.

Let’s begin with those ingredients!

Tips for Making Chewy Granola Bars

Dates: You will need a food processor to finely chop the dates into a paste. Mine will often roll into a ball. This ingredient helps sweeten the bars and hold them together.

Press the bars firmly: It’s super important to tightly and firmly press the granola ingredients into the pan. Otherwise, the bars can become more like granola and less like bars. Press firmly with the back of a spoon, the bottom of a glass, or with a measuring cup.

Chill: It’s important to chill the bars for an hour or two to harden and set. This will make it easy to cut into bars.

Adaptations for Granola Bars

Rolled Oats: You want to use old fashioned rolled oats .

Crispy Cereal: This is completely optional, but I generally add it for family members who love it. If possible, look for brown rice crisps. If you’re skipping this ingredient, increase the rolled oats measurements to 2 cups.

Pumpkin Seeds: Any seeds you prefer work well here. Some ideas might be sunflower seeds or flaxseed meal.

Dried Fruit: I’m using dried cranberries, but any dried fruit can be substituted. Think dried apples, raisins, cherries, or cut-up dried apricots.

Nut Butter: Choose your favorite nut butter; as mentioned, I’m using chunky peanut butter here.

Maple Syrup: I absolutely love the flavor maple adds to these granola bars. But you can substitute honey or your preferred sweetener.