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Meet your new favorite snack bar…crisp, golden, and honey-sweet with that satisfying snap. These homemade oats ’n honey bars deliver the Nature Valley vibe, just fresher and a little more cozy from your own oven.
They mix up fast, bake toasty, and keep well for the week. Perfect for lunch boxes, hikes, or an afternoon pick-me-up with tea.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Classic oats + honey flavor with serious crunch.
- Pantry ingredients, quick prep, and easy to customize.
Ingredient Notes
Oats: Rolled oats = chunkier texture and more crunch; quick oats = finer, maybe less crumbly
Honey: Use a mild, light honey for a clean flavor; strong varietals taste more floral/robust (still delish, just different).
Fat (butter or oil): Butter adds flavor; neutral oil can bake a touch crisper.
Salt: Even a small pinch sharpens the honey and controls sweetness.
Add-ins (optional): Sesame seeds, finely chopped nuts, or a sprinkle of cinnamon change texture/flavor.
The story behind the recipe
It’s snowing non-stop here. And to think two days ago I thought maybe spring might come a little earlier up here in the mountains.
Yeah, right. Those days of awesome sunshine and 30 degrees temps were short. Too short.
My die hard snowboarder brothers are pretty happy. Apparently, it was a major pow, pow day (Pow, pow is a lot of snow. I asked, they rolled their eyes.).
Ah, welcome to my life. Snowboard talk 24/7. Most the time I have no idea what everyone is talking about. I am in my own world thinking about Flourless Chocolate Cakes, Spring Pasta and those cute as can be Easter straws I got at Target thanks to Jessica.
So I tuned out the snowboard talk and day dreamed about Florida and palm trees and 80 degree weather. All while I stood by the heater (that is duct taped together, because the neck broke in half, jimmy rigged I think my dad calls it) that never leaves my side (never) and made granola bars.
Copy cat Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey bars. They are the real deal.
My family loves these bars and I wanted to see if I could replicate them.
Mission accomplished! Oh, and they are SO easy. Like you need nine simple ingredients that you probably have on hand right now, five minutes of prep time and a little love from the oven. Then your golden! Literally they come out all golden and your kitchen will smell AMAZING. The smell alone is reason enough to make these.
Seriously, they are healthy, easy and in my opinion way better than the store-bought! Make yum today and eat them as a snack all week long!
Tieghan’s Tips
Line with parchment: Use parchment with overhang so the slab lifts out cleanly.
Press firmly: Pack the mixture very tightly with the flat bottom of a measuring cup. The tighter the pack, the crisper the slice.
Bake to color, not time: Pull when the edges are deep golden and the surface looks set and toasty; pale bars = softer, crumblier.
Cool completely in the pan: Let them cool until room temp and firm before lifting. Warm bars can fall apart.
Score before slicing: Lightly score the surface while barely warm for cleaner breaks, then finish slicing when fully cool.
Optional finish: A light drizzle of melted chocolate is a great idea
Press the mixture very firmly and bake until the edges are deep golden. Let the slab cool fully in the pan before slicing so it sets.
They were likely sliced while warm or not packed tightly enough. Score gently while just warm, then finish cutting once completely cool.
Yes, but the texture changes…quick oats make a finer, less chunky bar that can hold together a bit better. Rolled oats give that classic toasty bite.
Maple or agave will work for a vegan version, but the flavor is different and bars may be slightly less crisp. Choose a mild honey!
Just Like Nature Valley’s Oats ‘n Honeys Bars…..Actually they
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats, use gluten free oats for a gluten free version
- 1/2 cup rice crispies cereal
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or I like to sometimes use coconut oil
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 9×9 inch square pyrex dish with parchment paper.
- Combine the oats, rice crispies, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a medium size mixing bowl. In a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl mix the honey and canola (or coconut oil). Place in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to melt the coconut butter then add the vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and then mix the wet with the dry ingredients. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared pyrex dish that is lined with parchment paper, and press down hard. I used the back of a measuring cup (spray or oil the bottom so it does not stick and press hard!) and it worked awesome!
- Place in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The bars will be golden on top. Remove the bars (if your bars seem a little loose, I like to push down again on them to make sure the bars will hold together) and let the bars cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes then remove from the pan and then cut while the bars are firm, but still somewhat soft. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie
Maybe the spring forward will bring some spring weather. Hey, I can hope. Right?
Shared with: Inside BruCru Life, Lil Luna, Chef In Training, Buns In my Oven, Foodie Friday Friends, Tidy Mom, Taste and Tell, Cheerios and Lattes, Somewhat Simple, Mom on Timeout, I Heart Nap Time, Fine Craft Guide, The Country Cook, Whipperberry, Chef In Training
My parchment paper stuck to my bars. ? I couldn’t salvage all of them but they were definitely tasty! I broke them into small pieces for cereal for my daughter. She was so excited that had a bowl for supper!
Oh no!! So sorry that happened!! At least she liked them!
I am so freaking excited about this recipe!!!!! But I have two questions:
1. Can I make this as loose granola vs bars?
2. Do you have a “chewy” version of the recipe?
Total fail ? I was so excited. They crumbled apart when I cut them. They do smell wonderful though.
So sorry to hear that Shannon! Did you use enough honey?? It is really important to push down hard on the bars before baking (spray or rub your hands with oil first) and you can even do this after you take them out of the oven (while they are still in the pan). Also, i think cutting them before they get to hard is a good idea, maybe about 20 minutes after you take them out of the oven. Sometimes when they get to hard, they can crumble when you try to cut them into bars. Let me know if you have other questions!!
Mine just feel apart and advice on what I might have done wrong. Also I added a plethora of nuts.
Hi Juan, did you add a little more nuts? That is most likely your issue because the bars need a certain amount of “glue” aka, honey to stick together and if you add more to the mix, they will not stick as well. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
Hmm these look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.
Simon
Thanks Simon! Hope you love the bars!
Hi Tieghan,
I love your blog and these look awesome. I just have two questions. Could I use sunflower oil instead of coconut oil as the latter is not very cholesterol friendly (both hubby and my eldest son are on cholesterol lowering medication)?
Is there anything I could use instead of rice krispie cereal as I can’t get hold of it here in Greece? Thanx ever so much
Hey Tatiana!
Yes, you can use sunflower oil and just replace the rice krispie treat with more oats. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks so much!
I’m making these right now!!
yay! hope you love them!
Will all purpose or bread flour work instead of cornmeal?
Hi! All-purpose flour will be fine. Hope you love these!
I made these bars this morning and they were very crumbly. I pressed them into the pan very firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup as mentioned in the directions and then I pressed them again after they came out of the oven but when I cut them they just crumbled. Any suggestions as to what I did wrong?
Did you cute them warm out of the oven?
This looks delish!!! One question though.. do you think the brown sugar?
Hey there,
These look fantastic, have been buying the natures valley ones and want to try making my own. Could anyone tell me the rough calorie count per bar? Are they about the same as the natures valley? Single bar has around 100cals, the two pkt is 200cals. I know I can add it all up and divide by the amount of bars, but if someone else has done it already would be great to save the effort. Thanks Lara.
could I add spices like cinnamon and cloves or do you think the flavor would be too overpowering for these. they sound amazing and I want to try them but I was curious how you thought cinnamon would change the taste
I think that cinnamon would be just delicious!! Hope you love these! THANKS!
It has emerged that fashion blogging in the UK has
come to be increasingly prominent amongst any age groups.
So I have attempted making these bars two times, and I just can’t get them to stick together! Every time I make them, let them
Cool for 10 minutes then try to cut them, I end up with chunky granola instead of bars that look like the picture! Can anyone tell me what I might be doing wrong?
Hi, Have you tried cutting them right when you take them out of the oven?? Maybe for some reason that might work for you. Let me know and sorry for the trouble!
Super disappointed these didn’t come out. Mine were crumbly, didn’t even stick, not even granola like. I’m an expeienced cook, so it’s not my error.
I’m sorry but I have to say this. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, you can always make a mistake.