Almond Cherry Pepita Granola Bars

These healthy homemade almond cherry pepita granola bars are our new go-to breakfast nut bar recipe. Crunchy nuts and seeds combined with sticky honey makes the perfect easy chewy fruit-and-nut snack.

Why you'll love these healthy snacks

These homemade granola bars are crunchy, chewy, nutty, sweet, gluten free, and chocolatey.

These naturally sweetened snacks also double as a breakfast bar.

With wholesome ingredients like almonds, pepitas, coconut and cacao, these breakfast bars are loaded with protein, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants. An energizing way to start your day!

Only 10 minutes to make before popping in the fridge to firm up.

Try my other healthy bars and snacks like Energy Snack Seed Bars with Tahini, No Bake Black Bean Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, or Carrot Cake Oatmeal Nut Breakfast Bars.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love these healthy snacks
• Noteworthy ingredients and substitutions
• How to make almond pepita breakfast bars
• Tips, Tricks and Variations
• FAQs
• Storage
• Recipe

Noteworthy ingredients and substitutions

• Almonds: add crunch and protein to the healthy granola bars. You can substitute other nuts like walnuts or pecan though they won't be as crunchy.
• Pepitas: also adds crunch and can be substituted for pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. 
• Crispy rice cereal: gives a little lightness to the snack bars. Feel free to swap with puffed quinoa or puffed amaranth in this recipe.
• Dried cherries: gives the squares some chewy sweetness. You could also use raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries.
• Unsweetened shredded coconut: adds fiber and texture.
• Raw cacao powder: is loaded with antioxidants and chocolatey goodness.
• Coconut nectar: works really well to bind the ingredients. It's also low on the glycemic index scale so won't spike your blood sugar.
• Honey: adds sweetness and can be swapped with nut butter or seed butter.

See recipe card for all ingredients and quantities

How to make almond pepita breakfast bars

Prepare pan: Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan with two criss-cross pieces of parchment paper, covering the bottom and sides of the pan.

Dry ingredients: in a large bowl, combine almonds, pepitas, crispy rice, dried cherries, coconut, cacao and sea salt. Set aside.

Wet ingredients: in a small pot on medium heat, add coconut nectar and honey. Heat until well combined and small bubbles begin to hit the surface, stirring often. Remove from heat just before boiling. Add vanilla.

Combine: Pour the coconut and honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a sturdy spoon until well combined.

Set: Press into prepared baking pan, pressing down firmly to compact all ingredients. Refigerate for 2-4 hours until firm. 

Slice: Taking the overhanging edges of the parchment paper, remove the firm granola bar mixture from the pan. With a sharp knife, cut into squares or bars.

Tips, Tricks and Variations

• Cut in bars or squares and wrap individually or stack in an airtight container separated by parchment or wax paper.
• Use a thick natural sweetener like coconut syrup, brown rice syrup or honey to hold the bars together. A thin sweetener like pure maple syrup may not keep the bars from falling apart.
• Use different nuts or seeds like walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds to change up the flavor. Make sure to keep your ratios the same as the recipe when swapping ingredients.

FAQs

Storage

Store: these healthy homemade almond cherry pepita granola bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 7-10 days. Wrap them individually for a satisfying on-the-go snack, or stack them separated by parchment or wax paper.

Freeze: these healthy snacks can be frozen, individually wrapped or stacked in an airtight container, for up to 2 months.

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