Nut-free seed and oat granola bars
Chewy, seed-packed granola bars — school-safe, portable snacks with no nuts and plenty of crunch.
These nut-free seed and oat granola bars are perfect for lunchboxes, after-school snacks or stashing in your bag for a mid-afternoon rescue. They’re chewy, pleasantly sweet and packed with seeds rather than nuts — safe for nut-free households but still seriously moreish.
They make a big batch (about 12 bars) and keep well in the fridge. Pressing the mixture firmly and giving them time to chill are the two secrets to bars that hold together when you slice them.
Ingredients
- 300 g rolled oats
- 80 g puffed rice
- 60 g sunflower seeds
- 40 g pumpkin seeds
- 40 g desiccated coconut
- 80 g raisins
- 60 g dried apricots — finely chopped
- 150 g sunflower seed butter — use smooth
- 100 g golden syrup
- 80 g light brown soft sugar
- 30 ml vegetable oil — neutral oil, e.g. sunflower or rapeseed
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 5 ml fine sea salt
Equipment
- 20cm x 20cm baking tin (lined with baking paper)
- baking tray
- small saucepan
- wire rack
- spatula
- kitchen scales
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C conventional. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Spread the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and desiccated coconut on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway, until lightly golden.
While the dry mix toasts, combine golden syrup, light brown soft sugar, sunflower seed butter and vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Gently heat over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth — about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and fine sea salt.
Tip the toasted oats, seeds and coconut into a large bowl. Add the puffed rice, raisins and chopped dried apricots, then pour over the warm syrup mixture. Stir thoroughly so every flake and seed is coated.
Transfer the mixture to the lined tin and press down very firmly with the back of a spatula or the base of a measuring jug so it’s compact and level.
Bake in the oven for 18–20 minutes until the edges are beginning to colour and the top looks set.
Remove the tin from the oven and, while still hot, press the surface again for 30–60 seconds to re-compact. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Transfer the tin to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours so the bars set solidly.
Lift the set slab from the tin using the baking paper and slice into 12 bars with a sharp knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze for longer.
Tips
- Use kitchen scales for accurate quantities — the texture depends on the dry-to-wet ratio.
- Press very firmly into the tin (use baking paper between your hand and the mix) so bars don’t crumble after baking.
- If you want chewier bars, reduce the oven time by 2–3 minutes; for crisper bars bake a couple of minutes longer but watch closely.
- Make-ahead: cut and freeze individual bars wrapped in baking paper for quick grab-and-go snacks.
- Choose a commercially labelled nut-free sunflower seed butter if the bars are for a school or nut-free facility.
Substitutions
rolled oats → gluten-free rolled oats, same quantity
Stays closesunflower seed butter → smooth tahini, same quantity
Noticeably differentgolden syrup → clear honey, same quantity
Stays closepuffed rice → extra rolled oats, 80g (for denser bars)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 390
- Calories
- 10 g
- Protein
- 49 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 150 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these vegan?
Yes — use a vegan sugar and swap golden syrup for maple syrup or agave; texture will be slightly different but still good.
How do I get clean slices?
Chill the slab thoroughly, use a very sharp knife, wipe the blade between cuts and press down in one confident motion.
How long will they keep?
In an airtight container in the fridge they keep about 10 days; freeze for up to 2 months and thaw in the fridge.
Can I add chocolate?
Yes — melt and drizzle or spread chocolate after the initial chill, then chill again until set. Use a nut-free chocolate if required.
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