This healthy no bake granola bars recipe for baby led weaning is completely vegan, made with no added sugar, and is also a toddler friendly snack.
I don’t know about you, but I get super overwhelmed in the grocery store when I get to the granola bar aisle. Endless choices, and a majority of the time they’re packed with sugar and very little nutrition. So I set out to create my very own toddler friendly no bake granola bar recipe. These bars make the perfect healthy snack for your little one without spending hours in the grocery store aisle trying to pick a healthy option.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
This baby led weaning recipe not only tastes, looks, and feels like a granola bar but it is way healthier than any store-bought version and is surprisingly easy to make! Once you get this recipe in the books, you’ll save so much time and money in the grocery store aisle (you can thank me later).
This no bake granola bar recipe is great for baby led weaning because they are packed with nutrition for your little one. One square provides 9 grams of protein, 4 grams of fibre, and 2 mg of iron. Ha! I’d like to see store-bought granola bars do that!
Not only that – but if your babe is dealing with constipation troubles, this no bake granola bar recipe will help to speed things along.
Key Ingredients
Ripe banana – to make this no bake granola bar recipe with no added sugar, we use ripe banana’s instead as they add some natural sweetness.
Natural peanut butter – the peanut butter will help to hold everything together while also adding in some tasty nutty flavour and protein.
Prunes – While I normally use dates for granola bar recipes like this one, here we are switching things up and using prunes instead. Prunes are a natural laxative so they are great to use in baby led weaning to help with baby constipation.
Flaxmeal – Flax not only bumps up the omega 3 fats of this healthy no bake granola bar recipe, but they will also help to bump up the fibre content as well. One square provides around 4 grams of fibre!
Old fashioned rolled oats – I like to use large flake rolled oats for this recipe but you can use any rolled oat you prefer. If you want to make this recipe gluten free, you can also use gluten free oats.
Iron fortified baby cereal – these healthy no bake granola bars are a great opportunity to bump up the iron for baby led weaning. So I like to throw in some iron-fortified baby cereal like rice, ancient grains, or oat. If you are just making these for yourself, you can omit this step (obviously).
Toppings – I use freeze dried raspberries and hemp hearts to top these off because those are my personal favs. But the world is your oyster here! You can top off with chia seed, shredded coconut, drizzled chocolate, etc!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: To a food processor, puree the banana, peanut butter, coconut oil, prunes, and vanilla until smooth.
Step 2: To a bowl, mix the cinnamon, flax, hemp, oats, cereal, and coconut.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry until incorporated.
Step 4: Line a 9×9″ pan with parchment paper in both directions and press mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: To a food processor, or blender, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they turn into a fruity powder.
Step 6: Sprinkle on top of the mixture, along with the hemp hearts. Pack down tight. Freeze for one hour before cutting into bars.
Expert Tips
I’d suggest using ripe bananas for this recipe (you know, the ones that are starting to get brown spots). These bananas will not only be softer and easier to work with, but they are sweeter than bananas that are less ripe.
I prefer to use all natural peanut butter for this recipe but if you have not yet introduced peanuts to your little one (or they are allergic), you can use an allergy friendly nut butter like sun butter, instead.
Recipe FAQs
Oh YES! The secret ingredient in these toddler homemade granola bars are…. PRUNES. The prunes in this recipe are a great alternative to dates because they’re naturally sweet while helping promote regularity and reduce baby constipation.
I buy my freeze dried fruit online, and we go through a lot of it. It’s a great way to add a ton of flavour and pretty colour without added sugar (aka. no food colourings, and no sprinkles/candies). You can find all sorts of flavours, so buy a few (check out my amazon affiliate link here) and you can mix and match.
Yep. That’s how I roll. I like to make a lot of ANYTHING I’m cooking, and then I have these in the freezer in a freezer bag to pull out when Baby E needs an on the go snack. They thaw out in moments, so by the time you bring them wherever you’re headed, they’re ready for snacking.
More BLW Recipes You Might Like
Here are a few of my favourite baby led weaning recipes from the blog!
- Baby Led Weaning Homemade Popsicles
- BLW Chickpea Peanut Butter Baby Biscuits
- BLW Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins
- Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal Finger Food
So now mamas and dads, what are some of your baby’s favorite on the go snacks? Let me know in the comments below!
Healthy No Bake Granola Bars (Kid & Toddler Friendly)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp melted virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup prunes chopped
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup flaxmeal
- 1/3 cup hemp hearts
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats gluten free if desired
- 1/2 cup iron fortified baby cereal rice, ancient grains, or oat
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Topping:
- 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
Instructions
- To a food processor, puree the banana, peanut butter, coconut oil, prunes, and vanilla until smooth.
- To a bowl, mix the cinnamon, flax, hemp, oats, cereal, and coconut. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until incorporated.
- Line a 9×9″ pan with parchment paper in both directions and press into the bottom of the pan.
- To a food processor, or blender, pulse the freeze dried raspberries until they turn into a fruity powder. Sprinkle on top of the mixture, along with the hemp hearts. Pack down tight. Freeze for one hour before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
Have you tried making this healthy no bake granola bar recipe for your little one? Let me know your thoughts!
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Miranda says
Hi !
These are AMAZING! Taste like pb&j , yummy! I’m just wondering how long these would be good for in the fridge ?
Marg says
Could my 9 month old eat these?
Abbey Sharp says
Yes definitely
Justine says
Can I use another oil or butter instead of coconut oil?
Diana says
Any substitution for coconut? My kid is not really a fan of coconut!
Abbey Sharp says
You can omit the coconut and add more oats instead 🙂
Rhonda says
Hi,
After the bars have been cut, do they need to stay stored in the freezer? How long does it take them to they thaw before serving to baby?
Thanks!
Abbey Sharp says
Not necessarily! If you make a big batch you can store half in the freezer and the other half in the fridge. They should take only a few minutes to thaw out.
Shannon says
I’m trying to click 5 stars but I can’t tell if it is working. My 2 year old helped me make these and she is now obsessed with them. We used freeze dried strawberries instead of raspberries and 1/3 cup prunes. They’re as aesthetically beautiful as they are healthy and yummy. Officially added to my list of recipes for future bento boxes at Preschool (although I’ll have to switch to Sunbutter then to avoid nuts).
Abbey Sharp says
amazing! so happy you and your daughter enjoyed them
Yael says
Hi! First time here – EVERYTHING looks fantastic and Abbey’s gorge! :). What do you mean by baby cereal? we live in Italy and not sure what’s the equivalent.. if u could add a link it would be great, thanks so much & keep it up! 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
hi there, it’s cereal that is fortified with iron for your baby. Here’s a link to my favourite brand: https://babygourmet.com/our-products/cereals/
Leslie says
My kids live on granola bars and I’m always looking for new recipes. I love that these are a beautiful color as well!
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing! Enjoy Leslie
Angela says
These look so yummy, I think I would like them too! I love the idea of coconut oil and frozen raspberries in the bars!
Abbey Sharp says
So so yummy.
Angela says
These sound so yummy! I think I would actually like them too! Great idea of adding in the frozen raspberries and baby cereal.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks!
Emmalee Nielson says
Hey there! Do you think I could add dates instead of prunes? I have everything to make these except the prunes!!
Abbey Sharp says
That could work!
Emily says
I don’t do baby cereals in my house, and I am not even sure what the texture is like to think of a replacement for it. What could I replace the baby cereal with? Is it floury? Crumbly?
Abbey Sharp says
You could use a puffed rice cereal!
Bethany Rutledge says
Oh man. My boys will love these and I love the bit about adding the freeze-dried fruit. Gonna try.
Abbey Sharp says
Amazing! Enjoy!
Deborah Brooks says
If I ever made those for my kids I am pretty sure I would eat a few myself too! Easy, healthy and delish snack
Abbey Sharp says
Right! Very adult friendly 🙂
Sophia says
Hi! Just made these for the first time for my toddler! I have a few questions! Do you measure the coconut oil before it’s melted or after? I don’t know if that would make a difference. My finished product seems pretty greasy. Is there anything I could substitute for the oil if I wanted them to be oil free? Thanks so much! Can’t wait for my daughter to try these tomorrow! 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
I’ve never had them turn out greasy before but what I suspect happened to yours is you got a little too much oil off the top of the natural PB and that contributed excess oil to the mixture. Next time if your PB is very oily and not thick, you can omit the extra oil or just add more of the dry ingredients.