Healthy Homemade Granola Balls Recipe
This easy granola balls recipe is made with peanut butter, honey, coconut, chocolate chips, dried fruit and nuts. A favorite healthy kid friendly snack!
Everyone says babies are expensive, referring to the amount of diapers they do through. But the truth is, it’s the way kids can go through snacks that really kills the budget!
Making your own granola bars is a great way to have healthier, filling snacks on hand whenever your kids get the munchies. These oatmeal bites are my kids’ favorites!
Chewy, sweet and salty, they taste just like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Have you tried my date sweetened rice crispy treats yet?
what you need to make granola balls
- Oats – Rolled old Fashioned oats work best in this recipe.
- Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter helps hold the shape of the granola balls.
- Honey – For sweetness and to help the ingredients stick together.
- Coconut – Shredded unsweetened coconut flakes.
- Salt – Just a little salt to enhance the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract – I love to use my homemade vanilla extract in this recipe
- Chocolate Chips – Using mini chocolate chips make it easier to roll the granola balls.
- Dried Fruit – Cranberries, dates, raisins, chopped apricots…
- Chopped Nuts – You can use whatever unsalted nuts you have on hand.
- Cinnamon – Really makes these granola balls taste like cookies!
How to Make peanut butter granola bites
Combine Dry Ingredients – In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of honey and of 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
Add Wet Ingredients – Add 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Stir to combine.
Form Balls – Scoop out a Tablespoon amount at a time and shape the mixture into little balls with your hands.
Tips for success
To Store – While you can store granola balls at room temperature, they can stick together. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Variations – For granola bars, press the mixture into a cookie sheet, refrigerate for at least 2 hours and cut into bars.
Substitutions – Peanut butter can be replaced with almond butter. Add ground flax seed or chia seeds in place of some of the chocolate chips or nuts for added fiber.
about homemade granola balls
- homemade granola balls are so much yummier than store-bought
- they taste so much like oatmeal cookies
- perfect snack to have on hand for after an school snack
- kids love homemade granola bites! They’re a fun size for little hands
- they’re made with simple ingredients, and without any refined sugars
FAQ About This Granola Balls Recipe
Are Granola Balls Healthy?
Homemade granola balls are a healthy snack since they’re high in protein and don’t contain any processed sugars. They’re also a great source of fiber since they are loaded with nuts and dried fruits.
How Do You Make Granola Balls Stick Together?
The best way to make your granola balls stick together and not fall apart, is to use honey in them. Honey binds and holds the rest of the ingredients together like a glue. Making sure the ratio of sticky to dry ingredients is just right is also important.
Is This Granola Ball Recipe Gluten Free?
You can easily make this recipe gluten free by making sure the oats you use are certified GF on the package.
Can I make this granola balls recipe without coconut?
I know a lot of people aren’t coconut fans (I’m not crazy about it either). I’ve made these balls without coconut, just adding extra oats instead and it turned out fine. The balls were a bit more crumbly but still held together pretty well.
Can I use other nut butters in place of peanut butter in this recipe?
You can use any other nut butters in this recipe as long as they are the same consistency as peanut butter. Not oily or runny.
More Healthier Snack recipes
- Rice Crispy Treats With Dates
- Healthy Berry Jello
- Creamy Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
- Baked Homemade Granola Bars
- Chunky Date Granola
Pin these steps to try later. Tag @athomeontheprairie on Instagram to share what you’ve made with us!
Chewy Granola Balls
This easy and healthy recipe for granola balls is made with peanut butter, honey, coconut, chocolate chips, dried fruit and nuts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup dried fruit (I use craisins)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of honey and of 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Add 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Stir to combine.
- Scoop out a Tablespoon amount at a time and shape the mixture into little balls with your hands.
Notes
To Store - While you can store granola balls at room temperature, they can stick together. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Variations - For granola bars, press the mixture into a cookie sheet, refrigerate for at least 2 hours and cut into bars.
Substitutions - Peanut butter can be replaced with almond butter. Add ground flax seed or chia seeds in place of some of the chocolate chips or nuts for added fiber.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 2 granola ballsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 5gSugar: 19gProtein: 10g
These look so yummy. My husband hates coconut, any suggestions on what I could replace it with? Or could I just leave it out?
I understand because I used to hate it too! I’ve made them before without coconut just substituting a little more rice crispy cereal and oats, but you might need to up the peanut butter a bit too since the coconut helps “bind” the ingredients together. I hope he likes them!
These look delicious! And so much healthier than the store bought bars. I think our teenagers would love these. Thanks for the inspiration!
These look delicious!! I need some healthy snack ideas!!
Is the salt necessary? If you don’t have sea salt should you substitute it?
Its not necessary. I would just omit it if you don’t have any. ☺
These taste amazing but I’m struggling to get them to stick together. They look nothing like your photo, everything is still so chunky and won’t press into a tight ball. Do you mince the dry stuff in a food processor to get the consistency in the photo? I’m quite confused how you achieved this.
Did you use a thicker peanut butter maybe? I’ve never had a problem getting them to form balls so I’m not sure why yours didn’t turn out.
I did use a thick peanut butter, but not chunky. It didn’t have any extra ingredients, just peanut butter and salt in the contents.
I’d like to omit the dried fruit. How do I do this and have it turn out well?
You can add more nuts or chocolate chips in place of the dried fruit.