Why This Recipe and What Makes It Special?

When it comes to these gluten-free crunchy sesame granola bars, we really love them. They’re a fantastic homemade solution for anyone looking to skip store-bought options and make their own granola bars from scratch. Whether you’re making them for kids, for yourself, or just trying to be a little more mindful of what goes into your snacks, this recipe is a solid choice.

What makes this recipe stand out is that it’s a great base for so many different variations. It delivers a truly crunchy granola bar—so if you’re someone who prefers crunchy over chewy, this is the one for you. We’ve noticed that a lot of store-bought granola bars, cookies, and snacks tend to come with a long list of processed ingredients and additives that we’d rather avoid. If you’re conscious of what you eat and prefer more control over your ingredients, making your own granola bars at home is a great alternative.

This recipe gives us the perfect balance—gluten-free, crisp, flavorful, and easy to make. The process is simple: mix, bake, slice, and let them cool. They may not always turn out perfectly, especially when cutting them, as crunchy granola bars tend to be more crumbly than chewy ones. But that’s part of their charm.

We also dipped ours in chocolate, which, as you can see in the video, adds a little extra flavor and makes them even more enjoyable. If you’re looking for a homemade snack that keeps things simple, flavorful, and free of unnecessary additives, this recipe is a winner.

Ingredient Call-Outs, Swaps and Lessons Learned

When it comes to ingredient swaps, there are a few easy ways to tweak this recipe to fit your preferences:

• Binder: If you don’t want to use honey, maple syrup makes a fantastic substitute.

• Sugar: We used ½ cup of brown sugar—light or dark both work. Just note that dark brown sugar has more molasses, which gives the bars a slightly deeper flavor and darker color.

• Oil: We used vegetable oil, but you can swap it for corn oil or any neutral-flavored oil. Avoid anything too strong, like peanut oil, unless you want a more pronounced nutty flavor.

• Flavoring: We added vanilla extract, but that’s totally optional. You can swap it for another extract or leave it out entirely.

One thing we realized is that blending the oats into oat flour is way easier than it sounds. If you see a recipe calling for oat flour and think, Oh no, I don’t have that!—don’t worry. You don’t need to buy it. Just toss some rolled oats into a dry blender (no water or moisture) and blitz until you reach your desired texture. You can go from slightly coarse to completely smooth—it’s up to you.

We found that using a bit more oat flour in the mix helped the granola bars hold together better. If your batch turns out a little too crumbly, try adding more oat flour next time. We aimed for a middle ground, where they had crunch but didn’t completely fall apart. If you’re okay with a super crunchy and slightly crumbly texture, you can leave the flour ratio as is.

Another key tip? Salt. The first time we made these, we didn’t use quite enough. Adding just a little more brought out the flavor beautifully. So don’t be afraid to taste and adjust as needed.

Slicing Tips

Cutting these bars requires a really sharp knife. Trust us on this one. The first time we made them, we used a knife that wasn’t quite sharp enough, and as a result, we had to press down harder to slice through. That extra pressure caused more crumbling and cracks than we would have liked.

Here’s what works best:

1. Let the bars cool slightly in the pan. Don’t try to remove them while they’re still piping hot, or they’ll break apart.

2. Use the edges of the parchment paper to carefully lift them out onto a flat surface.

3. Slice with a sharp knife in clean, firm motions—avoid sawing back and forth, as this will create more crumbs.

4. Expect some cracks. These are homemade, crunchy granola bars, not mass-produced factory bars, so a little imperfection is normal.

If your bars still crumble more than you’d like, don’t worry—you can use the crumbles as granola for yogurt or smoothie bowls. Nothing goes to waste!

How to Make It Your Own

This recipe is super flexible, and there are tons of ways to customize it.

• Chocolate chips – Mix them in before baking, or drizzle melted chocolate on top afterward (which we highly recommend).

• Coconut flakes – Add them for extra sweetness and texture.

• Dried fruit – Raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots would be great additions.

Want a Chewy Granola Bar Instead?

If you prefer a chewy granola bar, we’re working on a separate recipe for that. But here’s a quick way to adapt this one:

• Instead of oat flour, use nut butter as a binding agent.

• Subtract the baking soda and oil entirely.

• Skip the baking step and press the mixture into a pan, then refrigerate until firm.

• Slice and enjoy!

If you’re adding extra mix-ins like dried fruit, increase the wet ingredients slightly—a little extra honey, and/or nut butter will help keep everything together.

This recipe is a great starting point for making your own homemade granola bars. You can tweak it to your liking, swap ingredients, and get creative with toppings. Just remember to use a sharp knife when cutting, and don’t stress about a little crumbling—it’s all part of the homemade charm.

If you give this recipe a try, let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear how your granola bars turned out.

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Essentials you’ll need:

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