Name: Granola bar recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves: 12
Cuisine: British, Baking
Ingredients: 150g butter; 50g caster sugar; 200g golden syrup; 275g porridge oats; 75g chopped mixed nuts; 100g raisins; 75g dried cranberries

By Nichola Palmer

last updated 4 July 2023

Contributions from

Jessica Ransom

This granola bar recipe is packed with mixed nuts and dried fruit to replicate the flavours of your favourite breakfast cereal.

If you like flapjacks you’ll love the flavour of our easy granola bars. This recipe combines oats with butter, sugar, and syrup and uses chopped mixed nuts, dried cranberries, and raisins to replicate the flavours of breakfast granola. The bars are easy to transport making them a great choice for picnics, lunchboxes, or bake sales.

Ingredients

150g butter
50g caster sugar
200g golden syrup
275g porridge oats
75g chopped mixed nuts
100g raisins
75g dried cranberries

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Method

Line a 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4).
Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan and heat until the butter has melted. Stir in the oats, nuts, raisins and cranberries and mix until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the mixture into the cake tin and press down well. Bake for 20 –25 minutes until just golden brown around the edges.
Cool in the tin before turning out and cutting into slices. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Top tips for making this granola bar recipe

Looking for substitutions for porridge oats or golden syrup? We have some helpful tips below for how to make this granola bar recipe without those ingredients.

What can I use instead of porridge oats?

Swap the porridge oats for your favourite muesli if you like. Try to buy unsweetened cereal otherwise you may find the finished granola bars taste too sweet. If you buy something with fruit and nuts already mixed in you might choose to increase the weight of cereal used in the recipe and omit the added fruit and nuts.

Can you replace golden syrup with honey in flapjacks?

Yes you can use honey instead of golden syrup. However, it will change the flavour of the finished bake. Also keep in mind that golden syrup is suitable for vegans for many vegans do not eat honey.

Is granola healthy or fattening?

Many granolas, whether homemade or shop bought, contain lots of nuts and fruits which means they are nutritious and filling. Some granolas will have lots of added sugar or may have been baked with lots of butter which can increase the fat content.

Granolas that are rich in nuts will also have a higher fat count but this doesn’t make them unhealthy. Granola is a popular breakfast choice and can keep you feeling fuller for longer. The syrup and sugar in this granola bar recipe means that they should be consumed as a treat as part of a balanced diet.

We bake these granola bars in an 18cm square tin. You can use a bigger or larger tin but you may need to adjust the cook time. If you’d like to buy a new tin, this one from MasterClass is a great option.

Oatmeal bars or this healthy flapjack recipe are great options for those searching for lower calorie treats. Alternatively if you’d prefer more indulgent, our chocolate chip granola bar hits the brief.