Dried Cherry, Almond + Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

These no bake Dried Cherry, Almond + Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are the perfect grab and go breakfast or snack. These flavor-packed granola bars are gluten free, refined sugar free, vegan, and topped with a dark chocolate drizzle!

When I was a little one, I could not pronounce ‘granola bar’ for the life of me. I loved them and requested them often, but in my toddler gibberish, I was unable to ask for them, instead requesting “ganenah boats” – something my parents tried hard to decipher for a while before finally figuring out I was referring to granola bars from me pointing at them.

With my little kid speech impediments, it took me a few years before my pronunciation made sense to anyone outside of the family, but the granola bar love perpetuated through childhood. To be honest, though, I’d sort of fallen off the granola bar wagon.

Since I realized most store-bought granola bars have almost as much sugar as a candy bar and are far from the “healthy” snacks they claim to be, I stopped buying them and they were replaced with other snacks. That is, before I realized how easy and delicious homemade granola bars are – especially these dried cherry chocolate chip granola bars! 😋

And now that I’ve discovered homemade granola bars, I have a feeling they’re going to be a staple in my fridge. Let’s just see how many granola bar recipes end up on these pages in the coming months 😁

So, let’s chat about why these particular homemade dried cherry, almond + chocolate chip granola bars are so darn swoon-worthy.

Why you’ll love these homemade vegan granola bars

1. No baking required! This just always makes things exponentially easier because there’s no oven to forget to preheat, and it helps save $$ on your energy bill. Win win.
2. Chocolate 2-ways: mini chocolate chips stirred into the bars, and a drizzle of dark chocolate on top. Ain’t no such thing as too much chocolate, and chocolate chip granola bars are always the best kind.
3. They’re vegan! Just make sure to that your dark chocolate is dairy-free.
4. They’re gluten-free, too, but make sure your rolled oats and puffed brown rice are certified gluten-free.
5. They have cherries! I love having the dried cherries studded throughout like little jewels. I used dried Bing cherries and they were pretty big, so I gave them a rough chop before using. If they’re too big, they’ll tear your granola bars apart when you try to cut them. You can also replace them with dried blueberries, or skip the dried fruit altogether if that’s not your cup of tea.

The almond comes two ways: almond butter helps hold the bars together, and some toasted, sliced almonds add crunch to the granola bars.

Pro tip: Make sure you toast the sliced almonds. It takes a little extra time, but the flavor difference is so worth it.

Maple syrup is the only sweetener, and just 1/4 cup is needed to sweeten the whole batch. These refined sugar free granola bars don’t need any more than that. The chocolate chips and drizzle provide any other sweetness you’d crave. Because I love sweet and salty, I topped these off with a sprinkle of vanilla bean sea salt. Be still my heart.

How to double the recipe

The recipe makes a batch of 10. However, you can double the recipe to have a big stash of granola bars on hand. To do so, simply double all of the ingredients and use a 9×13″ pan.

How to store homemade granola bars

I recommend storing them in the fridge. They’ll keep well for a few weeks in a sealed baggie or airtight container.

You can also store them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to six months.

These make the perfect on the go breakfast, snack, or thing to eat when you’re staring into the fridge longing for something to nibble on. You know the times. Enjoy!

Want more healthy snack recipes?

• No-Bake Trail Mix Granola Bars
• Maple Peanut Puffed Corn
• Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites
• Sesame Tamari Pecan Snack Mix

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