Sweet, salty, packed with protein… and totally delicious. That’s what these gluten-free trail mix granola bars are! These bars have a totally addicting crunchy and soft texture, plus the ingredients are nutritious and wholesome. Trail mix granola bars are super easy to make, require no baking, and are the perfect on-the-go snack or make a great hit-the-trails granola bar. I love making these allergy-friendly bars that are like having a trail mix in a granola bar form. Whip up a batch of these homemade granola bars for a wholesome homestead snack or to fuel your next adventure!

homemade granola bars with cashews and whole oats

Pioneer Recipe

I made this gluten-free trail mix granola bar recipe with the modern pioneer in mind. I wanted something that was simple, delicious, wholesome, and easy to pack. Whether it be for a hiking trip, a day trip, back to school or work, or a midday power snack… I wanted a homemade granola bar that was both delicious and nutritious. These bars hit the spot!

I based these bars off of a trail mix/granola type mixture. The ingredients are very versatile and you can add, subtract, or substitute in certain ingredients to make your own customized trail mix granola bar. Which means, while the original recipe is delicious, you can also make substitutions to create an allergy-friendly granola bar. These trail mix granola bars can be made…

gluten-free
tree nut free
dairy-free
egg free
naturally sweetened
corn free

They are also no-bake! Which makes them the perfect summer snack recipe that doesn’t require firing up the oven when it’s 90° out! You will have to use the stovetop for a few minutes, but honestly you could even cheat and use the microwave instead.

For another no-bake delicious snack bar, make sure you check out these No-Bake Peanut Butter Protein Bars. They are a family favorite!

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no-bake granola bars made with nuts, oats, and peanut butter

Packed with Protein

Aside from making these bars like a trail mix in a bar form, I also wanted to make sure there was plenty of protein in these bars. Protein is important when you’re active since protein provides energy.

The main ingredients in these bars that provide protein are the nut-based ingredients and the peanut butter. However, many of the other ingredients also contribute to the protein content! Check out the protein content of some of the ingredients:

Whole Oats (100g)- 16.9g
Cashew (1 c.)– 12g
Almonds (1 c.)– 12g
Peanuts (1 oz.)– 6.9g
Peanut Butter (1 c.)– 57.3g
Chia Seeds (2 T.)– 4.7g

As you can see, the ingredients in these bars are packed with protein! That’s why they make a great energy snack for camping, hiking, backpacking, or other high-energy activities. They also work great as an energy booster for busy days. Combine their high protein content with the other nutritious qualities of the ingredients, and you have a super-food granola bar!

How to Store Homemade Granola Bars

I was initially trying to make a homemade, no-bake granola bar that was easy to take with me on hiking or camping trips. After making these bars, I think they would totally work, with just a few adaptions.

Once the bars are made and allowed to set-up, if left at room temperature, they can be a little sticky. This can be a problem if you want to take them on a trip where you don’t have a way of keeping them cool. However, I came up with a couple of solutions!

Travel Storage:

One solution would be to put them in a silicon reusable snack bag. The snack bag will keep them from getting too squished and is a great eco-friendly way to transport your snacks. The granola bar will still be soft when you go to eat it, but the taste will be just the same!

You can also wrap the granola bar in parchment paper. Make a ‘granola bar wrapper’ out of parchment paper to keep the trail mix bar contained and safely wrapped up.

Additionally, you could use no-stir peanut butter instead of all-natural peanut butter. No-stir peanut butter tends to be more stable at room temperature and won’t get as soft as all-natural peanut butter. I tend to avoid no-stir peanut butter since it often contains added sugar and oils. However, when shopping for no-stir peanut butter look for brands that use peanut oil and all-natural sweeteners, like honey.

Looking for another trail friendly snack bar? Check out these delicious Nut Free Trail Bars!

Non-Travel Storage:

If you aren’t making these bars for travel purposes or for hiking, then you have a few other storage options open for consideration. Personally, I like the keep my trail mix granola bars in the fridge. It keeps them firm and I liked the chilled taste and texture of them when they are in the fridge. These bars also freeze well. You can unthaw them in the fridge and have a quick, high-protein snack all ready!

gluten-free blueberry cardamon granola free recipe

Recipe Tips

No-bake granola bars are generally pretty easy recipes to follow, and these trail mix bars are no exception! There are a few tips that I thought might be helpful for when you are making these for the first time though, especially if you want to make some ingredient substitutions:

Homemade Trail Mix– For a homemade trail mix blend, use the following combination:
- 1 c. peanuts
- 1/2 c. cashews
- 1 c. almonds
- 1/2 c. raisins
- 3/4 c. chocolate gems
- 1/2 c. chocolate chips
Homemade Oat Flour– Make your own homemade oat flour by blending whole oats in a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) or a food processor.
Heating Honey– When you are heating up the sugar and peanut butter mixture, only heat it up enough for all the ingredients to be combined. Minimally heating the mixture ensures that the honey still retains its nutritious qualities.
Salty Note– If the nuts you use are unsalted, you will want to add additional salt to the recipe.
Pan Size– This recipe fits best into a 7×11″ pan. However, you could also a 9×9″ pan and just have thicker bars or divide the mixture into another pan to make more bars. Lining the pan with parchment paper makes for easy clean-up!
Bar Storage– Let the bars set-up for 4 hours at room temperature before transferring them to the fridge if you want them even firmer.

Recipe Substitutions Guide:

I mentioned earlier that these gluten-free trail mix granola bars have very versatile ingredients. Since they are based off of a trail mix type mixture, I wanted to provide you with a few ingredient substitutions you could try.

Peanuts- any soft tree nut of your choice
Cashews- more peanuts
Almonds- more peanuts
Chia Seeds- flaxseeds, toasted quinoa
Oats– shredded coconut
Peanut Butter- any nut or seed butter of your choice
Butter– coconut oil
Honey– you could use maple syrup, however, the bars will be even softer

You can even add in some additional ingredients, like dried fruit!

homemade granola bars made with trail mix and oats

Delicious, nutritious, customizable, and easy… these gluten-free trail mix granola bars can’t get much better than that! I love making these bars and putting some in the freezer to have on hand as a high-energy, quick and easy snack!

Gluten-free Trail Mix Granola Bars (no-bake)

Recipe by The Pioneer Chicks

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 4 20

Servings 12 bars

Author Alexa Lehr

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups trail mix
1 1/2 cups gluten-free whole, rolled oats
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
2 T. chia seeds
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup organic, all-natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw honey
4 T. organic, grass-fed butter or coconut oil

Instructions

Line a 7×11" glass baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the trail mix, whole oats, oat flour, chia seeds, and salt. Stir until combined.
NOTE: If your trail mix contains chocolate, place the mixture in the freeze while you make the peanut butter mixture. This will help prevent the chocolate from melting too much.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, butter, and peanut butter. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy. NOTE: You could also heat the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl in 15 sec. increments.
NOTE: If your trail mix contains chocolate, let the peanut butter mixture cool for 10-15 minutes before stirring it into the trail mix mixture.
Pour the peanut butter mixture into the mixing bowl that contains the trail mix. Stir until everything is well combined.
Spread the mixture into the 9×11" baking pan. Pat it into an even layer. Allow the bars to set up at room temperature for at least 4 hours before transferring them to the fridge to firm up even more.
Once the bars have firmed up in the fridge, they will be easier to cut into granola bars and can then be stored in the fridge or at room temperature.

Where to Find the Ingredients:

homemade trail mix granola bars on a rustic cookie tray

Gluten-free trail mix granola bars are a fun and easy recipe to make! They have the perfect flavor combination of sweet and salty and they are packed with protein-rich ingredients. I love that these granola bars are high energy and that I can pack them on camping and hiking trips. They are the perfect recipe for the modern pioneer who is trying to eat healthy and be sustainable!

Don’t miss out on any other modern pioneer recipes or sustainable living tips… get our Modern Pioneer Starter Package! Also, I encourage you to check out The Trading Post for resources that are great for creating a modern homestead!