No-Bake Pumpkin Seed Chewy Granola Bars
I needed to come up with a new granola bar recipe that was both wheat-free AND rice free since my son is allergic to both. And since I usually make my favorite granola bars with crispy brown rice cereal, I wondered what I could use that would be remotely close.
On the cereal aisle, I explored my options. The choices were slim, but one bag of cereal that I’d never tried before caught my eye.
Puffed millet. I decided to give it a whirl.
On its own, puffed millet’s texture reminds me of tiny popcorn pieces. The flavor is subtle and very similar to a rice cake.
And for granola bars? Well, puffed millet works out perfectly, providing just the right amount of texture and flavor for this delightful treat!
No-Bake Pumpkin Seed Chewy Granola Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sucanat
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup puffed millet
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Stir oats and puffed millet in large bowl.
- In small saucepan over medium heat, melt oil, honey, and sugar until bubbly, for no more than two minutes. Stir constantly.
- Let oil/honey/sugar mixture cool for 2-3 minutes, then add vanilla and stir.
- Pour liquid mixture over oats, millet, and pumpkin seeds, and stir thoroughly.
- Grease an 8×8 glass pan or parchment paper-lined pan; then pour mixture into pan.
- Press down firmly. This step is just as important as the mixing. Packing down the granola helps the bars stay together!
- Place granola in freezer for a few minutes or let cool on counter until set.
- Once set, turn pan upside down on cutting board. Then cut into the size bars you like.
- Store in fridge or at room temperature.
So delicious! Hope you enjoy!
What’s your favorite type of granola bar? Have you ever experimented with puffed millet?
What if you do not sucanat and have no intentions on going to find it? What is a good substitute? Maple syrup maybe?
These look fantastic but I am confused about the pumpkin seeds. The photo looks like the green (inner?) seeds but the link on the ingredient list takes me to a page for the full (white) pumpkin seed. Which do you recommend? If you use green seeds, do you buy them or do you do the work to “unwrap” them on your own? Thanks!
Hi Bek! Great question. I used pre-shelled pumpkin seeds that I bought from the store, because, as you mentioned, the task of shelling them is labor-intensive. But one might choose to shell them, for sure. 🙂 We roast some every fall and eat them with the shell on, but for these granola bars, shelled is best.
Yum! I am printing this one! Thank you so much.
Those look yummy! I will need to write this recipe down. I am not sure what Sucanat is but does it replace white sugar and/or brown sugar in recipes? Is Sucanat more healthy than Stevia? Thanks for your help.
I hate to be a bummer but if you read “Nourishing Traditions,” you’ll see how dangerous puffed grains are to eat. Studies show rats dying much more quickly living on puffed rice.
Hi Mary, thanks for the comment! You’re absolutely right that puffed grains aren’t ideal. We definitely love to promote traditional foods (including traditional ways of eating grains) on this blog and I would agree with your sentiment about puffed grains.
That said, we’re also seeking to help those who are newer to real foods simply learn to make and eat homemade counterparts to the processed foods they’re used to. All in all, this recipe is a FAR cry from store-bought granola bars full of high fructose corn syrup and other fake foods. Those further down the real food journey will want to find an alternative for the puffed millet, of course. 🙂
I’m going to try these. I have puffed wheat on hand, so I’ll sub that, take out the pumpkin seeds (have none) and add mini chocolate chips and maybe toasted walnuts. I think these would be good with dates and pecans too!
You article is well written. I enjoy reading your blog.
This is just amazing. I wish I could do the same.
Do you ladies know of a substitute for Oats? My daughter is allergic to wheat, oats, rye and several other grains, in addition to all dairy. We love granola bars, but can’t seem to find a recipe that doesn’t contain oats. Any good ideas for substitutions?