Along with Back to School comes back to packing lunches and rushing out the door in the morning while trying to make sure your kidlets eat something healthy for breakfast so their days get started off right. To that end we’ve scoured the web for a selection of granola bar recipes to meet all your needs – some are nut-free, some are gluten-free, some are sweeter than others, but all of them are delicious! We’re sharing these recipes now so you can stock up on ingredients and test them to discover your faves before school starts.

We love having homemade granola bars on hand during the school year as they’re perfect for packing in lunches and they’re good for grab-and-go breakfasts. Plus when you pack homemade snacks in their lunches you know exactly what they’re eating, which isn’t always the case with the store-bought versions.

• Lila’s Apricot Almond Granola Bars from Better Together are no-bake, which is great if the temperatures are still high where you live. And these are easy for your kids to make on their own or with a bit of help from you. Just ask Lila, she’s a kid herself!


• Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars from Smitten Kitchen are nut-free, wheat-free, dairy free and yummy. The chocolate adds a little “je ne sais quoi” and these are safe for nut-free schools and day cares or for kids who can’t eat wheat or dairy.


• Jammy Granola Bars from The Kitchn are a little more dessert-y and a little less healthy than some of our other options, but they still make great homemade Back to School treats.


• Five Minute No Bake Vegan Granola Bars from Food52 are fast, easy and vegan, ticking lots of boxes. We’re always fans of fast as there’s always so much to do at this time of year that anything that saves us a small amount of time is a big deal!

Enjoy! And here’s to an easy transition into Back to School.