Miso Tahini Granola Bars Recipe (Easy, Healthy, Gluten-Free)

These easy tahini granola bars have extra umami from white miso paste. They’re full of protein and fiber and great for packing in kids’ lunches.

Why Make Your Own Granola Bars

Making your own granola bars at home was so much easier than I thought they would be. I often pack granola for my kids as snacks or as part of their lunch, but I recently have been reading articles about ultraprocessed foods that scared me. I didn’t realize so many “healthy” snacks might actually be not the healthiest option with all their additives. But the convenience of a granola bar is so tempting…

Luckily, I realized making your own at home is actually quite simple! And then of course, once I learned how to do that, I figure, why not put my own favorite flavors into them? And that’s how this recipe was born.

How to Make Homemade Granola Bars 

First, start with your dry ingredients. The bulk of them should be some sort of grain, like oatmeal. You can also add in nuts of your choice. My kids are anti-nut, but you could use walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, almonds… whatever floats your boat. Just make sure that by the end, you have about 3 cups in volume of grain and seeds.

Next, you need to soften these dry ingredients up by adding some wet ingredients, preferably something also sticky that will hold it all together. I like using tahini because I’m a sesame stan, but you can substitute any nut butter. I also have honey for sweetness, but you could substitute maple syrup if you like.

Finally, I add in melted coconut oil for fat. Fat makes things taste good. I also like that coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so I know the granola won’t get all melty if you pack it for lunch.

For funsies, I’m adding in chocolate chips. And then of course, I’m using white miso paste for saltiness and umami.

You squish all of that into a square baking pan and bake to let everything really come together. Then I like to let the granola cool in the fridge so it becomes quite firm. That makes it easier to slice. I actually keep them in the fridge in an airtight container and let it come back to room temperature before I eat them.

More Alternative Ingredients and Substitutions

I did not add any spices or extracts because I really wanted the miso tahini flavor to shine. However, you could always add ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or vanilla extract if you like to change things up.

By the way, I know some people like crunchy granola bars. I made this recipe to be soft and chewy, since that’s the texture my kids like. If you want more crunch, you can reduce the amount of coconut oil and also bake until the top surface is all golden brown and crisp.

More Healthy Recipes

Looking for more healthy-ish baking? Try these out:

• Kinako Banana Muffins
• No-Bake Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
• Japanese Sweet Potato Creme Brulee
• Purple Sweet Potato Jam