Packed with nuts and seeds, these gluten free Keto granola bars come in at only 2.7 g net carbs per bar. They're deliciously crunchy and super easy to make. Great as an on-the-go low carb snack or as an afternoon pick-me-up. And I can confirm they make wonderful keto breakfast bars, too!
Table of contents
I was going to call this recipe "sugar free flapjacks", because that's what we call granola bars over here in the UK. However, when I did a bit of research I found that in the US, flapjacks are not granola bars at all, but pancakes!
It's a bit of a biscuit / scone situation (read more in my post Speedy Savoury Scones). So, to keep things very clear and simple, let's stick with granola bars for this one.
Are granola bars keto friendly?
Traditional granola bars have a base of oats and contain copious amounts of honey, golden syrup or dried fruit such as dates to stick everything together. Yum, but a combination that will send your sugar levels sky-high.
However, with a few ingredient changes it's easy to make a sugar free granola bars recipe that is fit for a low carb diet. You simply replace the oats with nuts and seeds and use a low carb sweetener such as erythritol.
These low carb keto breakfast bars are only 2.7g net carbs per bar!
How do you get low carb granola bars to stick together?
There are many low carb snack bar recipes out there that use sugar free syrup (aff link) as a binder. It behaves similar to golden syrup - it's nice and sticky.
I like the taste of fibre syrup and tolerate it well. However, some people have reported that it raises their insulin.
When I made my Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars I used flaxseed to stick the bars together. Chia would be another good alternative.
This time I went for a mix of flax and a whisked egg white, which worked great.
How to make keto granola bars - step by step:
1.) Pulse the nuts and seeds in a food processor until you have some smaller and some larger pieces.
Some nuts you can buy pre-chopped to save this step.
2.) Stir all dry ingredients in a bowl, leaving a few chocolate chips to decorate on top.
Then whisk an egg white and add it to the bowl together with the vanilla extract and almond butter. Stir until combined.
Check the sweetness and add more erythritol or sweetener of choice to your liking. (I don't have much of a sweet tooth).
3.) Pour the mix into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and press down well to compact. (I did not press the mixture much in my first attempt which made my bars more fragile and prone to crumbling).
Press the remaining chocolate chips on top and bake for circa 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Healthy granola bars recipe tips
Let your keto granola bars cool completely before cutting. They are quite soft when hot, but firm up and get nice and crispy when cold.
A popular chocolate brand in the US is Lily's. If you can't get hold of sugar free chocolate where you are, simply use a good quality 85% to 90% dark chocolate such as Lindt. (aff links).
If you use 90% dark chocolate, the nutritional values stay the same as with sugar free chocolate. With 85% dark chocolate, net carbs increase to 3g per bar.
It does not matter whether you measure the nuts whole or chopped when using cups - the volume is similar.
Do not omit the ground flax - it helps to bind the bars together with the egg. You could swap it out for chia seeds though.
Homemade granola bars variations
You can use any nuts you like (or have available at home). I've made lovely chewy granola bars using macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and even pistachios. Just be aware that cashews are higher in carbs than other nuts.
If you like coconut, you can use desiccated unsweetened coconut here too. Just swap out some of nuts and seeds.
The chocolate chips are entirely optional - if you're not keen, simply leave them out. You could use freeze-dried raspberries or dried cranberries if you're up for a fruity variation.
You can swap out the almond butter for peanut butter. If you want to omit nut butters altogether, use 1 tbsp coconut oil instead.
Optional chocolate drizzle
Melt either ¼ cup of sugar free chocolate chips or 4 squares of dark chocolate (85% or 90% cocoa solids) and drizzle over the bars. This is not included in the nutrition calculation.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for about 1 week.
And yes, you can freeze them, too!
More low carb keto breakfast bars & granola
Tried these keto low carb granola bars? Give them a star rating below!
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Low Carb Keto Granola Bars
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Equipment
- 6x9 inch casserole dish/baking tray (23x15 cm)
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 250g mixed chopped nuts I used 1 cup almonds, 1 cup walnuts and pecans
- ¼ cup / 30g pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup / 30g sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup / 30g ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 egg white whisked
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener (So Nourished)
- ⅓ cup sugar free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, minimum 85% cocoa solids
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C - 350 F electric. Line a 6x9 inch baking tray with parchment paper.
- Pulse the nuts and seeds in a food processor until you have some smaller and some larger pieces.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, leaving a few chocolate chips to decorate on top. Then add the whisked egg white, vanilla extract and almond butter and stir until combined. Check and adjust sweetener if necessary.
- Pour the granola bar mix into the tray and press down well to compact the dough. Press the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for circa 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into 12 bars.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This sugar free granola bars recipe was first published in February 2020 and updated with more tips in January 2021.
Francis says
I love love love this recipe. I made it as described once and am now taking all kinds of liberties with it. Tonight I made it with 2 cups of nuts, of which the majority cashew. And more seeds. About 1/2 cups. I also made the sugar finer and added 1/2 cup cocoa powder. I used 1 whole egg and 1 egg white. And it is stunning. Like crunchy chunky brownies. I do low carb/dirty keto, but my family eats more of my treats than I do. I am lucky when I bake these to have a few bars and 2 breakfasts. For breakfast I break up a bar and heat it up in the microvawe. I then eat it with amasi {south African yogurt or buttermilk substitute}
Katrin Nürnberger says
Thank you so much for detailing your substitutions!
Tanja says
hi ,
does is work, when i use butter instead of almond butter??
thanks and grettings from germany
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Tanja, almond butter is stickier than butter. I would try to use just 1 tbsp of butter instead of 2 and see how you get on.
Crisci says
I just made these today. They are delicious. For some reason mine would not cut into bars, but they made great granola . Maybe I baked mine too long. The almond butter is a wonderful addition. It adds a nice flavor without being overpowering.
Katrin Nürnberger says
You need a very sharp knife. However, you could also pre-cut them before baking using a knife or pizza cutter.
Kelly Morrell says
Love this recipe Katrin! I use granulated erythritol for the sweetener and love how 'un-sweet' it is.
The nuts vary every time and every bake has been a winner - many thanks 🙂
Susan says
These are delicious and good to have when I am a little hungry at work. I found that they broke a bit when cutting them up. It could be because my dish was a bit too big and they were too thin? Thanks for your great recipes!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I found the main reason for crumbliness is when you don't compact the mixture enough before baking. Try pressing it down as well as possible, that makes them sturdier.
T wood says
My mum made these for my birthday - delicious!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Happy birthday! Glad you liked the bars 🙂
Cathy says
Are the nuts and seeds salted or unsalted?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I used unsalted nuts and seeds.
Sue says
Love, love, love this recipe!!! I make it twice a month.
Frances says
I have just made these and they’re very tasty. I read the comments before making them and took note of the remarks about how they may not stick together, so I added a little extra egg white (I had two in the fridge anyway), and some psyllium husk which has a gluey texture and effect. I also used tahini rather than almond butter. They’re really good And I’m pleased with how they worked out!
Really liking this website and I’m going to try the pound cakes recipes. I do miss a bit of cake......
Katrin Nürnberger says
I like the idea of using tahini - delicious!
Janet Worthington says
I made this recipe with peanut butter. When I cut into bars they are very crumbly. I feel they should have a bit more moisture. What can I use to remedy this?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I found that crumbliness is directly related to how fine or coarse the nuts have been ground. Next time, grind them a little longer. This makes it easier to cut. The other thing that you can look out for is the consistency of your nut butter. It can vary a lot. You know how it can be hard and dry once you get the the bottom of the pot? Make sure that you stir it properly before using so it is not firm, but drips off the spoon.
Janet Worthington says
The peanut butter was down towards the bottom of the jar. I put it in the microwave to soften but it wasn't runny. I will grind the nuts up more next time & make sure the nut butter is running off the spoon. Thank you for your help.
Katrin Nürnberger says
No probs! I buy my peanut butter in 1 kilo jars and it always gets too hard at the bottom!
Christine says
Just made these yesterday and they are great. (I used pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds, all soaked and dehydrated.) I doubled the recipe, and pressed it into a small sheet pan (9X11?). I left out the chocolate because I'm eating too much "healthy" chocolate lately, and though they were not terribly sweet, they are delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Wonderful! Love that you made a double batch.. 🙂
Suki says
Hi Katrin, do you think I could use this for granola, instead of as a bar? Would I just need to not add the egg as a binding agent?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that's what I would do. Or you try one of my granola recipes - I've got this low carb granola and a lovely peanut butter granola
Barbie says
Can I use butter to replace the Almond Butter?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, that should work!
Donna says
Hi. Did you try butter instead of nut butter? If so how did it turn out and what weight did you use? X
Kathy Kelly says
I love the taste of these, but some were not sticking together. Not sure what I did wrong as I followed the recipe. Maybe add another egg white?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I think if you blend your nuts a little finer next time you'll also be able to get them to stick together better. Maybe your nuts were just too coarse. It should be fine with the flax and just one egg white (unless your egg was super tiny?).
Silpa says
Is there an alternative to almond butter
Katrin Nürnberger says
You could use peanut butter instead.
MARIA GAREFALAKIS says
I made for my sister who is now an avid follower but I am not a chocolate person, call me weird. What would be the carb count without the chocolate?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi, without the chocolate it's 2g net carbs, 174 cal, 2.5g fibre, 1.1g sugar, 15.9g fat, 5.6g protein, 4.6g total carbs
Petro Louw says
Just love that so easy to make and taste wonderful.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Oh, that's so good to hear. Glad you enjoy them!!!
Andrea Truman says
Hi I’d love to make theses for my whole family, my daughter is vegan so can you suggest an alternative to the egg white?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would try to replace the egg with a chia egg - 1 tbsp ground chia seeds (this will work better than whole chia seeds) and around 3(?) tbsp water. Mix together and check you've got a soft, gooey texture. Then add to the rest of the ingredients. I don't know if it will bind as well as the egg, but it does help to stick things together. It will be a bit of an experiment.
If the chia does not do the trick you could resort to options that will raise the sugar count by a bit - add 4-5 chopped dates or prunes, for example.
Linda says
Hi there,
Can I us a whole egg, or will it make a difference? I want to try these tonight. They look awesome. Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
You can probably use the whole egg, but I think it will make it less crunchy.
Franni Ferrero says
I noticed that while the recipe is for granola bars, in the directions, it keeps referring to flapjacks. So, Just wanted to check to ensure all the measurements and other information is correct. Thank you! Love your recipes!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Franni, I did have one more errant mention of flapjack in the recipe. The recipe is correct, whether you want to call them flapjack or granola bars!