Packed with nuts and seeds, these keto granola bars are deliciously crunchy, gluten-free and super easy to make. You can prep them in just 5 minutes!
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!
You simply replace the oats with nuts and seeds and use a low carb sweetener such as erythritol.
If you like my sugar free flapjacks, you are going to LOVE this recipe.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
This keto granola bar recipe...
- is only 2.7g net carbs per bar
- has a wonderfully crunchy texture
- is high in fiber and healthy fats
- makes a filling breakfast or snack
- Only 5 minutes prep
- will save you £££ or $$$ over shop-bought keto bars.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for keto flapjacks, as we call them here in London:
Mixed chopped nuts and seeds - I used almonds, walnuts and pecans as well as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Ground flaxseed and egg white - To bind, as discussed above.
Almond butter and vanilla extract - For extra flavor.
Sugar substitute - I used a granulated erythritol monk fruit sweetener. Allulose, xylitol or Bocha Sweet also work, but the bars are the crunchiest with erythritol sweeteners.
Sugar-free chocolate chips - A popular chocolate chip brand in the US is Lily's. Or use a good quality 85% to 90% dark chocolate such as Lindt.
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.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Making sugar free granola bars is surprisingly simple. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions.
Here are the basic steps, illustrated with pictures:
Step 1.) Pulse the nuts and seeds in a food processor until you have some smaller and some larger pieces.
Step 2.) Stir all dry ingredients in a large bowl, leaving a few chocolate chips to decorate on top.
Step 3.) Whisk an egg white and add it to the bowl together with the vanilla extract and almond butter.
Step 4.) Pour the mix into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and press down well to compact. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and press down again.
Step 5.) Bake in the oven until lightly browned.
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.
Expert Tips
I have made this recipe many times. Here is what you need to know to make it perfectly:
HARD NUTS FIRST. When you chop the nuts in the food processor, add the hard nuts such as almonds first. Pecans, for example, are softer and don't take as long to chop.
CHOP THE NUTS WELL. If the nut pieces are too large, the bars can be crumbly.
TASTE BEFORE BAKING. Check the sweetness and add more erythritol or sweetener of choice to your liking. (I don't have much of a sweet tooth).
PACK THE MIX TIGHTLY. I did not press the mixture much in my first attempt which made my bars more fragile and prone to crumbling. Press it down firmly to compact.
COOL COMPLETELY. 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.
CUT STRAIGHT DOWN. The best way to cut the bars is to use a firm downward motion with a large, sharp knife.
Variations
1.) You can use any nuts you like. 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.
2.) If you like coconut, you can use desiccated unsweetened coconut here too. Just swap out some of nuts and seeds.
3.) For additional flavor, toast the nuts before using! You can do this in the oven or dry-roast in a pan until golden.
4.) The chocolate chips are entirely optional - if you're not keen, simply leave them out. You could use freeze-dried raspberries or sugar free dried cranberries if you're up for a fruity variation.
5.) You can swap out the almond butter for peanut butter. If you want to omit nut butters altogether, use 1 tablespoon coconut oil instead.
6.) Option to use salted nuts or a pinch of sea salt.
Recipe FAQs
There are 4 options: Sugar free syrup, flaxseed, chia seeds or egg whites.
It's the best combination to get crunchy, chewy granola bars without raising insulin levels.
Yes. Sugar free syrup behaves similar to golden syrup - it's nice and sticky.
f you are not concerned with raising blood sugar levels, it's fine to use.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for about 1 week. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.
More Keto Breakfast Ideas
- Low Carb Keto Granola Recipe40 Minutes
- Keto Peanut Butter Granola35 Minutes
- Low Carb Keto Muesli Recipe5 Minutes
- Keto Breakfast Cookies17 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Granola Bars (Crunchy, Easy)
Equipment
- 6x9 inch casserole dish/baking tray (23x15 cm)
Video
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 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 egg white whisked
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener
- ⅓ cup sugar free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, minimum 85% cocoa solids
- 1 teaspoon 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.
Janet Worthington
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
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
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
No probs! I buy my peanut butter in 1 kilo jars and it always gets too hard at the bottom!
Christine
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
Wonderful! Love that you made a double batch.. 🙂
Suki
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
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
Can I use butter to replace the Almond Butter?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, that should work!
Donna
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
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
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?).
Dawn
Looking forward to making this, sounds great. Thank you.
Silpa
Is there an alternative to almond butter
Katrin Nürnberger
You could use peanut butter instead.
MARIA GAREFALAKIS
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
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
Just love that so easy to make and taste wonderful.
Katrin Nürnberger
Oh, that's so good to hear. Glad you enjoy them!!!
Andrea Truman
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
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
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
You can probably use the whole egg, but I think it will make it less crunchy.
Franni Ferrero
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
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!