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)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
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 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 egg white whisked
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener
- â…“ 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.
Valeria
I haven't made these yet but looking at the comments it seems very promising. I have a silicon baking dish that has individual rectangular wells in it. I thought that instead of baking it in a large pan and cutting it, perhaps I could pack each well as it's own bar and bake it like that. I have a bit of shopping and cleaning before I try this so I hoped that maybe you might have a suggestion of whether you think I would need to change the baking time since they will be separate instead of one block. I'm guessing the heat will penetrate more easily since there are more edges to radiate around, and all the comments about crumbly or crispiness seem related to particle size not time or temp, but I don't see anyone making them into individual bars or commenting on that. So, Wish me luck and I'll post back what happens when I get around to making it. Oh, another think I need to remember is to use Erythritol or Xylitol right? because the new Allulose sweetener won't let it get crispy.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Valeria, yes, that should work well! I think they MAY cook a little quicker like you suggest since they are already separated. I'm excited to hear how you get on!
Francis
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}
Tanja
hi ,
does is work, when i use butter instead of almond butter??
thanks and grettings from germany
Katrin Nürnberger
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
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
You need a very sharp knife. However, you could also pre-cut them before baking using a knife or pizza cutter.
Kelly Morrell
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
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
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
My mum made these for my birthday - delicious!
Cathy
Are the nuts and seeds salted or unsalted?
Katrin Nürnberger
I used unsalted nuts and seeds.
Sue
Love, love, love this recipe!!! I make it twice a month.
Frances
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......