Homemade mocha granola bars are infused with chocolatey espresso flavors and naturally sweetened with honey. With the perfect chewy texture, they are no-bake, gluten-free, vegetarian, and so easy to meal prep!
Just like our double chocolate granola bars, and snickerdoodle almond butter granola bars, these mocha granola bars are a delicious snack that is easy and fun - with just 10 minutes of prep work!
Perfectly chewy, with rich caramel espresso flavors thanks to the espresso powder and chocolate chips, these mocha granola bars are meal prep snack that will have you looking forward to your 3:00 pm break!
Naturally sweetened with honey, these granola bars are such a great alternative to packaged snacks, and they happen to taste way better than store-bought as well.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- they are the perfect homemade treat to satisfy your chocolate + coffee cravings
- they are free from preservatives that packaged granola bars may contain
- it's no bake, and simple to prepare
Ingredient notes
- honey- acts to bind as well as sweeten these bars. Maple syrup does not work in these bars, and other liquid sweeteners have not been tested.
- coconut oil - also acts to bind; butter may work but has not been tested. Liquid oils may not be swapped.
- rolled oats - may also be called 'old fashioned' or 'large flake' oats; do not use quick oats or steel cut oats for this recipe.
- mini chocolate chips - we highly recommend using the mini chips over regular sized as they are not overly hard when refrigerated, and they help you get chocolate in every bite.
- espresso powder - brings depth of flavor and enhances the chocolate flavors in the brownies; swap for instant coffee if you don't have espresso powder.
Step by step directions
Simmer Coconut Oil & Honey
Place a pot on a kitchen scale and weigh out the honey and coconut oil.
Bring the pot to a simmer, and when it looks like it does in the image above (lots of bubbles), start a timer. Cook for exactly 1 minute, then remove the pot from the heat.
Alternatively - you can use measuring cups, but weighing the pot helps avoid the extra dishes
Rest
When time is up, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare Pan
While the pot is cooling, prepare a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper (binder clips and a spritz of oil help secure it in place).
Add Dry Ingredients
After the mixture has cooled for 10-15 minutes, stir in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly coated. Use a spatula to mix it in evenly. The chocolate chips might melt, but that's OK- it helps hold the bars together.
Press into baking pan
Press the granola bar mixture into the pan - HARD. You want to do multiple rounds with your spatula. You can also pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes, and do a second round of pressing. This is key to prevent bars from crumbling. Scatter a few extra chocolate chips into the top of the bars and press them in gently.
💡 TIP - Spray a spatula with oil and press down into the pan. Press firmly (I go through and press 2-3 times, spraying spatula again as needed).
Chill
Cool in the fridge for 4 hours- overnight (overnight is best!), before slicing into bars.
FAQ
You might opt for monster granola bars instead (our kids faves!) to avoid the small amount of caffeine in the espresso powder.
This recipe was tested (unsuccessfully) with maple syrup - the result was very crumbly granola bars, as the honey helps to bind everything together.
This recipe has not been tested with butter, however, I have seen some homemade granola bar recipes that use butter...so it could be worth a try! If you try this, would you let us know in the comments how they turn out?
For this recipe, the honey and coconut oil work together to bind the bars together.
Other important steps to getting them to stick together: simmer the honey and coconut oil for exactly one minute, do not over-measure the dry ingredients, press the bars firmly into the pan, multiple times, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting.
This recipe has only been tested as no-bake, however you might enjoy these baked oatmeal cups or these healthy apple almond butter snack cookies instead.
Storage + Meal Prep
These granola bars MUST be stored in the fridge, otherwise they become too soft and will crumble.
- fridge - stored in an airtight container, they are good for 1 week in the fridge.
- freezer - wrap loosely in parchment paper, and place in a meal prep container or sturdy freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Mocha Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder note 1
- ½ cup honey 156 g; note 2
- ⅓ cup coconut oil 74 g; note 3
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 cups rolled oats 284 g; note 4
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips 45 g
Instructions
- Simmer - Combine honey and coconut oil in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer, and once pot starts bubbling up all over, start the timer for 1 minute. (See note 5)
- Rest - When time is up, remove from heat and stir in the espresso powder, vanilla and salt. Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare Pan- While the pot is cooling, prepare a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper (binder clips and a spritz of oil can help hold it in place).
- Add dry ingredients - After the mixture has cooled for 10-15 minutes, stir in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly coated. (*see note 6 ) Use a spatula to mix it in evenly. The chocolate chips might melt, but that's OK- it helps hold the bars together.
- Press into pan -Press the granola bar mixture into the pan - HARD. You want to do multiple rounds with your spatula. You can also pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes, and do a second round of pressing. This is key to prevent bars from crumbling. Scatter a few extra chocolate chips into the top of the bars and press them in gently.
- Chill- Cool in the fridge for 4 hours- overnight (overnight is best!), before slicing into bars.
Tips:
- we used Nespresso brand
- Maple syrup may not be substituted. Other sweeteners have not been tested.
- Refined coconut oil is recommended for a less coconut-prominent flavor.
- Also called 'large flake' or 'old fashioned'. Quick oats or steel cut oats will not work in this recipe.
- Make sure to take the time to simmer the mixture for 1 minute! This is extremely important in helping the bars stick together.
- If the bars are too warm to press down thoroughly, place in the fridge for 10 minutes, then press them down a second time.
- fridge - stored in an airtight container, they are good for 1 week in the fridge.
- freezer - wrap loosely in parchment paper, and place in a meal prep container or sturdy freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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Junder says
The recipe is confusing for a couple of reasons… The picture shows nuts in the mixture but there are no nets listed in the recipe ingredients. Also… In the instructions it says to stir in cocoa powder… But there is no cocoa powder listed in the ingredients
Denise Bustard says
Hi Junder! Thank you for pointing this out! 1) we used the step by step photos for our 'classic granola bars' which have almonds, because we wanted to make sure you could see the texture of the bars while mixing/pressing. There are no nuts in this recipe, but if you'd like to include them, you could add 1/2 cup. 2) thank you for noticing that about the cocoa powder. I've updated the instructions now.