Great for snacks and breakfast on the go, these quick and healthy avocado granola/oatmeal bars are a life saver at snack time and for busy mornings. Grinding up the nuts make these gluten-free bars kid-friendly, and squeezes heart-healthy fiber and fats into every inch.
Personalize these avocado granola bars with favorite ingredients (matcha powder, espresso powder, goji berries, hemp hearts, ground flaxseed, sesame seeds, etc.) or make them more decadent with chocolate chips, raisins or sugary additions.
Ingredients for healthy avocado granola bars
Rolled Oats: Any oats such as quick oats, rolled oats and steel cut oats will work. Oats are naturally gluten free but bags labeled as gluten-free indicate there was no contact with gluten products.
For lower carb, substitute a portion of the oats with a lower carb or keto cereal. Rolled oats can range from 52g-66g carbs per cup.
Liquid Egg Whites: Egg whites glue and soften the oats while providing protein. Regular eggs can also serve as a substitute. Substitute 1 egg for every 3 tablespoons liquid egg whites.
Avocado: A healthy binder that glues together the granola and ingredients. Bananas can also serve as a substitute, but impart a sweet, strong “banana” taste to the bars. Avocado make softer granola bars more than bananas.
Goji berries (optional): Slightly sweet and sour, a small amount provides vitamin C and a whopping amount of vitamin A. Goji berries support immune and eye health, but need to be eaten in moderation due to their high levels of Vitamin A.
Sesame seeds (optional): A tablespoon of sesame seeds provides 8-9% of your daily value for calcium!
Ground flaxseed (optional): Another source of omega-3 essential fatty acids and fiber.
Hemp hearts (optional): Very nutritious and packed with essential fatty acids, protein, vitamin E and minerals.
Sugar to taste or dark chocolate bar: If using avocado, adding sugar to taste or dipping each granola bar in dark chocolate is strongly recommended. A coating of dark chocolate turns these into a nice treat. Another idea for a flavor boost: mix 1-2 teaspoons espresso powder with the melted dark chocolate.
Matcha powder (optional): These bars turn into an energy boost with matcha powder as well as imparting a lovely green color.
Choice of nuts: My go-to are usually walnuts for their heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Grinding them up makes either fine granules or a paste-like butter that can bind the mixture together further. The bars are also easier to eat. However, roughly chopping the walnuts up is fine as well.
For added sweetness swap out one-third or half the nut mixture for raisins, chocolate chips etc.
Baking Times
Bake the granola from 16-20 minutes; a shorter timeframe produces softer bars.
Equipment used
- Small food processor
- Baking sheet that will accommodate your batch size; I use a 16x12x1 baking pan to make 2 batches of the recipe below.
Storage for healthy avocado granola bars
After cooling down, store bars in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate for up to a week.
How to make healthy avocado granola bars
Using a food processor blend the nuts into fine granules. In a large mixing bowl mash down the avocado until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and continue mashing. When the ingredients stick together in clumps, scoop the mixture out onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet, press down and evenly distribute with about a ½ inch thickness.
Healthy Avocado Granola Bars
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Loading...Great for snacks and breakfast on the go, these quick and healthy avocado granola/oatmeal bars are a life saver at snack time and for busy mornings. Grinding up the nuts make these gluten-free bars kid-friendly, and squeezes heart-healthy fiber and fats into every inch. Personalize these avocado granola bars with favorite ingredients (matcha powder, espresso powder, goji berries, hemp hearts, ground flaxseed, sesame seeds, etc.) or make them more decadent with chocolate chips, raisins or sugary additions.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon goji berries (optional)
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)
- 1.5 tsp ground flax seed (optional)
- 2 tbsp. hemp hearts (optional)
- ½ cup ground nuts
- 1-2 tsp. matcha powder (optional)
- 1 avocado
- 2 cups rolled oats (see notes)
- 6 tbsp. liquid egg whites or 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- Sugar to taste or 1 dark chocolate bar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Pulse the nuts in a food processor until they turn into fine granules or a paste.
In a bowl combine all the ingredients. Mash avocado into the mixture. Keep mashing and combining until you can scoop the mixture up in clumps.
Turn the mixture out onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet and press down, evenly distributing the mixture. About ½ inch thickness.
Bake in oven for 16-20 minutes.
Remove and let cool before slicing into 16 small bars.
Melt the chocolate bar in a low simmering double boiler, microwave for 30 second intervals, or (gasp) carefully heat the bar in a small saucepan over low heat. Dip top of bars into the chocolate, set aside to firm or refrigerate to quickly harden the chocolate.
Notes
With enough patience the mixture should come together easily. If not, try adding a bit more avocado or egg white. For more sweetness add sugar to taste or swap out some nuts for raisins or chocolate chips. For lower carb, substitute some oatmeal for lower carb or keto cereal.
