These delicious Gluten Free Muesli Bars are not only gluten free but egg and nut free as well, making them perfect for the school or kindy lunchbox. Or for you to enjoy with a cuppa. Filled with nutritious ingredients like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and rice bran, these muesli bars will hit the sweet spot while keeping you fuller for longer.
Naturally sweetened with honey, homemade gluten free muesli bars are much healthier than the store-bought granola bars. The honey and coconut oil gives these homemade granola bars a delicious chewy texture. They provide you with healthy fats, fiber and a whole range of vitamins and minerals. If you’re not avoiding gluten then you could also try my Healthy Muesli Slice (not gluten free) or try my Energy Bars for a gluten free and vegan snack.
Reasons To Love These Gluten Free Muesli Bars
It can be hard to find gluten free snacks that are not only delicious but are good for you too! Well these nut-free granola bars tick all of the boxes and more!
- Perfect snack – providing complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and lots of fiber, these muesli bars are so good for you!
- No oats – A lot of “gluten free” recipes still contain oats, which unfortunately aren’t suitable for Coeliac’s. Well I’ve got your back because this recipe is completely oat free.
- Healthy – these gluten-free granola bars are a great way to get some extra seeds into your diet, which have so many health benefits.
- Food allergies friendly – this recipe is completely gluten free, nut free, egg free and dairy free, so perfect for anyone with these allergies.
- No bake recipe – once mixed together, these gluten free muesli bars set in the fridge, no baking needed! It’s such an easy recipe to make!
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Made up of healthy ingredients, all of which can mostly be found in the pantry, these yummy gluten free muesli bars are healthy and nutritious. See the ingredients needed for this recipe below as well as any notes and possible substitutions.
Wet Ingredients
- honey – I’ve used honey to sweeten these muesli bars. You can use brown rice malt syrup as well, like I have done withe my energy bars. Maple syrup won’t work well in this recipe.
- coconut oil – I’ve used cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil as it is the least processed. Using coconut oil does mean that these muesli bars need to be kept in the fridge and are best eaten straight out of the fridge.
Dry Ingredients
- puffed rice – puffed brown rice can usually be found at your local health food store. I would recommend against using rice bubbles as they aren’t as healthy as using puffed rice (rice bubbles have more ingredients then just rice).
- rice bran straws – these add fiber and crunch to the bars and can also be found at your local health food store.
- shredded coconut – shredded coconut works much better then desiccated coconut or coconut flakes.
- sunflower seeds – if you can’t get sunflower seeds you can use more pepitas. If you’re not worried about nuts then you can also use chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts.
- sesame seeds – feel free to swap the sesame seeds for hemp seeds or flax seeds if you prefer.
- pepitas – also known as pumpkin seeds, you can swap for more sunflower seeds.
- dried cranberries – you can use any other dried fruit that you prefer like sultanas, raisins, chopped dried apricots or chopped dried dates.
How to Make Gluten Free Muesli Bars
Making these no bake, healthy granola bars is super simple. Follow my step-by-step instructions to see how it is done.
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First, line a slice tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Next add all of the dry ingredients (the puffed rice, rice bran straws, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pepitas) into a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
Add the honey and coconut oil into a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Whisk to combine. Once the mixture starts bubbling whisk again. When the honey mixture turns a golden brown colour, remove from the heat.
Pour the hot honey mixture into the granola mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Once well combined, pour mixture out into the pan. Spread out evenly and press down firmly with the back of a spatula.
Place the pan into the fridge to set for around one hour or until very firm. Remove from the fridge and slice with a sharp knife into muesli bars.
Storage
Store these homemade muesli bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. If you’re packing these into school lunches, make sure that the lunchbox has an ice brick as they will soften at room temperature and fall apart.
Food Safety
If you are preparing these for someone with Coeliac’s disease, or if you are a Coeliac, then it is really important to buy all certified gluten-free ingredients, to prevent any kind of contamination. If the equipment used to prepare these muesli bars have been used to prepare gluten containing foods, then you also need to make sure that the equipment is all very thoroughly cleaned. Even small amounts of gluten can cause gut damage in someone with this condition.
Can I Use Certified Gluten-Free Oats?
If you’re thinking of swapping the puffed rice for oats then it’s important to note that oats are not suitable for someone with Coeliac disease. Even if they are “certified gluten-free oats”, they still contain a protein that mimics gluten. For someone with Coeliac’s disease, this can still trigger an auto-immune response and for this reason, most specialists advice against consuming oats of any kind. For more information, read this article. Quinoa flakes or brown rice flakes are the best gluten free alternatives to oats.
Variations
- choc chip – add in 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to the mixture. Or melt dark chocolate and drizzle over the top of the muesli bars and refrigerate to set.
No Bake Gluten Free Muesli Bars
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
- Metal spatula
- Slice tin
- Parchment paper
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil, extra virgin
- 1 cup puffed rice
- ½ cup rice bran straws
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup pepitas
Instructions
- Line a slice tin with baking paper and set aside.
- Add the puffed rice, rice bran straws, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pepitas to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- To a medium sized saucepan add the honey and coconut oil. Whisk to combine and bring to a medium heat. Once the honey starts bubbling, whisk again.
- When the honey mixture turns a slightly dark golden brown colour, remove from the heat.
- Pour the honey mixture into the dry mixture and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture out into the lined slice pan and press down firmly with an egg flip.
- Place the slice tin into the refrigerator to set for 1 hour. Once firm, remove from the refrigerator and slice into 16 slices.
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