- Healthier living
- Dairy free
- Lactose free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Soy free
- Shellfish free
- Seafood free
- Diabetes friendly
- No added sugar
- Vegetarian
- Contains wholegrains
- High in dietary fibre
Packed with fruit, nuts and seeds and sweetened with sugar-free maple syrup, our healthy muesli bar recipe makes the ideal nutritious lunchbox treat or snack.
- Makes12
- Cook time30 minutes
- Prep time10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (135g) rolled oats
- 2/3 cup (110g) almond kernels, chopped
- 4 bananas, mashed
- 500g coarsely grated granny smith apples
- 1/4 cup (55g) hemp seeds
- 2 tbs sunflower kernels
- 1 tbs pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 tbs linseed
- 2 tbs sugar-free maple syrup
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular slice pan with baking paper.
Step 2
Combine the oats, almonds, banana, apple, hemp seeds, sunflower kernels, pepitas, linseed, maple syrup, eggs and cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined.
Step 3
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and firm. Set aside in the pan to cool.
Step 4
Cut into 12 rectangles to serve.
Recipe tip
You will need 400g mashed banana for this recipe.
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Clever storage: Store leftover muesli bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Use it up: Pepitas are a type of pumpkin seed and can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes. Use leftover pepitas in better-for-you sweets like healthy brownies or a coconut slice recipe.
Smart swap: Depending on what you have in your pantry, you can play around with what seeds you use. Sunflower, hemp, pepitas, linseed or chia seeds are all suitable, or you could also add some sugar-free choc chips if you have them on hand.
Make a batch today: this chewy muesli bar recipe will be your go-to snack
Muesli bars are an ideal snack for any time throughout the day. Released commercially in the 1970s, they were a lifesaver for parents who could rest easy knowing they were sending their kids off to school with a healthy yet tasty snack. Over time, however, more salt, sugar and additives started creeping in. Enter our healthy homemade muesli bars. Sweetened with sugar-free maple syrup and crammed with the oaty, nutty flavour of the original, our bars are high in protein and dietary fibre and low in saturated fats, salts and sugars. Not only for the lunch box, but these healthy oat bars are also great for a pre or post-workout or a general healthy snack to satisfy those afternoon hunger pangs. While making muesli bars may seem like a labour of love, with only 10 minutes of preparation time and 30 minutes in the oven, you could do it with your eyes closed!
Getting the texture of healthy muesli bars right
Consider these homemade muesli bars as the baby bear of the muesli bar world. Where some bars are too hard, and some too dry and crumbly, ours is right. The secret to this healthy recipe lies in the addition of a couple of clever ingredients. First, adding mashed bananas provides not only flavour but also moisture that works – along with the egg – to hold the mixture together. Make sure your bananas are ripe as they contain a higher water content than less ripe ones. The other twist is using hemp seeds, which is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids that the body needs. With its nutty flavour, this ingredient compliments the almonds. Using no-sugar maple syrup means our healthy bars have a deep, sweet flavour.
A one-bowl wonder: how to make muesli bars chewy
Apart from everything else that’s going on with these banana muesli bars – flavour, texture and all-round healthiness, they are also a cinch to make. Using only one bowl, all you have to do is grate the apples, mash some bananas and pour in the other ingredients. It’s up to you if you peel the apples – the skin adds extra fibre, but peeling won’t detract from the overall flavour and health benefits of our homemade bars. Remember to allow the paper to overhang slightly when lining a pan as this helps you remove the cooked and cooled mixture from the pan. The slice is ready when golden. It may seem a bit soft, but it will harden upon cooling.
The perfect lunchbox snack and edible gift
Our chewy muesli bars can be popped into a paper bag and added to a school or work lunchbox. Because they contain eggs, it's best to pack them with an ice block or frozen drink (remember to check your child’s school’s nut policy). To give them as a gift, wrap them in baking paper and seal them with some washi tape or ribbon.
FAQs
Healthy muesli bars
- Makes12
- Cook time30 minutes
- Prep time10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (135g) rolled oats
- 2/3 cup (110g) almond kernels, chopped
- 4 bananas, mashed
- 500g coarsely grated granny smith apples
- 1/4 cup (55g) hemp seeds
- 2 tbs sunflower kernels
- 1 tbs pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 tbs linseed
- 2 tbs sugar-free maple syrup
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Description
Packed with fruit, nuts and seeds and sweetened with sugar-free maple syrup, our healthy muesli bar recipe makes the ideal nutritious lunchbox treat or snack.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm rectangular slice pan with baking paper.
Step 2
Combine the oats, almonds, banana, apple, hemp seeds, sunflower kernels, pepitas, linseed, maple syrup, eggs and cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined.
Step 3
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and firm. Set aside in the pan to cool.
Step 4
Cut into 12 rectangles to serve.