Trail Mix Bars
The perfect no-bake snack for your sweet tooth! Make these easy and nourishing trail mix bars for a meal prep snack your family will devour.
An Easy, No-Bake Snack to Prep Ahead
As a Registered Dietitian, I’m so thrilled to share this tasty, healthy, and foolproof snack recipe for trail mix granola bars. Here are just a few reasons I know you’ll love them too:
- No baking required. You won’t have to turn on your oven to make this easy and tasty snack.
- Packed with nutrition. Made with wholesome ingredients like oats, flaxseed, and honey, these delicious bars are surprisingly balanced and nutrient-dense.
- Perfectly sweet-and-salty. It’s hard to eat just one trail mix bar when the honey, dark chocolate, and flakey salt make for a decadent sweet-and-salty balance in every bite.
Try more of my healthy oat recipes like these chocolate banana muffins, salted honey nut granola, or protein egg white oatmeal.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Ground flax: This adds a nutty flavor and helps hold the bars together. I like to use ground golden flaxseed for the best flavor. Don’t use whole flax seeds.
- Natural peanut butter: You can swap this for any natural nut or seed butter. Just make sure it’s runny and not dried out, or your bars will crumble when you cut them.
- Coconut oil: This helps thin the peanut butter so everything mixes together easily. You can skip it if you must, but the granola bars turn out better with it!
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.
How To Make No-Bake Trail Mix Bars
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl without chocolate chips.
Step 2: Melt peanut butter, coconut oil, and a few other ingredients together.
Step 3: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Let that cool, then stir in chocolate chips.
Step 4: Press firmly into a pan. Cool for several hours, slice, and enjoy!
Tips From My Test Kitchen
- Use runny peanut butter. If your peanut butter is old or dry, it won’t hold the bars together. Use a fresh jar of peanut butter that’s runny and smooth.
- Press the bars very firmly into the pan. This is key to keeping the bars together when slicing. I like to place a piece of parchment paper over top of the bars in the pan, and use a spatula to press firmly until everything feels compact and flat.
- Let it chill in the fridge. Let your no-bake trail mix bars chill for at least four hours in the fridge, or overnight if you can.
- Store in the fridge! This is key. If you store your bars on the counter, they will melt and fall apart. Enjoy these granola bars right from the fridge, or pack them with an ice pack.
Need more no-bake snack ideas? Try my no-bake cheesecake bowls, protein chocolate mousse, or protein banana pudding. Explore more high-protein recipes or high-fiber recipes.
Want To Swap Out Ingredients?
You can swap ingredients, but don’t add ingredients. It’s important to keep the quantities and ratios the same. This is key to making sure your no-bake bars stay together.
For example, you can swap out any of the chopped nuts in my recipe for your preferred nut or seed of choice. Or, swap the dried cranberries for raisins or other dried fruit, or switch up the flavor with a different nut butter.
More Healthy Meal Prep Snacks
Need more healthy snack recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Cookie Dough Protein Balls
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
- Banana Oat Bars
- Cottage Cheese Banana Bread
If you made these No-Bake Trail Mix Bars, leave a 5-star rating below and follow me on Instagram!
Trail Mix Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup puffed rice cereal
- ¼ cup ground golden flaxseed, not whole
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- ⅓ cup dry roasted and lightly salted peanuts, chopped small
- ⅓ cup raw pecans, chopped small
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup unsalted natural peanut butter, make sure it’s fresh and pourable
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp flakey salt
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Equipment
- small pot
Instructions
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper so it overhangs, and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add oats, cereal, flaxseed, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries. Mix and set aside.
- Place a small pot over medium heat. Add peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until everything is just melted and combined.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients.
- Mix until all ingredients are coated in the nut butter mix and evenly distributed. Let this cool to room temperature or you'll melt the chocolate chips in your next step.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Transfer to your lined baking pan.
- Place a piece of fresh parchment paper over top. Use a spatula to very firmly press the mixture into a flat, even layer that reaches the edges of the pan. Make sure it’s very tightly packed or the bars won’t hold together. Remove the parchment paper.
- Refrigerate for 4 or more hours.
- Lift parchment from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into 12 bars. Keep stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week, and enjoy right from the fridge!
Notes
- Make sure your peanut butter is fresh and runny.
- Press your bars very firmly into the pan to make sure they hold together.
- Do not slice your bars in a long and thin shape! No-bake bars hold together better when they’re more square and chunky.
- Store your bars in the fridge.
These come together so quick, and the sweet-and-salty combo is just perfect!