DIY dietary muesli bars. Making a muesli bar at home

Who among us hasn’t bought the notorious muesli bars at least once? It would seem that there is nothing special about them, but sometimes the hand itself reaches out to the treasured shelf. It’s convenient: it looks like it’s delicious for tea (we convince ourselves that it’s healthy: “these are not chocolate rolls”:), and it’s a good snack, and you can do it on the run.

But 99% of the ingredients in store-bought muesli bars are not the healthiest. As a rule, there is a lot of sugar (or its chemical substitutes), dangerous trans fats (aka hydrogenated/confectionery fats), preservatives and junk food. The abundance of promised nuts cannot be found there; grains are all over the place. But there is definitely enough sweetness there, sugar/ molasses decides. Now these store-bought bars seem unbearably sweet to me!

So one day the idea of making muesli bars at home was born. Real, with a “pure” composition and an abundance of your favorite nuts. Truly a healthy snack! They are also great for storing (you can wrap them in paper or simply put them in a container) and are convenient to take with you. Lately I love having this bar with coffee for breakfast. They perfectly satisfy hunger (of course, both cereal and nuts are a source of healthy fats and protein) and contain enough coarse fiber.

There are also a lot of calories, but this does not detract from their dignity! Here, rather, it all depends on how much you eat. I believe that a proper breakfast or snack should be like this.

Making granola bars at home is very simple. From these ingredients I get a batch that lasts for a week (if no one helps destroy them :).

Homemade granola bars: recipe

Ingredients:

oat flakes* (preferably long-cooked) – 170-200 g;
oat bran – 1 tbsp;
dried fruits (dates/raisins/prunes/dried apricots) – 100 g;
nuts, seeds (any) – 80 g;
flax seeds – 1-2 tbsp;
sesame seeds – 1-2 tbsp;
banana (very ripe) – 1 piece;
peanut butter (I recommend using ** ) – 1 tbsp;
honey (optional), or sugar (if additional sweetness is needed) - 1 tbsp;
– 2-3 tbsp;
cinnamon – ½ tsp;
salt - a pinch.

* You can also use other cereals, mixing them in any proportion to suit your taste: wheat, barley, buckwheat, etc.

** What is hydrogenated oil?

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper, spread the flakes in an even layer and place them in the oven to dry for 20-25 minutes; they should become golden brown. (You can skip this step, but I advise you not to be lazy: this will make the bars crispier and more beautiful in color)

Wash dried fruits and soak for 15-20 minutes.

Chop half the nuts with a knife (not too finely).

Place the other half of the nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, honey (if using) into a blender bowl and pulse several times.

Mash the banana until puree.

Place oatmeal and bran, nuts, chopped mixture from a blender, flax and sesame seeds, banana puree, coconut oil, cinnamon and a pinch of salt into a deep bowl.

Mix the mixture thoroughly and let stand for 5-10 minutes for the flakes to swell. The mass should be sticky, but not very wet. If the mixture is a little dry, add a little water (you can use honey or a couple of tablespoons of oil). If it’s the other way around, add another 1-2 tablespoons of bran.

Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a silicone mold) and press tightly. Bake for 40-50 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees.

Remove from the mold, cool and cut the layer into small bars. Once completely cooled, they will be denser and crispier.

Do not throw all the nuts and seeds into the blender bowl at the same time (especially dark-colored ones, for example, black sesame and flax seeds - it is better not to grind them at all), this can turn the mixture gray and your bars will have an unsightly appearance.

By baking the granola bars for a little less time (~30 minutes), their consistency will be a little less dense (more like a little chewy). If you keep them in the oven for 45-50 minutes they will be drier and crispier. In any case, the result can be judged when the muesli has completely cooled and “set.”

By the way, keep in mind that the density of the bars depends largely on the “gluing” ingredients. Don't add too much water, and don't add too much mashed banana. Honey/syrups and nut butters will help to better “glue” the mass for future bars.

Experiment with spices: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla. Salty or sweet - it's up to you too!

Do you want to cook a lot for future use? Easily! The bars can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months in a tightly sealed container (I recommend placing a layer of parchment paper between each bar to prevent them from sticking together).

Muesli bars are a good breakfast or snack during the day, and if you also grease them with melted chocolate, they will be very tasty healthy cakes, as Ksenia Akhmetova, who sent this recipe, writes.

Such bars are also called granola (), which is prepared both crumbly and in the form of bars.

Muesli bars

Compound:

1 small coconut and its juice (you can use coconut flakes - about 150 g)
400 g rolled oats long-cooked
2 large ripe bananas
250-300 g dates
6 tbsp. tablespoons sunflower seeds (or ground nuts)
spices as desired and to taste

How to make granola bars:

If your dates are not juicy, then soak them for about 2 hours in cold water.
We clean the coconut - the technique is in the video. We also remove the brown skin. Pour the milk into a blender. Cut the coconut meat into small pieces and add to the coconut milk.
Grind the coconut quite finely.
Shredding coconut
Place in a salad bowl (pan).
Turn on the oven to 180 degrees and leave to heat up.
Peel the dates and place them in a blender.
Peel the bananas and add to the dates. Grind until smooth.
Grind dates and bananas
Add the resulting mixture to the coconut.
Mix coconut with dates and bananas
Add oatmeal, seeds (nuts) and mix well. You should get a thick “dough” that does not flow from a spoon.
Mass for making muesli bars
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the mixture. Spread over the surface with a spoon, the layer should be 1-1.5 cm.
Place the mixture on a baking sheet
Place in the oven for 10 minutes, the surface should be browned, the top should be dry and the bottom should be soft.
While hot, cut into rectangles and squares and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Cutting muesli into bars
When the granola bars have cooled, remove them from the paper and place them on a plate. Or melt the chocolate and grease our bars, and then put them in the cold for 15-20 minutes.

Muesli bars

A delicious breakfast-snack is ready!

P.S. If you liked the recipe, .

Bon appetit!

Julia author of the recipe

Muesli bars are considered one of the most popular dietary treats. They were initially conceived as medicinal products. The grain delicacy quickly gained popularity among people leading a healthy lifestyle.

To prepare the bars, cereals are pressed - oats are used most often. It can also act as a base or be mixed with rye, barley or wheat. Many fans of healthy eating prepare a muesli bar at home, adding dried berries and fruits, seeds, and nuts to a self-made base. To make the delicacy sweet, add molasses or honey. You can add milk or yogurt, nuts, cocoa, or chocolate to the bar.

Depending on the ingredients chosen for preparation, the calorie content of the product can be 150-400 kcal per 100 g.

For those who are planning to make muesli bars with their own hands, but don’t know anything about it yet, it is recommended to select suitable recipes in advance and think about the composition of the mixture for the product. Even the choice of muesli must be approached wisely.

Muesli is divided into fried and raw. The latter are more useful, since they are produced using crushed grains treated without oil with ultraviolet light. Fried muesli is obtained by baking with butter at high temperature. Oil adds more calories, but after processing the product will be absorbed much easier.

What are the benefits of bars?

The popularity of the bars is explained by the fact that they have many advantages. The following can be listed:

good taste;
low calorie content, which you can choose yourself if you prepare dietary muesli bars at home;
does not require special storage conditions;
inexpensive;
nutritious;
Convenient to take on the go.

Fans of healthy eating prefer to eat these bars for breakfast - they are tasty and can give you energy for a long time. If you prepare muesli bars at home, you can choose a convenient composition and calorie content for yourself. By making a batch of these bars, you don't have to waste time making breakfast until you run out.

What is included in the bars?

The preparation for muesli bars is a mixture of several components. It contains everything that the body may need for good functioning - amino acids, vitamins, minerals. Bars differ from cereals consumed for breakfast in that they retain all the beneficial properties of cereals. And when cooking cereals for porridge, a lot of substances are lost.

The bars mostly contain whole grains, which have a beneficial effect on intestinal motility and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Grains are a good source of fiber. It significantly improves metabolic processes in the body, helps break down carbohydrates faster and keeps your figure in good shape. The effect of fiber on the process of fat breakdown normalizes cholesterol levels.

A homemade granola bar recipe can include nuts, which contain polyunsaturated fatty acids. They will help improve your health, and with regular use they will even change your appearance for the better.

By including dried fruits, you can enrich the bars with vitamins and minerals.

It is also important that digestion of muesli takes quite a long time. They keep you feeling full and are great as a light snack. Saturation is not accompanied by sugar spikes - after all, the delicacy contains both “fast” and “slow” carbohydrates.

A muesli bar can easily replace cookies and candies and reduces cravings for confectionery products.

How to make granola bars at home

Before you make granola bars, decide on the ingredients. For example, you can use fruit puree instead of butter for the base - the product turns out airy, delicate in taste and very aromatic.

If you are going to make your own muesli bars, you can easily find a recipe with photos on the Internet. The ingredients must be suitable for your diet. If they do not all coincide with your intended nutritional system, you can replace them, specifying the calorie content of the components.

How to make a granola bar at home and choose your own ingredients

If you do not have strict dietary restrictions or you are preparing the bars simply as a treat, a substitute for store-bought confectionery, the options may vary. The main rule is maintaining proportions. The same recipe can be used in different ways, replacing oatmeal with mixtures, seeds with nuts, choosing your favorite dried fruits. The addition of chocolate adds satiety and helps recharge your energy.

Homemade granola bars

How to make granola bars: recipe No. 1

Oat flakes – 250 g
Dates, dried apricots – 100 g each
Raisins, light and dark – 50 g each
Sesame – 2 tablespoons
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds (hulled) – 4 tablespoons each
Honey – 70 g
Butter – 60 g
Blackberries – 120 g
Strawberries – 180 g
Medium size apple - 1 piece.

Choose a deep bowl, place cereals, seeds, sesame seeds, and raisins in it.
Remove the pits from the dates and cut them together with the dried apricots into small pieces.
Combine dried fruits with a mixture of oats and seeds, stir.
Prepare the fruit base - first grind the berries in a blender.
Then pass the mixture from the blender through a sieve.
Grate the apple, combine with berry puree and stir.
Pour the puree into a bowl with the dried fruits and seeds.
Mix the butter in a separate saucepan with honey, put on the fire and heat, stirring, until it becomes syrup.
Pour the syrup into the main mixture and stir until smooth.
Take a baking dish - the ideal size would be 25x25 cm or close to it. Line the pan with baking paper and pour in the mixture, trying to compact it tightly. The layer should be as dense as possible, otherwise the bars will crumble.
Place the mixture in the oven. Bake for about an hour at 150 degrees.
Remove the pan from the oven, cool, and pour in pre-melted chocolate. Then put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Cut the layer into pieces. Ready bars can be stored in the refrigerator.

How to make granola bars at home: recipe No. 2 (with calorie content)

Ingredients for 10 servings:

10 g each of prunes, dried apricots, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, dates;
one banana;
sesame – 5 g;
vegetable oil – 40 ml;
sugar – 10 g;
oat flakes – 70 g.

Nutritional value per 100 g with this set of ingredients:

Calories 364 kcal;

Chop prunes, dried apricots and dates and place in a bowl.
Add oatmeal.
Add chopped nuts, sesame seeds, seeds.
Beat banana with sugar and butter in a blender.
Add the contents of the blender to the cereal, stir with a fork.
Place the mixture on parchment paper and smooth it out.
Place on a baking sheet and dry for 10 minutes in the oven at 170 degrees.

At the end of cooking, remove the baking sheet from the oven, cool it, and cut the mixture into bars.

Reference. Calorie content data is approximate, excluding frying.

Swiss physician M. Benner developed muesli bars for his patients in 1900. Now this is a good way to satisfy your post-workout hunger, and to put it bluntly, your muscles will not “melt” until your next full meal. To be completely confident in the bars, they must be prepared at home. This is what we will do now!

The market segment of diet bars offers a wide range of:

protein;
for women;
activating brain activity;
gluten-free;
using wholemeal flour.

Reading the labels of some treats can be horrifying. Palm oil, E-preservatives, and dyes are present almost everywhere.

Preparing a nutritional muesli supplement with your own hands is a sure way to control your health and independently regulate your metabolism. Making a bar at home does not require any special cooking skills or tools.

Recipe No. 1 – high in protein

The cheapest bars in stores are sold from 70 rubles. Don't be lazy and cook them yourself. The quality and taste will surprise you!

Ingredients:

4 eggs;
½ tbsp. applesauce;
¼ tbsp. peanut butter;
3 tbsp. muesli;
1.5 tbsp. peeled seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, or nuts (almonds, cashews);
a pinch of salt;
1 tsp. baking soda;
5 tbsp. l. protein powder;
a pinch of vanilla;
cinnamon optional.

Advice:“It’s better to make applesauce by hand; store-bought products contain sugar. To do this, you will need to grate 3-4 apples on the finest grater. Peanut butter can easily be replaced with any nut butter. If the latter is not available, olive oil may be used.”

Step by step instructions:

Beat the egg whites with a mixer or whisk (separate the yolks), add peanut butter and applesauce and mix. Turn on the oven at 180˚C.
Add salt, soda, protein and spices - stir.
In a separate bowl, mix seeds, nuts and muesli evenly. Add the liquid mixture here and mix thoroughly so that the dough is evenly distributed and moistens the flakes.
Place the mixture on a baking sheet and place in a hot oven for 20 minutes.
Give the pie time to cool. Then remove the mass from the baking sheet and cut into pieces.

Recipe No. 2 – no-bake bar in the oven

Ingredients:

½ tbsp. Hercules;
½ tbsp. extruded rice crisps;
4 tbsp. l. whey protein;
3 tbsp. l. honey;
2 tbsp. l. coconut milk;
¼ tbsp. peanut butter;
a pinch of salt;
½ bar of dark chocolate.

Step by step instructions:

Mix all dry ingredients.
Add honey, butter and mix by hand. The consistency should be dry.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and press down slightly.
Transfer to the refrigerator to cool for 1 hour.
Remove the semi-finished product from the refrigerator and cut into bars.
Melt the chocolate and dip the finished rectangles on one side.
Place on parchment paper and place the finished bars in the refrigerator.

Recipe No. 3 – fortified with goji berries

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. muesli;
½ tbsp. goji berries;
4 tsp. flax seeds;
¼ tbsp. protein isolate;
2 tbsp. l. honey;
2 tbsp. l. water;
¼ tbsp. peanut butter.

Note: “Goji berries can be replaced with raspberries. In this case, adding water will not be necessary.”

Step by step instructions:

Chop the berries with a knife. Add honey, water, oil - mix everything. Turn on the oven at 120˚C.
Mix muesli, flax, isolate and add in small portions, stirring, into the mixture of liquid ingredients.
Mix the resulting mass thoroughly and place on a baking sheet.
Place in a hot oven and bake for 1.5 hours. Low temperature and cooking time will ensure the crispy properties of the bar.
Allow the finished product to cool and cut into rectangles.

All recipes yield 8–10 bars. Some products can be replaced at your discretion.

Calorie content ranges from 190–230 kcal/100 g.

Important to know:“Some dried fruits contain a lot of sugar: raisins, dates, figs. To prepare low-calorie bars, it is better to use berries: raspberries, cherries, blueberries, rose hips. You should not take candied fruits; they can often be found in the same line with dried fruits - these are pineapple, banana, mango, pear. They differ from actual dried fruits by having a candied crust on the surface and a high content of simple (unhealthy) carbohydrates.”

Benefits of granola bars

Natural source of protein and carbohydrates.
Low fat, sugar content.
Low calorie content.
They satisfy hunger for a long time.
Energy resources for training.

Harm from fitness bars

It should not be used as a substitute for food, only as a nutritional supplement to a complete diet.
Commercial versions contain sugar and chemical components (preservatives).

When is it best to use: before or after training?

Before going to the gym, it is recommended to consume carbohydrate-containing foods with a low glycemic index. This is a whole grain food that helps level out energy fluctuations during training. Then, in the last stages of physical activity, a stable level of performance is maintained. A granola bar eaten before exercising is fuel that gives you strength and slowly releases glucose into your bloodstream.

After training, protein catabolism occurs in the body, so rapid replenishment of amino acids is necessary for muscle recovery. Protein synthesis occurs when protein is combined with carbohydrates. A bar after visiting the gym will help create an anabolic environment for muscle growth.

Muesli bars in sports nutrition help you achieve your goals. To gain weight quickly, it is advisable to eat snacks with a high carbohydrate content. Jocks should diversify their diet with protein bars to build muscle. Low-calorie options will provide a good effect when losing weight. The main thing is that any of the above types can be prepared independently without the use of harmful additives.

Be sure to read about it

In 1900, M. Benner (a doctor from Switzerland) developed a new dietary product for medical nutrition, and since then muesli bars have gained immense popularity among adherents of a healthy lifestyle in different parts of the world. How to prepare muesli bars at home

What is included in their composition, what benefits do they bring to the human body, is infatuation with them harmless, and how to prepare delicious diet bars in your kitchen - the following article will give a comprehensive answer to these questions.

Composition, benefits and harm

The main ingredient in muesli bars is compressed grains (oats, barley, wheat or rye). To give the finished product greater benefits, nutritional value and taste, dried berries and fruits, nuts and seeds, honey or molasses, chocolate, cocoa, and yogurt are added to the main component.

According to the cooking technology, the bars can be raw, not heat-treated, and baked or fried. Raw muesli is considered healthier and lower in calories, but it is more difficult for the body to digest than bars baked with oils at high temperatures.

The beneficial properties of muesli bars are due to their multicomponent composition:

Whole grains provide the body with the necessary amount of fiber, which has a beneficial effect on intestinal motility, normalizes the processes of carbohydrate metabolism in the body, and gives the body a long-lasting feeling of satiety;
Dried fruits and honey serve as a rich source of vitamins and beneficial macro- and microelements, slow and fast carbohydrates, which can satiate a person for a long time without causing sudden changes in blood sugar levels;
Nuts and seeds, like varieties of expensive fish, can fully provide the body with unsaturated fatty acids (Omega-3, Omega-6), as well as proteins, fiber, iron, phosphorus and vitamins B, E and A.

In addition to the benefits listed for the body, muesli bars are a convenient snack on the go, which can not only completely replace candy, waffles and cookies, but also significantly reduce cravings for sweets.

Despite all the advantages, some nutritionists still see disadvantages in this food product that can harm the human body. This is primarily a high calorie content and a significant content of fructose and sucrose, which dried fruits are rich in. Therefore, it is not recommended to eat more than 30 grams of granola bars per day, and people with diabetes are better off avoiding them altogether.

Simple recipe

The composition of store-bought muesli bars (aka granola), when examined in detail, is not so harmless. Of course, over a hundred years, the technology of their production has changed significantly, and the composition has managed to be enriched with various preservatives, stabilizers and dyes.

This has made commercially produced granola a rather dubious product, but it's not hard to make healthier granola bars at home from compressed grains.

How to make your own granola bars:

Diet granola bars

The recipe for homemade diet granola bars does not contain vegetable oil and honey. They are excluded as additional sources of calories. Also, such a delicacy will ideally fit into the menu of fasting people. The given basic combination of products can be changed, for example, by replacing part of the banana pulp with grated apple.

Products for the dietary option of a cereal snack should be taken in the following ratio:

300 g ripe bananas (3-4 pieces);
300 g oatmeal;
50 g crushed pitted dates;
50 g dried apricots, cut into pieces;
100 g chopped almonds or walnuts;
5 g cinnamon;
7 g vanilla powder.

Cooking time: 50-55 minutes.

One hundred grams of a diet bar will contain 292.2 kilocalories.

Work progress:

Mash the banana pulp with a fork, add oatmeal, dried fruits and nuts, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix the mixture thoroughly;
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Cover the baking sheet with parchment so that it covers the side edges;
Press the banana-oat mixture tightly onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes. To make the granola crispier, you need to keep it in the oven longer. After cooling, the layer should be cut into bars.

Homemade muesli bars based on Jamie Oliver's recipe

It would be very surprising if the world-famous chef, who popularizes home cooking and healthy eating, did not have his own recipe for making these bars, which he also calls energy bars. Jamie Oliver has several recipes for muesli bars: with chestnuts and spices, as well as with dark chocolate and dried fruit.

Since not everyone likes strong spicy flavors, you can make a sweeter, but lower calorie version of energy bars that require:

250 g oatmeal;
100 g assorted seeds;
75 g pistachios without shell;
150 ml water;
100 g dried apricots;
100 g pitted dates;
50 g extra dark chocolate
60 ml almond oil;
100 ml maple syrup;
10-20 ml olive oil for greasing the baking tray.

It will take 110 minutes to prepare granola according to D. Oliver's recipe.

The calorie content of the energy bar will be 164.0 kcal/100 g.

Preparation:

On a greased baking sheet, roast chopped pistachios, seeds and oatmeal in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As a result of frying, the mixture should acquire a beautiful golden color;
Boil maple syrup, chopped dates, water and almond butter for 10 minutes in a saucepan, then puree into a smooth, sticky sauce;
In a bowl of suitable size, combine chopped apricots, roasted nut-oat mixture, sweet sauce and chopped chocolate;
Press the well-kneaded mixture into a mold measuring 20 by 20 cm and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Preparing muesli bars at home is not difficult; it is only important to consider two points:

The bar must contain “gluing” ingredients. This could be honey, nut or dried fruit paste, or chocolate chips;
The mixture must be very carefully compacted and compacted in the mold. The more diligently this is done, the stronger the finished bars will be.

Usually you don’t hear this about sweets, but in this particular case you can safely say: “Eat for your health!”