What Are Granola Bars Made Of. Why So Sweet.

Updated on June 9, 2025

If you’ve ever eaten granola bars — the commercial ones from grocery stores — you’ve likely noticed how sweet most of them are. I’ve tried a few and stopped right there. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, which is why I started making my own granola bars.

After reading recipe after recipe and making a few batches myself, I figured out why granola bars are so sweet. And I think you’ll want to know too. Continue reading… 

What Are Granola Bars Made Of

The main ingredient in granola bars is usually oats, combined with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. To turn these into bars, liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup — and often oil or butter are added before baking.

During baking, sweeteners and oils act as binding agents while reducing moisture, resulting in that solid bar form and crunchy texture. Some bars are meant to be chewy, depending on the recipe.

As consumer preferences evolved, brands began adding extra ingredients to enhance flavour and texture. Unfortunately, this often includes more sugar. That’s when things start getting less healthy. Added sugars can contribute to health issues like weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. (1)

On top of that, many store-bought granola bars are loaded with preservatives and artificial flavours. If you check the label closely, you might see “natural flavour” listed. But don’t be fooled — “natural flavour” doesn’t always mean it’s truly natural. Read more about natural flavouring here.

To be fair, some commercial granola bars are healthier than others — but rarely as wholesome as homemade ones. My suggestion? Read ingredient lists carefully. The shorter, the better. And if you can’t pronounce something, it’s probably best to put it back on the shelf.

In short: Granola bars are typically made of oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, a sweetener (like honey or sugar), and fat (oil or butter).

What Makes Food Satisfying

Before we get into why granola bars are so sweet, let’s talk about what makes food satisfying.

A satisfying snack doesn’t just fill your stomach — it excites your taste buds. The five basic tastes are sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami (savouriness). Add texture, aroma, and colour to the mix, and you’ve got something delicious.

Most people lean towards sweet when it comes to granola bars. And when it comes to snack foods, crunchiness often tops the list. According to Frito-Lay’s U.S. Trend Index, the “crunch” factor was the number one quality people looked for in a snack. Sweetness (66%), saltiness (61%), and how filling it is (53%) followed close behind.

So, when a granola bar is crunchy and sweet, it ticks a lot of boxes. But how sweet is too sweet?

Why Granola Bars Are So Sweet

Granola bars are often marketed as a healthy snack — and to some extent, they can be. But many are packed with added sugar, calories, and artificial ingredients, making them more like dessert than a nourishing snack.

From my granola bar experiments, I learned that sweeteners are used not just for taste, but as a binding agent. And this is where the sweetness issue comes in.

Every recipe I came across called for a generous amount of honey or syrup. Even when I swapped in nut butter or mashed fruits like dates, prunes, or bananas, the bars still turned out overly sweet.

I tried both baked and no-bake versions. Neither met my family’s expectations of a crunchy, less-sweet bar that holds its shape.

The baked ones? Dry and too hard to chew.

The no-bake versions? Soft and crumbly — falling apart while cutting or eating. Even with firm pressing and overnight refrigeration, they just didn’t hold up.

Bloggers and brands alike swear by honey for binding. And yes, it works, but the amount needed to hold everything together makes the final result way too sweet for my taste.

Nut butters and mashed fruits help too, and yes, they offer more nutrients but they still bring sugar along for the ride.

So now you know: the key reason granola bars are sweet is the sweetener used to bind the mixture together. And if homemade bars turn out this sweet, imagine the sugar in store-bought ones!

Even if you don’t see the word “sugar” on the label, it might appear as glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, or other scientific-sounding terms. These are all types of sugar.

In short: Granola bars are held together by sweeteners like honey, syrup, sugar, or dried fruits. These binders contribute to the excessive sweetness.

What I Make Now Instead: Granola Clusters

I’ve since given up on granola bars and make granola clusters instead — less sweet, light, crunchy, and just as satisfying!

Here’s a simple recipe:

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup mixed nuts, roughly chopped (walnuts, almonds, cashews, what you have available)
• 1/2 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, any of your favourite)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions:

1. Mix everything well and press onto a lined baking sheet.
2. Bake at 150°C for 25–30 minutes.
3. Let it cool completely before breaking into clusters.

Low heat and longer baking time reduce moisture and help keep it crunchy without burning.

Prefer Chewy? Try This No-Bake Granola Bar Recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup nuts of your choice, roughly chopped (almonds, walnuts, cashews)
• Optional: 1/3 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Blend dates into a paste.
2. Gently warm peanut butter and honey together.
3. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
4. Press into a lined 8×8 dish.
5. Chill overnight.
6. Cut into bars.

Super easy, and it tastes great too — just don’t expect them to be mess-free!

Healthy Granola Bars to Buy. What To Look For.

If you’re short on time or ingredients, there are healthier granola bars out there. Here’s what to look out for:

1. Ingredients

Healthier bars generally have whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fruit at the top of the ingredient list. 

Also, look for whole food ingredients. Avoid anything with “natural flavour” or artificial additives. Whole food includes grains, dried berries, apples, almonds, cashews, seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin, chia and sesame, and chocolate.

You ought to know ingredients are listed in descending order by weight.

It is best to choose granola bars with a limited ingredients list meaning the shorter the better.

2. Nutrition Facts

The 5 components you need to pay attention to are fibre, protein, calories, sugar and fats.

2.1 FIBRE

The main purpose you eat granola bars is to fill your stomach between meals or as a convenient breakfast on the go. Hence, fibre content should have at least 3 grams per serving. Some brands contain 5 grams of fibre per serving.

2.2 PROTEIN

Protein also helps keep you full and you should aim for 5 grams of protein per serving to keep you satisfied.

2.3 CALORIES

How about calorie content? You’re watching your weight so this is important. Calories content should be fewer than 250 calories per serving.

For snacking, a general rule of thumb is to aim for about 150-250 calories per snack. (1)

2.4 SUGAR

As for sugar, of course, you want to avoid added sugar but in case you’re not able to find those, look for bars with less than 10 grams per serving.

2.5 FATS

Next, let’s take a look at the fat content. There are good fats and bad fats. The main ingredients of granola, oats and nuts contain healthy unsaturated fats. It is saturated fats that you need to be mindful of.

Erin Palinski-Wade, a registered dietitian and author of 2 Day Diabetes Diet says “Just watch out for bars that contain more than 20% Daily Value of saturated fat”. (2)

In short:

• Fibre: Aim for at least 3g per bar.
• Protein: Look for 5g or more to help you stay full.
• Calories: Keep it under 250.
• Sugar: Stay below 10g per serving.
• Fats: Watch out for high saturated fat — avoid anything with over 20% of your daily value.
  

In a Nutshell

Still wondering what granola bars are made of? They’re a mix of oats, nuts, seeds, fruits, sweeteners, and fats. Sounds healthy, right? But all the added sugar and artificial extras in many store-bought options can quickly turn them into a less-than-healthy snack.

The real reason granola bars are so sweet? The sweetener binds the ingredients together. Whether it’s honey, maple syrup, mashed fruits, or sugar in disguise, that’s where the sweetness comes from.

So… will you still buy them? Or make your own?

I now stick to granola clusters — crunchy, less sweet, and easier to make. But if you’re into chewy snacks, try the no-bake recipe above!

Remember: Moderation is key. Even if a snack is “healthy,” balance is everything.

Got a great granola bar recipe or found a brand you love? Share in the comments! And if this post was helpful, hit the share button to let others know.

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links as part of the Amazon.com Services LLC Associate Programs and other affiliate services. This means that oatznmore.com receives a small commission by linking to amazon.com and other sites at no extra cost to the readers.

Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional, and this post should not be taken as medical advice. Please do your own research. The material on this blog is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information that may not apply to you as an individual and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s medical care or advice.

Post You May Be interested in reading

• 
  Why Eating Whole Foods Matters: Benefits and Easy Ways to Incorporate Them
• 
  Why Are Pecans So Expensive
• 
  Why Are Healthy Snacks So Expensive
• 
  What’s the Healthiest Nuts to Eat. YOU have to know.
• 
  What is Trail Mix & How to Make a Healthy One That You’ll Love
• 
  What is the Difference Between Granola and Muesli