These grain-free green plantain granola bars are made without oats, using a naturally sticky mixture of green plantain, mixed nuts, coconut, hemp seeds, dried fruit, and cacao. They are nutty, lightly sweet, and satisfying. Keep them in the refrigerator for a convenient breakfast, travel snack, or afternoon treat — they become firmer and even better after a day or two.
How this recipe came about
When I made my lectin-free green plantain granola, I noticed that the mixture was naturally sticky even without honey, maple syrup, or another liquid sweetener. That made me curious whether green plantain could also help hold homemade granola bars together.
Green plantain acts as the base and binder, while mixed nuts, coconut, hemp seeds, cacao, figs, and cranberries create a rich combination of flavors and textures. Everything is processed together, pressed into a pan, and slowly baked until set.
A grain-free alternative to oat-based granola bars
Traditional homemade granola bars are usually made with oats and held together with honey or maple syrup. These bars don’t contain oats or any required liquid sweetener. The green plantain, dried figs, coconut oil, and coconut butter create enough moisture and stickiness to hold the mixture together.
The bars will still be somewhat delicate when first cut, so handle them carefully. Once refrigerated, they become firmer and develop a much better texture — especially after one or two days.
You can use almost any combination of nuts. I used macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts, but almonds would also work well. If you prefer sweeter bars, add a small drizzle of allulose or monk fruit syrup after processing the mixture, then taste and adjust before baking. This will also help improve the texture.
How to make green plantain granola bars
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until the mixture is moist and nearly smooth. You still want some small pieces of nuts and fruit for texture, but the mixture needs to be finely processed enough to hold together.
Transfer it to a parchment-lined baking pan. Press it down firmly and evenly, paying particular attention to the edges and corners. Bake at a low temperature for 30 to 35 minutes, then allow it to cool completely before cutting.
These bars are at their most delicate immediately after baking. Refrigerating them in an airtight container helps them firm up and makes them easier to handle.
Storage
Store the granola bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can be eaten immediately, but their texture improves considerably after one or two days.
For an easy grab-and-go snack, wrap the bars individually before refrigerating them. They can also be frozen for longer storage.
For another oat-free granola, check out this Low-Carb Granola.
Print
Green Plantain Coco-Nutty Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Description
A nutritious granola bar made with nuts, coconut oil, butter, a few figs, unsweetened dried cranberries, cacao, hemp seeds, and green plantain.
Ingredients
- 1 green plantain, peeled and sliced
- 2 heaping cups mixed nuts, such as macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts
- 5 dried figs, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons coconut butter (coconut manna)
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: a drizzle of liquid allulose or monk fruit syrup, for additional sweetness
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor. Process until the mixture is moist and nearly smooth, but still retains some texture. It should be finely processed enough to stick together when pressed.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Press it down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon, smoothing the surface and compacting the edges.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the mixture to cool completely before carefully cutting it into bars. The bars will still be slightly crumbly and delicate at this stage.
- Transfer the cooled bars to an airtight container and refrigerate. Although they can be eaten immediately, they become firmer and develop a better texture after one or two days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Use any combination of nuts you enjoy. Macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds are all suitable options.
If adding an optional liquid sweetener, taste the processed mixture before baking and adjust as needed. The dried figs already provide natural sweetness.
Press the mixture very firmly into the pan to help the bars hold together.
Handle the freshly cut bars gently. They will firm up after refrigeration.
The bars can be wrapped individually and refrigerated for convenient snacks or frozen for longer storage.
9 Comments
Rose
October 17, 2022 at 4:45 pmHave you created your recipe yet for oat-free granola?
Claudia
October 18, 2022 at 9:57 amHi Rose, yes, if you type “granola” in the search bar, then press enter, you will find the recipe for my granola. It’s called Sugar-Free Crunchy Granola with Green Plantain. xx
Tracie
May 15, 2020 at 3:53 pmI made these with some substitutions. They turned out delicious but more like brownies or dense, moist banana bread. I substituted what I had in hand: about a cup and a half of frozen-and-thawed strawberries in place of the 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, 7 medjool dates instead of the figs, and the nuts I used were pistachios, pecans, walnuts, and salt-and-pepper macadamias (a tiny portion of those). Because of the strawberries it was much “wetter”. The food processor gave up before everything was well-enough blended so I had a lumpy layer and a brownie batter layer, tbh I really like that texture. Baked at 275 for almost 35 minutes, then cooled for 15 minutes, still quite moist (and only slightly crumbly at the edges). Rich and delicious! Now cooling in fridge and if it lasts for a couple days, I look forward to it getting even more yummy. Thank you for sharing this very forgiving recipe!
Claudia
May 18, 2020 at 8:41 amHi Tracie, thank you for sharing your experience, so happy you got creative with the recipe and you loved the result. xx
Gwyneviere
October 28, 2018 at 8:18 pmHi I also can’t find green plantains! Is green banana plant paradox friendly? Or can you suggest another substitute? Thank you, just found your blog and really enjoy it! 🙂
Claudia
October 29, 2018 at 9:53 amHi Gwyn, green banana is plant paradox friendly, but I believe that it shouldn’t be cooked (resistant starches becomes sugar). I’m not sure though, maybe you want to search that. For this recipe you need plantains. Where are you based? Check stores that cater to latin American cuisine. Once you find some you make a big batch of granola and freeze it. It’s difficult to find them here too, and we are in Texas.
Jewel
April 20, 2019 at 4:58 pmYou can ask your produce person at the store to order them in for you at no extra cost. I live in a tiny rural town and they order anything I ask for.
Erika
August 3, 2018 at 6:23 pmLove these ingredients and happy to find a homemade bar that’s PP approved! I couldn’t find a green plantain, so opted for a green banana. They still turned out well. My processor struggled a bit with the mix, so hard to get a unifor mixture, but they taste great!
Claudia
August 4, 2018 at 10:14 pmThank you so much Erika for letting me know. I’ll have to make a note that it also works with green bananas. xx