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These blueberry vanilla greek yogurt granola bars have me wishing it was blueberry season. They are so good for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
But, I am pretty sure that is the way most of us are feeling right about now.
It’s the very last few days of winter and those can be some of the worst. I am currently looking out the window at a whiteout. So ya, I am so ready for spring. Sunshine, warmth and berries out the yazoo! Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that most berries are summer foods so I still have a few months. Although, the spring strawberries are starting to pop up. Yesss. Give me them all.
Please.
If you wanted to, you could use strawberries in these, really any berry or dried fruit you love would work. Pretty sure they’d all be good, but I wanted something other than cranberries so I went with blueberries. Well, that and I really love blueberries + they were magically on sale last week and I could not resist buying four cartons. I could have eaten them all at once, but sadly I did something friendly and shared.
I shouldn’t have. They were so good.
I can’t actually find dried blueberries where I live, so I used fresh ones that I dried out in the oven. If it’s easier for you, feel free to just buy dried ones. The bonus to quickly doing it yourself is that they are not coated in sugar. But I gotta say, stopping yourself from eating them is kind of hard.
I’d buy extra. Like a lot.
Alright, but let’s talk about the greek yogurt coating.
Yes, it’s really greek yogurt that you have to let sit out (preferably overnight), so it dries and forms a coating. Just like the yogurt covered granola bars you would buy in the store, but a little healthier. While the bars themselves are super healthy, the coating is more like a frosting with some greek yogurt. It’s super delicious, but um yeah, there is sugar in that coating. It’s all about balance.
Oh, and the photo above? Please excuse my scratched up nail polish and ring that is slightly too big for my thumb.
I was in the kitchen working with three five years old and well, they just sort of took over. Both the baking and then my hands. Before I knew it I was receiving a kindergarten manicure complete with jewelry. I have to say though, I do love that ring. It’s one of my favorites. And as far as the nails go, I mean for five-year olds, I would say that all in all, they did a pretty good job. Not sure I could have done any better to be honest.
Even though it was mad chaos with three little girls, their heels (really my heels, all from when I was living in LA, and all at least 3 inches tall) and accessories, we had fun making these.
They stirred, they dipped, they licked and things were flying everywhere in the process.
Aside from the fact that the bars require a decent chunk of time for the yogurt to dry out, they are actually pretty simple and super easy.
I used this recipe from the Kitchn for the yogurt coating and I have to say that I was really skeptical on whether or not it would work, but WOW it so did.
I left mine to dry overnight twice and would recommend doing the same. After that the bars can be stored just like any other granola bar, but they’re gonna go fast.
Asher says these are better than good, they are amazing. And that is coming from a five-year old.
And we all know that little people always tell it like it is.
Blueberry Vanilla Greek Yogurt Granola Bars.
Servings: 12 GRANOLA BARS
Calories Per Serving: 345 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats gluten free if needed
- 1 1/2 cup brown rice krispies
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup whole roasted almonds roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter I typically use peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup dried blueberries
Greek Yogurt Coating
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon gelatin
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line an 9x13 square Pyrex pan with wax or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, rice krispies, coconut, almonds, chia seeds and salt. Mix together.
- In a small microwave safe bowl combine the almond butter and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the mixture is hot and pourable. Add the vanilla and mix again.
- Add the honey mixture to the dry oat mixture and mix until everything is moist and combined. Gently stir in the blueberries. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and then using the back of a measuring cup press the mixture into the pan until it is tightly packed. Cover and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Cut into 9-12 bars and return to the freezer.
- Make the greek yogurt coating. Combine the water and vanilla in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over top and whisk with a fork until the gelatin is evenly distributed. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until needed. It will set into a thick paste.
- In another small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, and salt. Microwave on 15 second bursts, stirring in between each burst, until the yogurt is liquidy and very warm to the touch. Don't let it start to boil or the yogurt will curdle. I microwaved mine for 30 seconds total.
- Whisk the gelatin into the warm yogurt mixture. Whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Scrape the yogurt mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Pour the powdered sugar on top. Use a mixer or whisk until the yogurt and powdered sugar combine into a thick, but pourable, coating.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Working with one frozen bar at a time, dip the bottom of the bar into the yogurt and allow any excess to drip off. Flip the bars over so the yogurt coated side faces up and place on the prepared baking sheet. They will be very sticky. Repeat with the remaining bars. Let the bars sit, uncovered, without touching, overnight or up to 2 days until the yogurt is dry to touch.
- Once the bars are completely dry, flip them over so the yogurt coated side is now facing down. Drizzle the remaining coating over the bars and allow the bars to sit overnight or up to 2 days until the yogurt is dry to touch.
- Once the bars are completely dry, store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*If you want an extra thick yogurt coating double the recipe for the Greek Yogurt and repeat the dipping process twice just as directed.
*Greek Yogurt Coating adapted from The Kitchn.
Oh and Asher says to tell you again that, “they are delicious”!.
This post was originally published on March 18, 2014
This blog is seriously adorable! Love the colours, especially. I will be making these tonight! 🙂
xo,
Emma
sassystreet.com
Hehe! Thanks Emma! Hope you love these!
Hi! I made these granola bars the other day but my Greek yogurt topping kinda failed so I decided against using them. I now have a question. The granola bars are delicious but they don’t stick together or hold up when they’re not cold? What’s your recommended solution? Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hey Rach!
Sorry these were tricky for you! The greek yogurt coating helps to hold the bars together. Can I ask what happened with the coating? Did you leave it out to dry overnight?
Without the coating the bars should be kept in the fridge or they crumble. I tried not to use any corn syrup in these, so this makes them a little less durable, but with the coating the hold together great.
Again, super sorry this did not work out for. Hopping we can get it right for you! 🙂
Hi tieghan, thanks for your response! I think I messed up the gelatin part despite 2 attempts it didn’t really become a thick paste. Also the yogurt combo had cooled down by the time I combined it with the gelatin. For the bars that I coated, the coating seeped through and did not hold the bars together. Actually it made them crumble even more! Should I just bake the remaining bars?
The same thing happened to mine…I’m not sure what I did wrong. They taste amazing but are a gooey mess. Its more of something I would put in a bowl and eat with a little bit of almond milk. I think next time ill try it w/o the yogurt as they were solid before.
Hey Sarah, I don’t really get what the problem is myself. Both times I made these I let them dry for about two days and they work out great. Maybe it is because I live in a very dry climate. How long did you let yours dry for? Also, if you wanted you could freeze these and then they would be frozen yogurt bars.
Glad they toast good though!
I, too, had issues with the bars holding up unless nearly frozen…. And, despite being left for 8 hours the yogurt element did not set firmly.
Hi Deana! I am so sorry for the trouble. I have found that some climates need up to 2 days for the bars to completely dry. And if the yogurt doesn’t dry, the bars will be a bit soft to hold up on their own. I would advice letting the yogurt set up to 2 days. I think that will solve the issues. Let me know if you have other questions. Again, sorry for the trouble.
I loved the flavors so much, I am going to try them again-with a two-day drying time! 🙂
Perfect! Hope its even better! Thanks Deana(:
Recipe sounds great! Would you happen to have nutritional info about these bars?
Thanks Lynette!!
I do not have the nutritional info, but I believe you can calculate it online if you wish. Sorry I am not of more help.
I’m vegetarian, any idea on what I could use instead of gelatin? Thank you!
Hey Gabby! Here is a great article on vegan subs for gelatin. Any of those would work great!
Hope you love these
is there a way to substitute the powdered sugar? thanks!
Hey Courtney, I actually tried twice to substitute the powdered sugar, but it is the only thing I found that worked to set up the coating. Sorry I could not help you out!
I have never heard of Brown Rice Krispies. Are they just the Gluten free version of regular rice Krispies?
Kelloggs makes them. They are Gluten free Rice Krispies make with whole grain. You can get them at Walmart
YUP! That is will I got them!
Yup! You can buy them at Target and Walmart.
I love seeing the berries starting to become in season all around! p.s. How well do these stay – are they flimsy or just chewy?
These are chewy, not flimsy. They are a little flimsy in the beginning stages during the dipping process, but then the coating helps them harden a bit and they don’t crumble. The end result is chewy, but moist too!
Hope you love these! 🙂
Oh, how I love everything about these! Great ingredients, fun, portable, beautiful!
Heavens to freakin’ Betsey, I am swooning over here! Why am I still buying granola bars premade at the store like some kind of loser? They will NEVER look or taste nearly as perfect as these do! Kinda sorta want to go bobbing for blueberries in the bowl of vanilla glaze.
Haha! Thanks so much!
These are absolutely stunning. I love that you dried your own berries. That right there is commitment.
Thanks Jennie!
I love granola bars with yogurt,,, i just never thought to make my own..THANKS
Homemade is always better! 🙂
Thanks!
These bars are gorgeous, can’t wait to try them for an easy afternoon snack!
Thank you, Laura!
These look so awesome! And that coating – I want to swim in it!
Thanks so much! 🙂
Rice crispies are NOT! gluten-free! please change the category of this guy 🙂
I actually used brown rice krispies, so those are gluten free. Sorry for the confusion! Thanks!
I am so with you on blueberry season! It must hurry! And these bars will be the first thing I make! My boyfriend will love them.
Thanks so much, Ashley!