Cinnamon Roll Granola Bars. My absolute favorite granola bar ever! So rich and FULL of cinnamon flavor, sweet like a cinnamon roll, but so much healthier to eat! Just 8 easy ingredients and 30 mins to bake! Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free!
Pure. Cinnamon. Bliss. These bars are one of my favorite creations so far….I am an absolute cinnamon-obsessed individual. I love these bars in particular because they are very filling, crunchy and all that cinnamon. Just 8 ingredients to cinnamon heaven and if you are feeling up to it, drizzle on the optional sugar glaze. Seriously, yum.
I LOVE cinnamon rolls, Cinnabon buns….well, really anything cinnamon. Cinnamon rolls are delicious, but not so healthy. I decided to create granola breakfast bars with the flavors of a cinnamon roll drizzled with a little sugar glaze.
These are topped with a small amount of drizzle for that classic Cinnamon Roll vibe. I’m not even lying when I say these straight up taste just like a cinnamon roll, but in granola form. There is a large amount of cinnamon, just like cinnamon rolls, duh. And it is heavenly.
OIL-FREE GRANOLA BARS
These Cinnamon Roll Granola Bars are vegan, gluten-free and oil-free. They are easy to make and have a wonderful chewy, crunchy texture to them. I hope you love them. Be sure to leave feedback below after you make them!
Cinnamon Roll Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (275g) old fashioned oats (not quick oats, 3/4 cup (75g) will be ground into about 1/2 cup flour)
- 1/2 cup (60g) pecans, ground into a flour
- 1/2 cup (64g) sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon (yes, 2 full tablespoons, this is what makes them taste like a cinnamon roll!)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (240g) pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (48g) roasted creamy almond butter
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vanilla extract
OPTIONAL SUGAR GLAZE (definitely recommended!)
- 2 teaspoons almond milk
- 3 tablespoons (24g) white powdered sugar for a traditional drizzle & flavor OR for a healthier sugar option, sub with 2 1/2 tablespoons (30g) coconut palm sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8X8 square pan with parchment paper going in both directions, for easy removal.
- Make the oat flour by processing 3/4 cup (75g) of the oats (reserve the remaining 2 cups) into a fine powder in a food processor. Let it run for a couple of minutes to get it super fine. Make sure to measure out 1/2 cup only (64g) after processing. If there is any extra, use it in a smoothie or another recipe.
- Grind or chop the pecans as well into tiny pieces. Combine all the dry ingredients (oats, 1/2 cup oat flour, pecans, almonds, cinnamon, allspice, salt) into a large bowl and stir well.
- In a small pot, combine the maple syrup and almond butter and turn to medium-low. Once simmering, whisk continually for about a minute, that’s it. Remove from the heat. Now whisk in the vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and quickly stir until well mixed. It will be thick and sticky. Spread evenly into the pan, place a large piece of parchment paper over the mixture and smooth the top out evenly and into the corners, making sure it's smooth and flat across. Smooth along the edges with your fingertips. This is important so the bars hold together. Bake for 30-32 minutes until slightly firm and golden brown around the edges.
- They will still be a little soft upon removing them from the oven, but will firm up while cooling. Let them cool for exactly 45 minutes BEFORE cutting, or they will fall apart! Cut into 9 bars with a VERY sharp knife very carefully while they are still in the pan. Then Cool for another 15 minutes and then you can lift the bars out with the parchment paper. They should be nice and crispy and chewy after cooling.
- If making the coconut sugar glaze, add the milk to a small cup and slightly warm in the microwave for 15 seconds. Whisk in the sugar and cinnamon for about 30 seconds. Drizzle over bars once they have cooled. Keep in mind, the coconut sugar option will melt and blend into the bars and not show up like the white sugar glaze. If making the powdered sugar for a drizzle effect, mix the milk, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and use a small whisk to mix until completely smooth and lump free. Use a spoon to drizzle over the COOLED bars.
What is the nutritional values for Cinnamon roll bars?
god bless
These are amazing! My whole family loves them! I’m making them now for the 2nd time this week. I think I’ll double the recipe this time. Thanks for another great recipe. And yes, MAKE THE ICING!
I used macadamia nut butter instead of almond butter because Costco has a huge glass jar of it and they were great.
Yay! So glad, thank you Debbie!
These are sooooo good. I used almond flour instead of pecan flour due to allergies and used a little less maple syrup and they are amazing!!!!! They really don’t even need the icing!
These bars are definitely 5 stars … So many of your recipes are. We’ve made these numerous times and they always turn out great. The ingredients are readily available and they come together so quickly and easily. The hardest part is giving them ample time to cool.
So glad I tried this recipe, it’s a flavor bomb! Great for breakfast with vegan yogurt.
So lovely to hear Nanette!
I made these today following the exact measurements and only baked them for thirty minutes. They came out really hard and dry. Do you know what could have gone wrong?
No, it’s hard to say what could have gone wrong without being there, but I’ll try to help. These are supposed to be a chewy granola bar, but shouldn’t be dry and hard, but rather, crispy. Did you change an ingredient? You used the pecan flour and a runny/smooth nut butter? Because those provide fat to the recipe. If yours turned out hard, it sounds like they were overbaked. You can bake them less time if you like.
Wow delicious! This is a new favorite. Thanks love your recipes and 8 ingredients makes it doable, Thank You!
These are seriously the best. My whole family loves them and they never last more than a day and a half. I’m so happy I don’t have to buy granola bars from the store anymore. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Yay! I’m so glad you love these Kameron, thank you so much for leaving this amazing review!
These granola bars are amazing—perfectly chewy and they make your house smell like Fall! I’ve been eating them for breakfast (and after-work snacks) all week and will soon be making another batch.
That is so wonderful to hear Becky! Thank you so much for the glowing review!
“Optional” sugar glaze…ROFL! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all weekend Brandi! These are delicious–even without pecans, for those who, like me, just can’t stand them. 😀 Thanks for the reminder about these!
Hahaha your comment made me lol!! Well, you know, some people avoid sugar, bahaha! Not me though 😉 So glad you love these! Yes, I make them without pecans for my daughter also because she doesn’t like them!! Thank you Michelle!
These are delicious. A bonus of this one is that they would be perfect for packing for a hike or in a school lunch.
These are delicious! My husband loves them, and he is not a plant based eater. I have not made any recipe from this site that was not really good. A bonus of this one is that they would be perfect for packing for a hike or in a school lunch.
These are delicious! My husband loves them, and he is not a plant based eater. If you follow the directions exactly, they come out perfect. I have not made any recipe from this site that was not really good. A bonus of this one is that they would be perfect for packing for a hike or in a school lunch.
Thank you so much Candace for this amazing review! So very happy to hear these were such a hit! They are my favorite granola bars ever.
These cinnamon bars are delicious and are a staple in our home (along with your 5-ingredient granola and lemon bars).I’ve experimented with the recipe and have found that we like it best with 1/2 maple syrup (instead of 3/4) and add 1/4 cup organic raisins soaked in 1/4 cup warm water. I blend the raisin/water mix until smooth and add it to the other ingredients. Most of the time I don’t even bake them, I’ll just place them in the pan, cool them in the refrigerator and then cut them into bars. They are delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Also, I absolutely love your website! I often find vegan recipes overwhelming because of the long list of ingredients, so thank you for simplifying such delicious recipes!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Stephanie and I’m SO happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes!! That is such a wonderful idea you have for soaking the raisins, that sounds fabulous and that would totally make sense that you prefer less syrup too if you don’t bake them, because things are always so much sweeter before they are baked. I’ve never had them unbaked before, but I know I can’t keep my fingers out of the yummy dough, so I’ll have to try that next time.
Thanks very much for the feedback, I love hearing it and glad you love my website and the easy concept! 🙂
Awesome! I also love cinnamon rolls, buns, cake….cookies. These look great!
These bars look incredible!!!! I love anything with cinnamon!
Oh my gosh YUM! These sound fabulous!
Thank you! They were…just made another batch for my mother-n-law yesterday! She loves them!
I can’t wait to try these! Monica said they were amazing!
Thanks girl!! They are super yummy! And HEALTHY! Best part! Real easy too. They have nuts though so beware for your kiddos 🙂
Thank you Myfoodreligion!! They are heavenly 🙂
These look delicious!
Oh I’m so glad to hear you loved them!! The figs sound like a wonderful addition!! I’m going to get more cashews today so I can finally make your strawberry spread!!
I have made these beauties today but added fresh sliced figs fromp my garden to the batter! They were super! :)Yum!
Aww thanks so much Sophie!! The icing is what makes me feel like I’m eating a cinnamon roll haha! You could leave off if you want or just use a light drizzle 🙂
These bars look outragely delicious & just wonderful too! Normally, I don’t love icing but this icing looks so appetizing too! A must make!