Not-A-Grain Bars (GlutenFree ‘Cereal’ Breakfast Bars)
Did you know the Nutri-Grain Bar slogan is “Take Care of You”? I guess Kellogs didn’t get the memo that soy, corn syrup, corn starch, and “enriched” flours are really hindering your well-being rather than “taking care of you.”
I’m not usually one to bash commercial food items sold in mass amounts at grocery stores, but after making a Paloe and SCD remake of these ever popular bars, I can’t help it! I haven’t eaten one myself in over 10 years, but these bars were frequently a component of our school lunches. My mom didn’t know any better at the time, and bought into the “Nutri” part of the name thinking she was feeding us nutritious food. No wonder I have a digestive disease! Just kidding Mom, it’s not your fault. Love you.
As a new mom, I too briefly fell into the trap. I bought my son the Trader Joes version of these bars for about a month and then finally read the ingredients and tossed them out. He now enjoys making (and consuming!) these ‘cereal’ bars with me. Every time he hears the mixer come on, he runs into the kitchen asking to cook with me. How could I deny him the chance to partake in making a treat that will make him happy and also nourish his body? The best part – they’re full of heart healthy fats and fiber. Swap the blueberry preserves for any pectin-free/refined sugar-free jam of your choice!
| Ingredients (yields 6-8)
¾ cup blanched almond flour *flax gives these bars the texture of wheat or bran flakes – Omit for SCD and add ½ tsp extra coconut flour |
Directions
- Warm the fruit preserves and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat while you prepare the dough.
- Combine the flours, 2 tsp flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
- Combine the coconut oil, honey, eggs and vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat for 30 seconds on medium-high until creamy.
- Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients beating until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Divide the dough into two parts and shape into balls. Place each ball on a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Wrap tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Remove the fruit preserves from the stove and cool to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove one disc from the fridge and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment over the disc, then roll it with a rolling pin in both directions until you’ve reached a ¼ inch thickness.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the circle into a large square, then into smaller rectangles about 4in x 2in.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of the fruit preserves on each rectangle, leaving a ½ inch border.
- Remove the other disc from the fridge and repeat steps 8&9.
- Use a spatula to carefully lift each rectangle of dough and place it on top of the rectangles with the fruit on them.
- Dip your fingers in a little water and gently seal the bars on all sides by pressing the two rectangles together on the edges.
- Transfer the parchment paper with the bars onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.
*For a quicker process, leave both of the dough pieces as large squares and spread all of the fruit preserves on the bottom square leaving a ½ inch border. Lift the parchment paper with the top square and carefully flip it on top of the bottom square. Seal the edges as described above, and bake it for 12 minutes. Cut into rectangles after it has cooled. You will be left with exposed sides where the jam will show with this method, but they will taste just the same.
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I can’t wait to try these… they came just in time!!! They looks absolutely beautiful and delicious
I can’t believe how much these look like the “real thing”! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Could these be filled with chocolate?
Im sure you could use chocolate. I am using Blended plums. and they look AWESOME!
Is almond flour good to use in a nut free environment? I would love to makes these for my son to pack for a snack at school but his class is a nut free class. Thank you!! My husband saw a picture of these and pretty much drooled all over the computer!
almond flour consists of ground up almonds, so it would not be safe for people who are allergic to nuts.
Cannot wait to hear how these turned out without the flax!!!
Can you substitute gf all purpose flour, and if so how much?
I’m not sure – this is a grain-free site so I only use grain-free flours
Looks delicious. I should really have a stash of these in the freezer for the kiddo.
We are nut-free. What subs would you recommend for the nut flours and coconut oil? Gluten-free all purpose mix and vegetable oil?
I would use palm oil before using any sort of vegetable oil.
Coconut is not normally considered a nut, if that is the reason you are not using it.
Thanks for the reply; coconut is considered a tree nut, although allergies are rare. We unfortunately are one of the rare ones, and also have allergies to other tree nuts as well, including almonds (and peanuts, too). So we stay must away from effectively all nuts.
IF you are allergic to nuts AND coconut, then you won’t really find any baked goods suitable for you here. Try the GF bloggers, like Gluten Free Girl, Gluten Free Goddess, etc.
When baking grain free, the most common sub is nut flours/meal . . . flax alone is not pleasant, not much else left.
Sunflower flour may be a good sub for the almond flour. I’m going to try that since my son has an almond allergy. You could probably use butter or ghee in place of the coconut oil.
oh my gosh those look PERFECT! holy cow. i used to love nutrigrain bars — can’t wait to try these!
These look so yummy!! However, I am allergic to almonds, so I can’t use the almond flour. Any good substitutions that I could use??
Have you considered pumpkin seed flour? It yields a little stronger taste, but gives me that almond flour alternative. I grind my seeds in a small coffee grinder. Others have used sunflower flour made by grinding the sunflower seeds in the same way. Lastly, others have used mild tasting bean flours either mixed with ground flax seed or just by itself, in lieu of almond flour. It takes some experimentation to see what you can best handle. Keep in mind, these substitutions will change the taste of the recipe.
Kim
I’m actually going to start experimenting with pumpkin seed flour soon.
Thanks so much for your reply! I am also allergic to pumpkin, so won’t be able to try the flour. However, I love the idea of bean flour with flax meal mixed in. Thanks for your helpful ideas!
just found your site. I am a fan!
These are great! I just stumbled across your blog recently and love it. I can’t wait to try these. I just hate it when companies and grocery stores advertise their products as if they were healthy for you when they are anything but.
This is a really involved recipe but I bet it’s worth it! Really fantastic and I will be trying these very soon! What a great quick breakfast snack!
You.Are.A.Genius. thank you for sharing this and so many other great ideas.
Yuuuuuuuum they look so good. I am going to try it with passionfruit preserve mmm
You just totally saved my converting my youngest son. He loves those bars, but doesn’t get them any more know that I know better. But if I can tell him this is a good for him version, he’ll be all over it!
These look delicious and wholesome … any idea what the numbers are for carbs etc?
Ah, I remember the days when NutriGrain bars were our healthy snack too… back in the day when I was forced to have the meat version of Chef Boyardee in my school lunch (instead of plain) because it had “protein” in it! Learning about nutrition is definitely a process – and (unfortunately) involves scrutinizing labels, despite claims of “taking care of you,” etc..
These look amazing and probably are even better than the original! Thanks for the gluten free version
So loved watching your video Danielle. Can’t wait to make the bars!!
You are my favorite ever. (not just bc we are both blonde headed young moms with adorable little sons!!) but because you’re real. LOVED the video and your recipes So worth my time bc I am soo a visual learner. Thank you!!!
I made these this AM and got 4 thumbs up. 4 out of 4 is very rare in this house – and I’m going for 5 out of 5 once my oldest son wakes up
THANKS for yet another delicious and nutritious recipe! You rock!
A few questions – can I leave out the sugar (subsitute with stevia) and can I add mashed fresh fruit to these instead of jam?
Ruth- I can’t have honey or any other form of sugar, so I went for it anyway and substituted with Stevia until the batter was sweet (I didn’t measure but it was probably around 1/2 cup) I also followed her recipe for the blueberry preserves and again used Stevia instead of honey (enough to make it tasty sweet!) and my bar turned out fabulously! Also, just today I found a honey substitute from Nature’s Hollow made with xylitol. It’s actually very good, and I’m trying it out in some recipes right now
Danielle ~
These look beautiful and delicious all at the same time! I love your photography and my mouth is literally watering right now. I can’t wait to try the SCD version for my kiddos. Did you make the preserves you used in the video? Looked like strawberry? I’ve got to get my hands on some coconut flour. Can you recommend a particular brand?
Thanks again-
Jen
I have shredded coconut can I put it thru the food processor and use that or what to sub for the coconut flour?
You need to purchase coconut flour. Any health food store will carry it or there are plenty of online resources as well
What role does the egg play in this recipe? We have an egg allergy & cannot use most commercial egg replacers due to the potato starch.
I am so exicted to find this recipe. My son is allergic to dairy, egg, wheat, whey, potato, rice, & peas. He loves cereal bars & cannot have them anymore! Thank you!
It helps make the dough rise a bit and also makes it strong and hold together. You may be able to use a flax “egg” but I haven’t tried it. Please come back and let us know if you have success subbing it!
My son and I made these today and he LOVED them!! (And so did my hubby as a dessert goody!) My son told me it felt like he was eating gluten again – the mark of a true success in the grain free world
Thank you so much for coming up with such an amazing recipe!!
I just made these to take on a road trip tomorrow and they are amazing!! I filled mine with homemade apple butter and could not be happier. YUM!! Next time – triple batch
The dough fell apart on me! I put in the fridge and did exactly what I was told to do! Any suggestions for the future?
Those were SO yummy! Thank you!
I’m a little confused by how much this recipe makes. At the beginning it says “Ingredients (yields 1 dozen)”. Step 5 confused me because it reads like I am to make a bunch of little balls, with step 8 telling me to flatten all those balls into 1/4 inch thin discs. It wasn’t until I saw your video that I realized how the recipe directions should actually read. – 2 large discs. But it still says ‘yield 1 dozen’, yet in the video you made 6 bars total.
I made these this past weekend and I made 6 bars total…. I think that ‘yields 1 dozen’ is a typo
I had the same confusion. When you said to use the dough you have left over, I thought you meant the dough that’s trimmed while making the circle into a square. I then rolled my dough really thin to make the appropriate number and they didn’t turn out so well.
I think because the dough was too thin, it just kind of absorbed the jam and much of the bar was pretty soggy. Now I know for next time to leave that dough nice and thick! I had a feeling it was operator error. 
I changed the yield to 6, thank you!
what did i do wrong? my dough just broke apart any time i touched it
I ended up just rolling it into balls and baking this into cookies which were delicious, but id love to make the bars. help? i fridged the dough for 20 mins, used parchment paper…??
Hmm I’m not sure why they would crumble! The dough could have gotten too cold so next time try letting it sit at RT for a few minutes before rolling it. That may help
I made these today using Hazelnut Flour instead of Almond Flour and Flax “eggs” instead of real eggs. While not perfect looking, the taste is outstanding! Thank you for this fun recipe!
I just made these last night and they are FABULOUS! thank you so much for your wonderful recipes….baking has always been such a passion of mine, and since following a paleo lifestyle it’s become quite the challenge to find recipes that are enjoyable to make but also have a good outcome. Your recipes have been simply fantastic and have brought life back into baking for me!
Thanks Taylor!
My kids are madly in love with these bars.
Who am I kidding? So am I! (My husband is, too.)
My first attempt was made using my homemade almond meal. They came out amazing, but constructing them with my crumbly dough was SO frustrating! The reaction from my kiddos made me break down and buy some almond flour to try again. Now they’re both tasty and pretty!
Anyhow…my long-winded way of saying thank you for this wonderful recipe! I might use the dough as a pie crust in the near future, too!
Thanks Sara! It started as a pie dough actually
Look up my honey graham cracker crust
Can I use another type of nut flour (like pecan or walnut ) instead of almond. I love almonds, but I seem to have an intolerance to it.
Pecan would probably taste great but I haven’t tried it and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to find a pecan flour as fine as blanched almond flour which may make the dough hard to work with
Is this recipe printed correctly? I tried to make these today, and the “batter” (it can’t be called a dough because it was so thin) was so wet, I had to add another half cup of flour just to get something that would hold together enough to wrap in plastic. Even after chilling it was not solid, and attempting to roll it out just resulted in a wet mess stuck to the parchment paper. I then had to add another cup of flour to make something more solid. I double checked and I am certain I measured everything correctly. What am I missing?
Hi Bonnie – Yes the recipe is correct and people have had success making it. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you but without seeing what you used, I can’t really figure out the problem. I hope you try it again!
I had the same problem, but I just put half on the bottom, spread preserves on it, put the other half of batter on top and mashed it so it covered it. Still came out tasty.
CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE THESE!
Question: Can I substitute coconut shred for flaxseeds?
I love and miss the texture of this type of “breakfast bar” food but unfortunately I’m allergic to flaxseeds. Any suggestions for substitutes? Thank you! This looks great!
I’m not sure about subbing the coconut for the flax. Shredded coconut would be much more coarse than the finely ground flax I use. There’s a note though for people on SCD who can’t have flax that you can use a little extra coconut flour, you just won’t get that “bran” type dusting on top.
I made a double batch and just rolled out a large rectangle out of 1/2 the chilled dough. I made my rectangle 8″ wide by about 13″ long. I only had preserves with pectin and sugar, so I had to use those and they turned out fine! I did 1/2 with Lingonberry and the other half with strawberry rhubarb! Now THOSE aren’t flavors you can find in the store!!
The dough was so easy to work with and they really look like the real thing! Yummy too! I love recipes like this that I can make ahead and have available for an on the go breakfast or snack. Thanks so much!!!!
Sounds delicious!! How many did it make?
I made these a couple weeks ago and just enjoyed the last one… until I make new ones asap
The taste was great. Mine didn’t hold up so well – dough fell apart when I tried to close them. I did the extra coconut flour instead of the flax, but I think it made the dough a little dry so I’m going to try the flax next time. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Yep, you’re officially my hero. All of your recipes have turned out beautifully for me. I made 6 from this recipe (plus two small cookies) and found I needed to bake them almost 5 minutes longer than the time listed. Next time I’ll make them a little bit thinner and I think they’ll bake faster, and more evenly. Plus I’ll move my oven rack up a little higher to make sure the tops brown before the bottoms burn. I moved it up half way through baking this time.
I made raspberry and cinnamon apple filled bars.
Thank you, beautiful lady!
So happy you liked them!
Hi,
I would love to make this recipe, but I am allergic to eggs. Any suggestions on how to replace it? Also, what can I use instead iof coconut oil?
JUst found your blog and just made these. They r so yummy and the kids love them. Thank-you can’t wait to try some other things.
Just made these today! They are wonderful!!! Your blog is a life saver
THANK YOU!
Can’t wait to make these!! Can I make the dough a day ahead?
Most likely but let it sit on the counter for a bit before trying to roll it. Also- it may get a little dry if you make it early so if its cracking when you try rolling it, just wet your hands slightly and pat the dough to moisten it
I have tried quite a few of your coconut flour recipes but I have to say that the Not A Grain Bars are my favorite! My kids LOVED them and so did I!!
Favorite coconut flour recipe! I made these in the fall and my daughter LOVED them! i can never get her to eat anything low carb/GF. These were amazing!
this has to be my favorite coconut flour recipe although I don’t get mine to look like yours they still taste good.
I printed this recipe a few days ago and cannot wait to try them out for my kids!! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!!!!!
This looks wonderful and fairly easy. It’s been years since I’ve indulged in those kind of bars, so I’m very happy that you gave us a recipe, and even included substitutions (I’m very allergic to flax!) and an easier method (I think I’m allergic to cooking and baking, too!).
Would LOVE to win the Tropical Traditions giveaway – they are a wonderful company!
This is one of my go-to recipes! My fave with coconut flour so far. Pick me for the giveaway!
This is my favorite coconut flour recipe. I hope I win the $50 TT gift card.
I have a hard time prepping for breakfast, so I really want to try this!
These looks absolutely delicious. I guess this would be my favorite recipe, although it was very difficult to choose just one.
Going to make these soon. Would love to win a TT giftcard!!
Love these!
So handy for snacks at work or car trips.
Trying to switch over ….it is a process…. what a great way to make some of the things we were used to
Loving your blog and recipes – thank you! Incredibly impressed that you are only 27!! You are inspiring so many, keep up the great work. Haven’t made these yet but can’t wait to try them for my fab5. Love TT, finally coconut oil that doesn’t smell/taste like coconut, haven’t tried their coconut flour but will if I win! Thanks!
Mmm… this recipe is responsible for me being able to convince my SO we can go grain-free
I’d love to try this recipe!
I love this recipe because of the coconut flour and I love finding Paleo subs for things my kids love but shouldn’t eat. These make a great quick breakfast for them! Thanks!
Love these!!! Trying to keep my 1 year paleo and these are such a great go to snack!! Oh, and my husband tries to sneak them when I’m not looking!
I love following your recipes!! Your pictures always make everything look so appetizing!!!
love this recipe!
This is my FAVOURITE ALL-TIME snack recipe!! I say this with so much emphasis because even my hubby will eat these and he is a self-proclaimed wheat-lover. Thank you for such amazing recipes!!
I cannot wait to make these. I have been on a mission trying to find healthy, and I mean really healthy, breakfast bars. So many claims out there that are just pure bogus! Hope I win, cause I need coconut flour!
Can’t wait to try these after my Whole45 is over in February! I hope to get the extra coconut flour!
Totally would love to make these using the coconut flour giveaway for my post pregnancy body
only got 10lbs to go!
I made these recently and can’t wait to make them again. My kids are plotting what kind of preserves to try next. We used apricot the first round.
I made these this weekend, and the whole family loved them. I may turn even the non-SCD family members into much health eaters! Can’t wait for the cookbook to come out!
I finished off coconut flour stash, so the give away is just in time!
Jayne
This would be a real winner with my kiddos! Hoping to be one of your gift card winners today, but even if I don’t, I’m definitely giving these a shot for them
This is a favorite recipe for sure! With two toddlers in the house, I’m all about snack options
*Flash Giveaway Entry*
This is my favorite coconut flour recipe of yours; my kids love “granola bars”, and this gives them a healthy alternative!
These look yummy! I have just recently heard about using Coconut flour.. I see it as the substitute. it will be interesting to finally taste the difference.. ???
These are my favorite!! I even managed to make them with ALL coconut flour so my boys could enjoy them too! I too fell for the “Nutri” part and all my kiddos LOVED the apple cinnamon ones but now they’re all about Mommy’s “apple cookies”. Thank you for a great recipe! (and a great giveaway, too
Kim, would you mind sharing you all-coconut version? I really want to make these without almonds
Would like to try this recipe, since my husband loves cereal bars and always buy them but I would like to make something healthy!
I will be making these ASAP!
Love these! Made them and they are so good! One of my favorite coconut flour recipes, although there are so many great ones!
This is my favorite. My 3 yr old son loves them. So glad I can make something he use to eat before starting his SCD diet bc of his crohns and uc
Do these need to be refridgerated? I am just starting on the gluten free path as I have a 2yr old who Im assuming might have a gluten intolerence. Have any of you found that using nut flours cause a nut allergy in young children? Ive heard giving them too much peanut butter can cause a nut allergy so wanted to see what you thought about flours? TIA Michelle
Sorry I can’t really speak to the medical side of things. If you’re concerned i would suggest dropping a call in to your pediatrician. And yes, keep these guys in the fridge
I made these twice now, the second time I used my circle pastry cutter to make small pastry type bars. I used a fork to weld them together. My kids love these!
Thank you for the recipe.
These are great. The dough was hard to work with, it took me a couple times to get six bars completed, but its only because its not regular flour, its just more delicate. I made them into pop tarts using powered sugar glaze on top. My kids really liked them.
These look great! I can’t wait to try them. I bet an easy cheater’s version would be to make jam “thumbprint” cookies with the dough and preserves instead. Just a thought!
Could you do all coconut flour? My daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I know the FDA classifies coconuts as a tree nut, but they’re not really. My daughter has to drink coconut milk due to dairy and soy allergies too.
I am fairly new to the whole Paleo world and in my quest to move my youngest, still-at-home children there too I am indulging them by making almost every recipe we can think of that is like the OLD stuff they ate or liked – I never really bought these before, but friends had them and my son loved them! We will be trying ours with apple filling. Thanks so much for helping me move the kids to a more healthful lifestyle! I love your stuff, simply love it:)
Hey, these are wonderful!!!!! I doubled the recipe. I always add cream of tartar even though the grain free/paleo gods typically don’t approve (1/2 tsp) and they are outstanding.
Really want to try these…but my dough came out *very* sticky.
I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour and their Coconut flour too, with honey. I live in Florida, if that has any bearing on things. Any suggestions?
Try it again using one of the brands that I recommend on my faq page.
http://www.againstallgrain.com/f-a-q/
Looks great, thanks – I want to try them tonight. Do you think it would work with just regular blueberries instead of the preserve?
The consistence of preserves is better for the bars.
Great job on first starter video, some day, you will be doing TV series, I really see that!!! There is a need for cleaner eating, tasty recipes, etc… You were led to this through circumstances and many of us are now too!!! I want to see more of you in action. Thank you for letting me/us in your kitchen!!!
Can’t wait to try the bar recipe, you make it look doable for someone like me …
Thanks for this fabulous recipe! Wow! We ate the whole batch tonight – none leftover for breakfast. They were harder to make than it looked like in the video but these are so good that I am going to keep trying until I’ve got it down! Thanks again, I love spreading the word about your website
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I made these today with homemade strawberry jam and they are sooooo delicious! I can’t wait to experiment with other flavors!