After posting my low FODMAP granola recently, I wanted to see if I could turn it into granola bars (muesli bars). I had always intended to include a recipe for them in Intolerance Friendly Kitchen but I ran out of time to perfect them. Luckily, aforementioned granola turned out to be the perfect base, so allow me to introduce these low FODMAP granola bars.
Low FODMAP granola bars (oat free)
Although oats are low FODMAP, they’re not considered gluten free in Australia. Because oats contain a protein called avenin which is similar to gluten, Coeliac Australia says that more testing needs to be done. I develop gluten free recipes so I wanted to develop a version without oats.
In addition, larger serves of oats have a FODMAP threshold. Considering nuts are often high in the same FODMAPs as oats (GOS and fructans) I wanted to use another ingredient: rice flakes. This gives us more wiggle room in terms of the nuts used in the granola bars.
So, these granola bars are low FODMAP, gluten free vegan and chewy. They use maple syrup or a combination of maple syrup and rice malt syrup for sweetener. The nuts used can be customised according to your tastes and tweaked with a little bit of maths.
Ingredient notes
This recipe uses quinoa flakes as the oat replacement. In Australia, you can find quinoa flakes in the health food aisle of most supermarkets. Sometimes they’re also sold alongside the oats or breakfast cereals. I don’t normally love quinoa flakes but I promise you can’t really taste them here. They add chew, bulk and a bit of nutty flavour while keeping to keep the bars Low FODMAP and gluten free.
I have tested a few versions with different nuts. As discussed, this recipe is designed to be low FODMAP, so different nut combinations have different FODMAP contents (which we will go into below). The version in the recipe card uses half macadamias and half peanuts.
Monash has recently removed lots of high FODMAP thresholds on their app (including for nuts). When I emailed them they said it was to ultimately make the app more user friendly. It is annoying, but hopefully they finish work soon.
Either way, the FODMAP thresholds I have for nuts currently come from my article here. I wrote it based on the thresholds that were in the app before they deleted them. I will update the recipe if it transpires that the high FODMAP thresholds have changed.
Which nuts can I use in these low FODMAP granola bars?
As discussed above, I chose to use half macadamias and half peanuts. This is because both nuts contain only trace FODMAPS and can be eaten freely. Using these nuts makes for the lowest FODMAP granola bar which is why they are in the recipe card.
However, there are a few different ways to add variety to your bars while keeping them Low FODMAP. I recommend choosing one nut from each FODMAP group to avoid the possibility of FODMAP stacking.
My suggestion is to subtract 1/4 – 1/2 cup of peanuts or macadamias and add the same amount of your nut or seed of choice. This recipe makes 10-12 muesli bars, so make sure you don’t exceed a low FODMAP serve per bar. To ensure you don’t, divide the gram amount of each nut you use by 10-12 bars.
I can’t do the math for all flavour variations so you will need to calculate your own. I have included the calculations for the variety I tested in the notes of the recipe.
GOS (galacto oligosaccharides)
- Almonds are considered low FODMAP in servings of 12g per person, or approximately 10 almonds per serve. In 24g servings or approximately 20 nuts, they become high in GOS
- Brazil nuts are low FODMAP in 40g serves, or approximately 10 nuts. In serves of 52g or approximately 13 nuts, they become moderate for GOS.
- Flaxseeds are low FODMAP in 15g or serves or 1 tablespoon. In 30g serves or 2 tablespoons, they become high for GOS
- Hazelnuts are low FODMAP in 15g serves or approximately 10 nuts. They become moderate for GOS in serves of 20g or approximately 20 nuts
- Hemp seeds are low FODMAP in 20g serves or approximately 2 tablespoons. In servings of 50g, they are moderate for GOS.
Fructans
- Pumpkin seeds or pepitas are low FODMAP in 23g serves, or approximately 2 tablespoons. In 100g serves, they contain high amounts of fructans.
- Pine nuts are low FODMAP in 14g serves or approximately 1 tablespoon. In serves of 100g or 8 tablespoons, they contain high amounts of fructans.
- Sesame seeds are low FODMAP in 11g serves or approximately 1 tablespoon per person. In serves of 66g or approximately 6 tablespoons, they contain high amounts of fructans.
- Sunflower seeds are low FODMAP in 6g serves or approximately 2 teaspoons. In serves of 70g they contain high amounts of fructans.
- Walnuts are low FODMAP in 30g serves or approximately 10 nut halves. In 135g serves (approximately 35 nut halves) they contain moderate amounts of fructans.
Allergen notes
I haven’t tested either of these versions, but I’m sure some people will ask so here are my best suggestions.
Nut free low FODMAP granola bars
- Use hulled tahini in place of the peanut butter. Hulled tahini is low FODMAP in 30g serves but doesn’t become moderate for GOS until it exceeds serves of 184g.
- Add another 100g of quinoa flakes to the mixture. This will replace 1 cup worth of nuts and seeds.
- Use 1/2 cup of GOS containing hemp seeds and 1/2 cup fructan containing pumpkin seeds. These varieties are the only suitable ones from each group in terms of flavour (1/2 cup flaxseeds wouldn’t taste good) and FODMAP content.
Peanut free low FODMAP granola bars
- Use hulled tahini in place of the peanut butter. Hulled tahini is low FODMAP in 30g serves but doesn’t become moderate for GOS until it exceeds serves of 184g.
- Replace the peanuts in the bars themselves with 1/2 cup of GOS containing nuts or seeds and 1/2 cup fructan containing nuts or seeds. I would recommend using a lower GOS option such as Brazil nuts or hemp seeds. This is because tahini is a GOS containing ingredient. It’s unlikely you would go over the threshold in these quantities (and when the bars serve 10-12) but better safe than sorry.
Tips and tricks for your low FODMAP granola bars
The number one tip for this recipe is in relation the to peanut butter and sweetener mix. Cooking this through thoroughly, until it reaches a thick caramel like consistency, is the only thing that is holding your granola bars together. If you don’t cook it to a thick enough consistency your bars will crumble and be too wet at the same time. Not ideal.
Make sure you take the time to cook the mixture properly. I found the sweet spot was about 4 minutes on the stove. First, the mixture will look grainy and the peanut butter will be separate from the sweetener. Next, they will come together and create a smooth looking caramel. The mixture should become thicker and your spatula should leave a fleeting mark in the mixture as you stir it. As soon as the mixture begins to develop little clumps of peanut butter, take it off the heat.
This consistency, I found, creates a lovely chewy granola bar that holds together with ease.
Toasting the nut mix just prior to making the peanut butter mixture serves two purposes. Firstly, it adds a delicious toasty flavour to your muesli bars. Secondly, it brings the nuts and seeds up to temperature so that the peanut butter mixture won’t seize up as you combine them. This will give you enough time to thoroughly coat everything in the peanut butter before you decant it into the baking tin.
A note on the baking tin: this recipe has been designed with an 18.5cm (base measurement) square baking tin. Using a larger tin will result in thinner granola bars. If you only have a larger tin, block off one edge of the tin with a smaller tin or whatever fits. Nobody likes thin granola bars.
One last tip: chopped nuts are more pleasant to eat in a muesli bar. This is particularly important for macadamias, in my opinion. I recommend chopped into relatively small pieces or pulsing in a food processor.
More low FODMAP breakfast recipes
- Gluten free buckwheat bread
- Low FODMAP granola
- Gluten free porridge
- Gluten free vegan bagels
- Gluten free vegan seeded bread without xanthan gum
Low FODMAP granola bars
Ingredients
- 100 g (1 cup)* quinoa flakes
- 160 g (1 cup)* macadamias
- 160 g (1 cup)* peanuts
- 150 g (1/2 cup)* natural smooth peanut butter (see notes)
- 150g (1/2 cup)* pure maple syrup (not maple flavoured syrup or any sugar alternative syrups)
- Pinch of fine salt
- Vanilla extract or any spices optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.
- Line a 18.5cm X 18.5cm square brownie tin with a large piece of cling film with enough overhang to fold over the granola bars.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a heat safe mixing bowl. Pour the combined mixture onto an oven tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Baking is both to warm up the ingredients (so the peanut butter mixture won’t seize up when it hits cold nuts) and to toast the ingredients. You can toast them for longer if you’d like, but keep an eye on the quinoa flakes as they are prone to burning.
- Five minutes before the nut mixture has finished cooking, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup in a small pan over a low medium heat. Use a heatproof silicon spatula to stir the mixture and ensure none is catching on the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the mixture for around 4 minutes. First, it will look grainy and like the peanut butter is separated from the syrup. Next, it will come together and look glossy. If you draw a line in the mixture with your spatula, it should take a second for the mixture to melt back together.
- As soon as little bits of cooked peanut butter start to form (they will look like little clumps) take the mixture off the heat.
- Carefully decant the hot nut and quinoa flakes back into the bowl, then pour over the hot peanut butter mixture. Work quickly to coat all the mixture in the peanut butter – this is what will hold your muesli bars together, so everything needs to be coated and combined.
- Once you’re happy, pour the mixture into the lined tin. Place the overhanging pieces of film down over the granola bars, then use the base of a smaller container (I use a square Tupperware) to press the bars down firmly and evenly into the tray. You need to use pressure so that the bars stay together in bar form once cooled.
- Carefully remove the cling film cover so that the bars don’t sweat and allow them to cool. Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing in 10-12 bars. I slice the square in half through the centre, then into individual bars – 5 or 6 per half.
- You can store the bars as a slice in the fridge or cut them up and store them in individual containers.
Notes
- Read the notes in the body of the post for tips and tricks as well as FODMAP notes.
- Use smooth natural peanut butter. Your peanut butter should not contain anything other than peanuts and salt.
- Further, your peanut butter needs to contain a good amount of oil. Homemade peanut butter or the dry parts at the bottom of the jar will be harder to form into a smooth binding mixture and might result in bars that are too dry.
- Maple flavoured syrup is artificial syrup and won’t work here.
- I have successfully tested this recipe with 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 rice malt syrup for a less sweet version.
- Weights are more important than cups in this recipe. To keep the recipe within FODMAP thresholds (particularly if you use the added variety version) use the weights provided as opposed to cups. This recipe, like all my recipes, is in Australian cups which are slightly larger than most.
- That said, you can slice the bars into larger ones and still have a Low FODMAP stack if you use the combination in the recipe card above. It contains no high FODMAP ingredients.
- You need to use a tin the same size as mine (or a little smaller) for best results. Using a larger tin will result in thin granola bars and nobody likes that.
- See notes in the body of the post if you don’t have a tin the same size as mine.
- Getting the consistency of the peanut butter mixture right is crucial to success. Too soft and the bars won’t stick together. Too firm and you have essentially made nut brittle – it will be extremely chewy and crispy (trust me, been there).
- If your bars don’t hold together, you have either not cooked the peanut mixture for long enough or you haven’t pressed them down firmly enough (or both). Fixing one or both of these should result in a better consistency next time.
- If your bars are too chewy or even brittle like in consistency, you have cooked the peanut mixture too long. Cook it for less time next time.
- You can drizzle the granola bars with some chocolate once cooled and cut, if you like. I like dark chocolate, but use whatever works for you.
- These granola bars can easily be frozen and defrosted.
½ cup (75g) hemp seeds 75g = 7.5g or less per serve
½ cup (90g) pumpkin seeds 90g = 9g or less per serve
½ cup (80g) peanuts
½ cup (80g) macadamias
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