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I don’t know about you, but I am ALWAYS looking for fast, easy school-day snacks. Unfortunately, most of the pre-packaged snacks marketed for school kids are totally full of sugar, corn syrup, and other harmful ingredients. In this post, I’ll share how to make these delicious sourdough granola bars that you can feel great about!

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Make Your Own Homemade Granola Bars!

My son started kindergarten this year so I set out to create a few easy, delicious snacks for him that would also be kind to his little tummy and these granola bars fit the bill! They are chewy, and chocolatey and feel like a sweet treat without the sugar crash. They are super easy to whip and put in the freezer to have on hand.

Granola bars have been a family favorite snack for years now. I used to grab a box of Quaker Oats granola bars in a pinch… They were the cheapest and my kids loved them. The chocolate chip flavor was their favorite.

A few years ago, I stopped buying most processed foods for myself and my kids. I was having lots of stomach issues and I didn’t want to risk feeding them something that would irritate or harm their little tummies. My options for most snacks became either buying organic only or making my own. Organic food is GREAT, but MAN is it expensive. Plus, many brands are STILL (sadly) adding a ton of extra sugar to snack food marketed for kids.

For this reason, I decided to start making a lot of the products I used to purchase from the store BUT creating healthier sourdough versions that are even more delicious.

Want More Great Snack Ideas?

Did you know I’ve been concocting kid-friendly sourdough snacks for a long time now? These are a few that are most popular with my kiddos!

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Granola Bars:

One of my most prized possessions is a little mason jar of sourdough starter I created in my kitchen. I am constantly trying to find ways to incorporate my starter into cooking whether it’s cookies, breads or desserts! Adding sourdough discard to a recipe is an easy way to give your baked goods a delicious tang PLUS the partial fermentation of the flour can be great for digestion!

womans hand holding jar of sourdough discard

Adding just a bit of sourdough discard to these granola bars is one of my favorite ways to give them a delicious flavor that you can feel good about. Here are a few more great reasons to make these chewy granola bars!

Healthy: Besides the chocolate chips (which can easily be omitted) this recipe is sugar-free and sweetened only with pure maple syrup! It also contains whole oats, coconut oil and sourdough so it’s a win across the board!

Highly Customizable: Feel free to add any add-ins you like! Golden raisins, toasted sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, and assorted dried fruits are just a few ideas!

Easy to Grab N’ Go: I like to slice these into a granola bar shape and individually package them in sandwich baggies. I store in the freezer and throw a few in the diaper bag before we head out for an easy grab-and-go snack!

Sourdough Discard Versus Active Sourdough Starter

If you are thinking “What’s the difference between sourdough discard and active sourdough starter?” – You aren’t alone! This is one of the confusing things about sourdough that TRULY isn’t all that complicated.

Discard starter is the sourdough starter in its NONACTIVE state- This means, no bubbles. Not yet fed. How my starter is when I’ve just pulled it out off the fridge or when it’s on the counter but I haven’t fed it in 8 hours or so.

Active sourdough is bubbly and doubled in size. Typically 4-8 hours after it’s been fed is the most active phase. Active starter acts as a leaven and will make bread, rolls or cakes rise! Discard adds some fermentation properties (specifically if it’s been left to ferment for a longer time) but most of the time will not cause anything to rise. It adds a little bit of tang to your recipes which my kids (and I) absolutley love!

Tips for Making Sourdough Granola Bars:

A great way to make these bars even more digestible and gut-friendly is to soak your oats for 12-24 hours before baking!
Make sure the icing on the bars completely dries before packaging in bags
The longer you bake these, the more they firm up like a traditional granola bar. If you want a softer texture you can cut the baking time by ten minutes.
Try adding some flax and chia seed powder to this recipe for more fiber!
Try adding blueberries for an extra antioxidant boost!

What You’ll Need to Make Sourdough Granola Bars:

Medium bowl (large bowl if doubling)
Wooden spoon
8×8 glass baking dish
Parchment paper
Sandwich bag or icing bag

Ingredients:

Organic rolled oats
Sourdough discard
Eggs
Organic honey
Coconut oil
Mini chocolate chips
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Heavy cream or milk
Powdered sugar
Any other add-ins you prefer

How To Make Chewy Sourdough Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine rolled oats and cinnamon.

Melt coconut oil in the microwave. I usually melt for about 30 seconds, you don’t want it to be super hot.

Add sourdough discard, honey, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix well.

Lastly, add any mix-ins you prefer to the granola bar mixture. I made these as a copycat of the Quaker Oats chocolate chip granola bars to I just added mini chocolate chips. Feel free to add pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, hemp hearts, and even whole nuts for a hint of extra flavor!

Pour the granola mixture into the prepared pan. Place in a preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and firm.

Allow the sourdough granola bars to cool completely. After the bars have cooled, place the bars on a wire rack.

After the bars are completely cool, mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1/2 TBS of heavy cream in a sandwich bag. Knead the bag until icing forms. Cut the corner of the sandwich bag. Pipe icing onto the completely cool bars.

Let the icing dry on the bars for several hours until dry to the touch.

Slice sourdough granola bars into squares or rectangles. Place bars in sandwich bags or an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to a month. I prefer to store in the freezer and pull out in the morning for school snacks.