There’s nothing worse than reaching for your favourite snack and realising you’ve run out! That’s exactly what happened when we discovered our usual store-bought muesli bars were gone.

Instead of making a trip to the store, we decided to try making our own. Our goal? A healthy, plastic-free, zero-waste snack that would be just as delicious as the packaged ones, if not better!

Why Make Your Own Muesli Bars?

Store-bought granola and muesli bars are convenient, but they often come wrapped in plastic packaging and contain unnecessary preservatives, excess sugar, or artificial ingredients. By making our own, we could reduce waste, and create a snack that truly fit our needs.

Recipe

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muesli Bars (Dairy-Free, Zero-Waste)

Easy No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Muesli Bars

These muesli bars are packed with wholesome ingredients like oats, peanut butter and honey for a nutritious snack. Perfect for meal prep and on-the-go energy! We use this recipe to recipe to replace store-bought museli bars. This delicious snack contributes to a zero-waste kitchen!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 20

Course Snack

Servings 16 bars

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter (creamy works best, but we love crunchy)
⅔ cup honey (or maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
2½ cups instant oats (rolled oats can be blended)

Instructions

Line an 8×8 baking dish with compostable parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract.
Add in sea salt and oats. Mix well.
Add mixture to baking dish and press down firmly with hands and/or spatula.
Place dish in freezer to set for at least 1 hour, then remove from freezer.
Slice into 16 squares and enjoy!

Notes

How to Store: Store leftover oatmeal bars in an airtight container. If refrigerated, they’ll for at least 4 days. These oatmeal bars also last in the freezer for 2 months.

Optional add-ins: Dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or coconut flakes.

Sweetener alternatives: Maple syrup may be substituted for honey.

Nut-free version: If you are looking to make these nut-freeno problem! Swap tahini or sunflower butter for peanut butter. And be sure to use seeds instead of chopped nuts in the mix.

Gluten-free version: You can also use gluten-free rolled oats.

Peanut butter: Not all nut butters are equal. Be sure to use one that the ingredients are just peanuts and salt. No added anything or the consistency will be different.

Higher protein: Mix your favourite protein powder into the mixture too.

Keyword dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy fat, protein, snack, zero waste

Zero-Waste Tips

To make this recipe zero-waste, focus on using plastic-free, bulk, and sustainable ingredients while minimising kitchen waste. Here’s how:

Source Ingredients Sustainably

Oats, peanut butter, honey and salt – Buy from bulk bins using reusable containers or paper bags. These ingredients are all available at Source Bulk Foods.
Vanilla extract, peanut butter, and honey – Choose glass jars instead of plastic or make your own peanut butter at home.

Reduce Kitchen Waste

Use compostable parchment paper instead of bleached, non-biodegradable parchment paper.
Grease the pan with oil instead of nonstick spray from an aerosol can.
Compost any food scraps.

Store & Enjoy Waste-Free

Store in a reusable container instead of plastic wrap.
Take snacks on the go in reusable containers instead of plastic.

By following these steps, you can enjoy these delicious bars while keeping your waste footprint low!

The Results? Delicious!

These bars turned out to be the perfect lunchbox snack, chewy, slightly crunchy, naturally sweet, and packed with protein and fibre. Best of all, they were completely waste-free! No wrappers, no unnecessary ingredients, just a simple, homemade snack that kept us fuelled throughout the day.

Making these bars was a reminder that sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest ones. Not only did we avoid unnecessary waste, but we also discovered how easy it is to make a delicious, nutritious snack from scratch. We won’t be going back to store-bought anytime soon!