Sourdough Pumpkin Granola Bars
Looking for a delicious fall snack that’s both healthy and satisfying? These Pumpkin Granola Bars are packed with all the cozy flavors of fall, from pumpkin to warm spices, and are perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes, or a quick grab-and-go treat.
Made with wholesome ingredients, these granola bars are a great source of energy and fiber, making them the ideal snack to keep you fueled throughout the day. Whether you’re heading to work, school, or an autumn outing, these pumpkin granola bars are a tasty, nutritious option that’s sure to satisfy your cravings.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Sourdough Pumpkin Granola Bars
Ya’ll love my class sourdough discard granola bar recipe so much, I knew with the fall season right around the corner that these would be a fun twist to make these seasonal, exciting and delicious. Homemade granola bars are so simple to make, easier to store, and one of my favorite things to meal prep for the week.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – unfed, inactive sourdough starter that’s been stored in the fridge or on the counter.
Rolled Oats – Organic rolled oats are best.
Pumpkin Puree – Your favorite kind of pumpkin puree.
Nut butter I’ve used both peanut butter, and almond butter for this recipe and both work great. Use whatever nut butter your family prefers.
Honey – or you can use maple syrup for the sweetness.
Dates – The dates bring out more natural sweetness, but also stickiness to help the granola bars stick together.
Chocolate chips – For texture and flavor! Use the mini ones if you can find them, or chop the regular before adding it to the granola bars.
👩🍳 How to Make Pumpkin Granola Bars
- tart by chopping your dates (and your chocolate chips if you prefer them smaller)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, nut butter, honey or maple syrup, and sourdough discard. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- In another bowl, mix the rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. If using nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, add them to the dry mixture as well.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Make sure the oats are evenly coated with the pumpkin mixture.
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, cut the corners of the parchment paper in a diagonal towards the middle to help the parchment paper fit into the dish.
- Place your mixture onto the parchment paper and flatten out using your spatula so everything reaches the edges and is level and flat on top.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting. Use a large knife to cut directly down the middle, and then into 5 evenly sized rectangles on each side.
- Store in a a Tupperware in your fridge for up to a week!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- I would recommend chopping your chocolate chips or purchasing the mini ones for your granola bars. The larger chucks of chips make the granola bars easier to break or crumble.
- Cutting your parchment paper at a diagonal in each corner makes it easier for the paper to fit, therefor easier to spread the mixture evenly inside the dish.
- Sweetness: Adjust the sweetness level by changing the amount of honey or maple syrup based on your taste.
🗒 Variations
Ya’ll loved my class granola bar recipe so much, I decided to add a fall flavor twist! But these can be made with so many variations.
Customization: Feel free to customize the bars with your favorite nuts, seeds, or dried fruits based on your preferences.
Sweetness: Adjust the sweetness level by changing the amount of honey or maple syrup based on your taste.
Add-ins: For extra nutrition, consider adding in flax seeds, or shredded coconut.
🗒 Substitutions
There are a few substitutions you could do for these granola bars, and it starts by swapping the ingredients to what you have on hand, or what flavors you like better. For instance, if your family prefers white chocolate chips over milk, or semi – sweet, then use that! Or if you have almond butter in your pantry, and not peanut butter, use that 🙂
🗒 Best served with
- Morning breakfast.
- Lunch box options.
- After school snack.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store the granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them or freeze them.
🤔 Common Questions
I highly recommend keeping the dates, because they add natural sweetness and help bind the granola mixture together. But if you don’t have them on hand use 1/4 cup of extra peanut butter.
If you only have active sourdough, stir it down before adding it into the granola bar mixture to release the bubbles.
If you don’t have sourdough starter at all – you can leave it out entirely and add 1/4 cup of extra peanut butter.
Sourdough Pumpkin Granola Bars
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ½ cup nut butter
- ½ cup pumpkin purée
- ⅓ cup chopped dates
- 1 tbs chia seeds
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- tart by chopping your dates (and your chocolate chips if you prefer them smaller)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, nut butter, honey or maple syrup, and sourdough discard. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- In another bowl, mix the rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. If using nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, add them to the dry mixture as well.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Make sure the oats are evenly coated with the pumpkin mixture.
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, cut the corners of the parchment paper in a diagonal towards the middle to help the parchment paper fit into the dish.
- Place your mixture onto the parchment paper and flatten out using your spatula so everything reaches the edges and is level and flat on top.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting. Use a large knife to cut directly down the middle, and then into 5 evenly sized rectangles on each side.
- Store in a a Tupperware in your fridge for up to a week!
