These may not look as beautiful as a real Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bar, but I can testify that they’re made of fresher ingredients and they taste WORLDS BETTER! They are completely amazing and delicious—so delicious that I broke my 16+ hour fast with three of them and had to hide them so I wouldn’t eat them all! They were much better than I ever thought they would taste so I was very surprised by the outcome.
I grew up in the 80s and 90s, eating lots and lots of Nutri-Grain bars—particularly strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. I thought I would start with a strawberry one first and eventually make my way to creating a blueberry version. I was never a fan of the apple Nutri-Grain bars so I will pass on making those. These taste SO MUCH BETTER than the store-bought version!
My delicious recipe calls for whole wheat flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, butter, egg yolks, plain Greek yogurt, honey, vanilla, strawberry jam, and buttermilk, and is done in about 30 minutes! If you like breakfast recipes, then you’ll love my French Toast Muffins, Nutella-Stuffed French Toast Sticks, Pancake Bacon Fingers, and Classic BLT recipes!
Ingredients in Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars
Whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour adds more nutrition than all-purpose flour and adds flavor. It also provides gluten and starch to support the bars’ structure.
Oats. Oats add fiber, nutrition, flavor, and texture to these strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars. The oats act as a binding agent, helping to bind the ingredients together.
Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon is bold and sweet flavor gives these bars an enhanced taste.
Salt. Just a pinch of salt helps bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
Butter. Butter in this recipe helps to bind the ingredients, while also offering a creamy, rich, moist flavor. We grate cold butter in this recipe so that the dough can be formed.
Egg yolks. The egg yolks provide leavening, richness, color and flavor to the bars. Eggs also naturally hold the dough together to create smooth batter.
Greek yogurt. The creaminess of Greek yogurt is just enough to keep these bars moist. Greek yogurt is a better option over sour cream or mayonnaise in that it’s better for you and contains fewer calories and more protein. I do not recommend making these Nutri-Grain bars with sour cream or mayo as I have not tried that and therefore recommend only using plain Greek yogurt.
Honey. The sugars in honey contain higher levels of fructose than sugar so you need less honey for the same sweetness as sugar. One way to reduce the overall sugar content in a recipe is to use honey in lieu of sugar.
Vanilla extract. Like the role of salt on the savory side, vanilla helps to enhance the sweetness of baked products, particularly these strawberry Nutri-Grain bars.
Strawberry jam. Strawberry jam or preserves is key in this recipe as it’s the “strawberry” in the “Nutri-Grain” bar! To reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe, you can buy sugar free strawberry preserves or jam.
Buttermilk. Coating these bars in buttermilk helps to give them moisture and richness.
How to make the best Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and mix to incorporate. Add the egg yolks, Greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla, mixing well and slowly adding 1 tablespoon cold milk at a time, stirring in between the additions, until the dough sticks and a ball can be formed.
STEP 2: Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Roll it to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3.5” x 4” pieces. Place about 2-3 teaspoons strawberry jam down the center, leaving ½ inch around the edges to fold. Brush or carefully spoon buttermilk along the ½-inch edges of each piece.
STEP 4: Fold the two longer sides inward to meet and carefully pinch the seams. Fold the shorter edges in and carefully pinch the seams of the dough. Roll the bar over on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Continue to fold all the bars together and brush or spoon buttermilk on the tops of the bars.
STEP 5: Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden, but do not over bake.
STEP 6: Let the bars cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to either an airtight container or individually wrapped in plastic wrap or foil.
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Final Thoughts
Finally, if you make these Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this recipe and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your recipe photos!
Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, grated
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves
- 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (175º C). In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and mix to incorporate. Add the egg yolks, Greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla, mixing well and slowly adding 1 tablespoon cold milk at a time, stirring in between the additions, until the dough sticks and a ball can be formed.
- Turn the dough out on a floured surface. Roll it to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3.5” x 4” pieces. Place about 2-3 teaspoons strawberry jam down the center, leaving ½ inch around the edges to fold. Brush or carefully spoon buttermilk along the ½-inch edges of each piece.Fold the two longer sides inward to meet and carefully pinch the seams. Fold the shorter edges in and carefully pinch the seams of the dough. Roll the bar over on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Continue to fold all the bars together and brush or spoon buttermilk on the tops of the bars.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden, but do not over bake.
- Let the bars cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to either an airtight container or individually wrapped in plastic wrap or foil.
Notes
Nutrition (per serving)
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